James Blake - Assume Form: Review
James Blake,
has been up to this point one of the best, most creative and most consistent artists of this decade. Since coming up as a dubstep infused experimentalist in the early 2010's with EPs like Klaiverwerke and Enough Thunder, James Blake gained popularity and set the stage for his spectacular debut self-titled album James Blake. The album was met with critical acclaim and was one of only 3 10/10 scores that Music Corner gave out that year, as well as awarding it our album of the year nod. Since his experimental bedroom electronica masterpiece Blake has dropped two fantastic album sin its wake. 2013's Overgrown was a much less jagged and experimental album that relied on gorgeous layers of backing instrumentation and spacious atmospheres to succeed. James Blake vocally took more of a center stage than ever before on his third album The Colour In Anything which was surprised dropped in 2016. Softer and more distant instrumentals and huge sparse compositions meant that his soft but passionate vocal performances took center stage for the bulk of the long project and the direction was a refreshing and often beautiful one. Leading up to this project James Blake has spent the last 3 years invading multiple new facets of the music industry and widely expanding his artistry. He made collaborations with Frank Ocean and Beyonce in 2016, produced for Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z in 2017 and became a bonafide superstar with two features on the Top Dawg Entertainment curated Black Panther Movie Soundtracks. The very underrated Bloody Waters saw Blake using his talents alongside Ab-Soul and Anderson .Paak, and he had a small but memorable spot on the viral hit King's Dead with collaborators Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock and Future. This artist transition was in the back of our minds and it would ultimately dictate the direction Blake went in, but that wasn't the impression many got when he dropped If The Car Beside You Moves Ahead in early 2018. The song was a glitchy and looping electronic masterpiece that sounded like a return to form of the experimentation we had come to know from Blake in his very early days and on his first album. Its follow-up single Don't Miss It was a huge critical success in its own right that lands towards the end of this album and with all of the time we've had to rest on it it's easy to see why so many felt that the track was so good. And in just the recent hours leading up to the albums release Blake dropped two more excellent singles from the tracklist, the Travis Scott and Metro Boomin featuring Mile High and the albums closer Lullaby For My Insomniac. So with excellent singles and a history of brilliant forward thinking albums James Blake had all the momentum he needed at his back and he comfortably delivers.
Review By Lav:
Every James Blake album so far has a special place in my heart, the self-titled was instrumental in my developing love of abstract electronic music, Overgrown represented a masterpiece of music that refused to follow illicit labels and created a sound of its own, and The Colour In Anything was both one of my favorite surprise releases of that whole trend and a patient and meditative masterpiece of soft but emotionally powerful music that resonated with me in a huge way, even in the same year as Frank Ocean's Blonde. Even the non album single released between that project and this one landed near the top of multiple lists last year. I think a lot of that can be credited to a fundamental understanding of what makes fantastic and engaging music on Blake's part. Whatever genres he touches seem to turn to gold and we felt that more than ever last year, when the tracklist for Assume Form dropped and names like Travis Scott, Metro Boomin and Moses Sumney were revealed it became clear that James was going to stretch his artistic potential even further, a feat I was thrilled to see executed especially after the first time I heard Mile High the single he dropped the morning before the album. After taking the weekend with one of my most anticipated projects of the year I have settled on some key thoughts but below is my takes on the albums tracklist.
We open up with the nearly 5 minute long title tracks Assume Form a song that takes off right from the start and evokes a very Overgrown energy. Its a busy song by Blake standards with a wailing string section hanging in the background of the piano and vocal lead. The verses are as impassioned as ever but its the gorgeous "when you touch me I wonder" bridges that build up to and inspire such a brilliant chorus. The song finds all its strength in a strong hook where clarity is key, far from a James Blake standard and makes for a fantastic introduction to the album that both starts on a high note and foreshadows much of what is to come.
Next in line is the albums 2nd single, if only by a few hours Mile High featuring Travis Scott and Metro Boomin. The song is a spectacular blending of styles, even though it may not be as good as the crossover success of Scott and Blake's Stop Trying To Be God last year each artist brings their best to this song. Blake and Metro Boomin craft a beat that was born for this collaboration as James Blake's soft mixed vocals and Travis Scott's warbly sing rapping blend perfectly into this distant vibe anthem.
