Assume Form – James Blake
Harry
With a mercury prize under his belt and Kanye naming him his favourite artist, it’s not surprising Blake has produced such little solo work – instead oping to leave his mark on some of the biggest albums this decade (Lemonade, Blond, DAMN). Dropped out of nowhere, I had little time to gain any expectations. On first listen, list album is a joy. It opens up with more cut-throat beats combined with some beautifully looped piano, strings and electronic samples. Blake’s ability to get the best out of his features is powerful. Sumney’s voice sounds stronger than anything I’ve heard him on. Rosalia’s exceptional performance is used tastefully and in keeping with the project. Travis sounds more at home than he does on any song off ASTROWORLD. The latter songs on the album go for emotional impact, with Blake layering and looping his voice in his trademark style over minimal instrumentation. After a few years in the ether, Blake has assumed physical form to drop a wonderful project.
92/100
Zach
I approached this album with a lot of anticipation, James Blake has always been an artist that I could appreciate is really talented but could never really fully understand. Would this album change that? The best parts of this album are what make James Blake so unique: it utilises exquisite production, lovely use of strings throughout and very layered, interesting beats. In essence, James Blake’s ability to manipulate texture and timbre at his will is second to none. But we already knew this. The things that are more interesting about this album are the newer additions, and I think that the features have a strong purpose and bring something to the table. James Blake has taken his implicit hip-hop influences and brought them to the forefront, which some mare argue make him less unique. All in all a really interesting album that is very enjoyable to listen to.
Fave Tracks: Can’t Believe The Way We Flow, I’ll Come Too
Spazzy McGee 