From a tracklist perspective #3 may have been the one I was most excited for. James Blake x Metro Boomin x Moses Sumney is an indelible combination and right from the beginning Metro's trap high hats set the scene for a fantastic pitched-up Moses Sumney verse. The R&B up-and-comer returns to the track later on to deliver over some distant keys much more in like with Blake's work. speaking of Blake he drops one of his catchier refrains in this song during its second half, helped out majorly by Metro Boomin's mastery of all things percussion. Tell Them is one of the shining moments in an already stacked tracklist and one that I won't forget for a long time, and may even be one to expect on the end of year lists.
As we reach the middle of this album we his Into The Red one of the most pastiche pieces in the tracklist that opens with the provocative lyrics "the list of things I can do without grows longer as I move everything around". It also features an instrumental the likes of which we have never heard from Blake before. It mirrors his third albums distant backing wall of keys but places a very noticeable plucking throughout its entire 4+ minute runtime that goes from interesting to just commonplace in that time. The next track is another indie profile collaboration with last years breakout success flaminco pop artist Rosalia. She delivers the verses in Spanish but they ultimately don't amount to much personal storytelling from a lyrical standpoint. The tracks two major selling points are on a fantastic instrumental from Blake that forms and shifts around the two singers as they trade off mood, pitch and tone throughout the song. The other great factor is James and Rosalia's gorgeous duet work on the hook that really brings everything home, the two nail their chemistry and support each other fantastically in what may be the most well written hook on the entire album.
Between high profile features we have two songs that make up the albums direct middle starting with Can't Believe The Way We Flow, a track that melds into itself for its first 2 and a half minutes sounding like a combination between many of the features we've heard before until it transitions and in the second half as many of the electronic bells and whistles start to fade out we really get the first sense of an early James Blake willing to push the envelope on this project. When everything kicks back in for the songs outro its all just so much more satisfying and allows us to end on a positive experience. The second song in this mid album stint is Are You In Love? which opens provocatively with its title words and some astoundingly astrological sound effects. The track is a very comfortable one for those familiar with Blake's music that doesn't quite stand out but provides a prototypical James Blake-ish bliss for its just over 3 minute run time.
Next up is Where's The Catch? a song for which Blake had lured out the reclusive Andre 3000 for a feature, attention grabbing to say the least. Andre certainly has a good reason to show out as the piano driven beat Blake assembled for him is a fantastic blending of rap and electronica the likes of which 3 Stacks is well prepared to take on. His verse is as technically impressive as you'd expect from one of the best ever and Blake partners the first half of the song with a brief but catchy refrain of the title, before transitioning back into its second half. Andre's submission to the second half is a more interesting one and his looped vocals give shades of Car Beside Me but never quite reach that level of success. Regardless the song accomplishes its goal without truly standing out as one of the key moments in the tracklist, give and take.
Next up is the duo of I'll Come To and Power On. The former is a track that pulls heavily in shades of The Colour In Anything as it paints a soft and distant background instrumental for Blake to sing his breathy poetics over it and they remain catchy as ever. Power On on the other hand is one of the albums lower moments, mixing a decent performance and many decent elements in a way that makes a dreary and forgettable song. Despite some interesting factors hanging in the mix and very engaging lyricism from James the song is so blown out at points that it all begins to blend together. As it builds up to a release in its final minute its positive compositional elements begin to show, but the song begs for a softer and more focused reworking because all the right pieces are here.
And finally we come up on the albums first single and penultimate tune in the tracklist, the stellar Don't Miss It. A five-minute piano ballad that features so many incredible James Balkeisms throughout. Layers of keys washing in and out of the mix, perfectly executed auto-tune and brilliant abstract story telling. This moment more than any other James opens up in a profoundly persona way on his feelings and emotions, and makes a fantastic critique on the way we perceive mental health in males. The song is so much about the message that most artist wouldn't want to muddy the mix and draw your attention away with anything flashy but Blake so effectively proves his mastery of songwriting on this track. The details and textures of abound in nearly every part of the tune as it winds its way through just under 5 minutes of building and driving narrative songwriting that reminds me of all of my favorite James Blake songs of old, Don't Miss It is a triumph in every way, and the emotional high of an already emotionally compelling project.
And finally we close with the albums 3rd single Lullaby For My Insomniac a track that recounts days of the self-titled album with brilliant use of ambient sounds and a huge sonic space. The most distant and quiet cut on the entire album does so with a fitting knowledge of its place and never pretends to be anything else. Its a dramatic closer despite its softness as it embodies everything that allows Blake to stand out in the world of media saturation and stream stacking, and a fantastic ending to the project.
So overall, Assume Form is exactly what it should be, a mix of all the lessons Blake has learned up to this point mixed with his new treatment and success in the mainstream, and a poetic portrait of his current life. Highlights like Don't Miss It, Tell Them and Assume Form show off his powerful versatility as an artist who is typically labelled as just an electronic producer. Blake makes fantastic use of some incredible guests across the album with nearly every feature adding something meaningful to its overall success. James hits time and time again with successful and varied approaches to his style throughout the album for an experience that is a joy to listen to. The only thing with the potential to bring Assume Form down is Blake's extraordinary track record of successes. After 3 straight albums that vary from arguable 10/10's to bonafide modern masterpieces his 4th effort seems great but not amazing. It has a tendency to normalize its style and in the wake of last years incredible If The Car Beside You Moves Ahead normalization didn't seem like it was in his lane but this album is by far his most compromising. In moments it feels like the way someones feature is interpolated or when extra sounds are added to break up distant ambiance that Blake is submitting a portion of the music he wants to make in order to gain some further appeal from the mainstream that has now started paying attention to him more than ever before.
Regardless of its commercialism Assume Form is a fantastic start to 2019 that may have cemented Blake as the artist of the decade and I'm more than happy to call the album a 9/10 and one that I promise will have a role in my year end lists.
Thanks For Reading!
Review By Lav:
Every James Blake album so far has a special place in my heart, the self-titled was instrumental in my developing love of abstract electronic music, Overgrown represented a masterpiece of music that refused to follow illicit labels and created a sound of its own, and The Colour In Anything was both one of my favorite surprise releases of that whole trend and a patient and meditative masterpiece of soft but emotionally powerful music that resonated with me in a huge way, even in the same year as Frank Ocean's Blonde. Even the non album single released between that project and this one landed near the top of multiple lists last year. I think a lot of that can be credited to a fundamental understanding of what makes fantastic and engaging music on Blake's part. Whatever genres he touches seem to turn to gold and we felt that more than ever last year, when the tracklist for Assume Form dropped and names like Travis Scott, Metro Boomin and Moses Sumney were revealed it became clear that James was going to stretch his artistic potential even further, a feat I was thrilled to see executed especially after the first time I heard Mile High the single he dropped the morning before the album. After taking the weekend with one of my most anticipated projects of the year I have settled on some key thoughts but below is my takes on the albums tracklist.
We open up with the nearly 5 minute long title tracks Assume Form a song that takes off right from the start and evokes a very Overgrown energy. Its a busy song by Blake standards with a wailing string section hanging in the background of the piano and vocal lead. The verses are as impassioned as ever but its the gorgeous "when you touch me I wonder" bridges that build up to and inspire such a brilliant chorus. The song finds all its strength in a strong hook where clarity is key, far from a James Blake standard and makes for a fantastic introduction to the album that both starts on a high note and foreshadows much of what is to come.
Next in line is the albums 2nd single, if only by a few hours Mile High featuring Travis Scott and Metro Boomin. The song is a spectacular blending of styles, even though it may not be as good as the crossover success of Scott and Blake's Stop Trying To Be God last year each artist brings their best to this song. Blake and Metro Boomin craft a beat that was born for this collaboration as James Blake's soft mixed vocals and Travis Scott's warbly sing rapping blend perfectly into this distant vibe anthem.
From a tracklist perspective #3 may have been the one I was most excited for. James Blake x Metro Boomin x Moses Sumney is an indelible combination and right from the beginning Metro's trap high hats set the scene for a fantastic pitched-up Moses Sumney verse. The R&B up-and-comer returns to the track later on to deliver over some distant keys much more in like with Blake's work. speaking of Blake he drops one of his catchier refrains in this song during its second half, helped out majorly by Metro Boomin's mastery of all things percussion. Tell Them is one of the shining moments in an already stacked tracklist and one that I won't forget for a long time, and may even be one to expect on the end of year lists.
As we reach the middle of this album we his Into The Red one of the most pastiche pieces in the tracklist that opens with the provocative lyrics "the list of things I can do without grows longer as I move everything around". It also features an instrumental the likes of which we have never heard from Blake before. It mirrors his third albums distant backing wall of keys but places a very noticeable plucking throughout its entire 4+ minute runtime that goes from interesting to just commonplace in that time. The next track is another indie profile collaboration with last years breakout success flaminco pop artist Rosalia. She delivers the verses in Spanish but they ultimately don't amount to much personal storytelling from a lyrical standpoint. The tracks two major selling points are on a fantastic instrumental from Blake that forms and shifts around the two singers as they trade off mood, pitch and tone throughout the song. The other great factor is James and Rosalia's gorgeous duet work on the hook that really brings everything home, the two nail their chemistry and support each other fantastically in what may be the most well written hook on the entire album.
Between high profile features we have two songs that make up the albums direct middle starting with Can't Believe The Way We Flow, a track that melds into itself for its first 2 and a half minutes sounding like a combination between many of the features we've heard before until it transitions and in the second half as many of the electronic bells and whistles start to fade out we really get the first sense of an early James Blake willing to push the envelope on this project. When everything kicks back in for the songs outro its all just so much more satisfying and allows us to end on a positive experience. The second song in this mid album stint is Are You In Love? which opens provocatively with its title words and some astoundingly astrological sound effects. The track is a very comfortable one for those familiar with Blake's music that doesn't quite stand out but provides a prototypical James Blake-ish bliss for its just over 3 minute run time.
Next up is Where's The Catch? a song for which Blake had lured out the reclusive Andre 3000 for a feature, attention grabbing to say the least. Andre certainly has a good reason to show out as the piano driven beat Blake assembled for him is a fantastic blending of rap and electronica the likes of which 3 Stacks is well prepared to take on. His verse is as technically impressive as you'd expect from one of the best ever and Blake partners the first half of the song with a brief but catchy refrain of the title, before transitioning back into its second half. Andre's submission to the second half is a more interesting one and his looped vocals give shades of Car Beside Me but never quite reach that level of success. Regardless the song accomplishes its goal without truly standing out as one of the key moments in the tracklist, give and take.
Next up is the duo of I'll Come To and Power On. The former is a track that pulls heavily in shades of The Colour In Anything as it paints a soft and distant background instrumental for Blake to sing his breathy poetics over it and they remain catchy as ever. Power On on the other hand is one of the albums lower moments, mixing a decent performance and many decent elements in a way that makes a dreary and forgettable song. Despite some interesting factors hanging in the mix and very engaging lyricism from James the song is so blown out at points that it all begins to blend together. As it builds up to a release in its final minute its positive compositional elements begin to show, but the song begs for a softer and more focused reworking because all the right pieces are here.
And finally we come up on the albums first single and penultimate tune in the tracklist, the stellar Don't Miss It. A five-minute piano ballad that features so many incredible James Balkeisms throughout. Layers of keys washing in and out of the mix, perfectly executed auto-tune and brilliant abstract story telling. This moment more than any other James opens up in a profoundly persona way on his feelings and emotions, and makes a fantastic critique on the way we perceive mental health in males. The song is so much about the message that most artist wouldn't want to muddy the mix and draw your attention away with anything flashy but Blake so effectively proves his mastery of songwriting on this track. The details and textures of abound in nearly every part of the tune as it winds its way through just under 5 minutes of building and driving narrative songwriting that reminds me of all of my favorite James Blake songs of old, Don't Miss It is a triumph in every way, and the emotional high of an already emotionally compelling project.
And finally we close with the albums 3rd single Lullaby For My Insomniac a track that recounts days of the self-titled album with brilliant use of ambient sounds and a huge sonic space. The most distant and quiet cut on the entire album does so with a fitting knowledge of its place and never pretends to be anything else. Its a dramatic closer despite its softness as it embodies everything that allows Blake to stand out in the world of media saturation and stream stacking, and a fantastic ending to the project.
So overall, Assume Form is exactly what it should be, a mix of all the lessons Blake has learned up to this point mixed with his new treatment and success in the mainstream, and a poetic portrait of his current life. Highlights like Don't Miss It, Tell Them and Assume Form show off his powerful versatility as an artist who is typically labelled as just an electronic producer. Blake makes fantastic use of some incredible guests across the album with nearly every feature adding something meaningful to its overall success. James hits time and time again with successful and varied approaches to his style throughout the album for an experience that is a joy to listen to. The only thing with the potential to bring Assume Form down is Blake's extraordinary track record of successes. After 3 straight albums that vary from arguable 10/10's to bonafide modern masterpieces his 4th effort seems great but not amazing. It has a tendency to normalize its style and in the wake of last years incredible If The Car Beside You Moves Ahead normalization didn't seem like it was in his lane but this album is by far his most compromising. In moments it feels like the way someones feature is interpolated or when extra sounds are added to break up distant ambiance that Blake is submitting a portion of the music he wants to make in order to gain some further appeal from the mainstream that has now started paying attention to him more than ever before.
Regardless of its commercialism Assume Form is a fantastic start to 2019 that may have cemented Blake as the artist of the decade and I'm more than happy to call the album a 9/10 and one that I promise will have a role in my year end lists.
Thanks For Reading!
