Before EP - James Blake: Review
is a British singer-songwriter and electronic music producer who first made waves in the early 2010's with his dubstep parallel experimental electronica. In recent years James has massively widened his audience through high profile collaborations on the Black Panther album as well as alongside Slowthai, Flatbush Zombies, Kehlani and Beyonce.
Review By Lavender:
There was no single artist in the 2010's with a slightly possible exception of Kendrick Lamar, whose output I enjoyed as consistently as James Blake. From his experimental debut to the rich R&B songwriting of Overgrown, the icy DIY of The Colour In Anything and finally the commercial bliss of Assume Form. James Blake has excited, challenged and amazed me at every single turn of his career up to this point. Giving that just 9 months ago I called his self-titled debut album my second favorite of the entire decade as well as naming his song Retrograde my favorite song of the entire decade I was clearly excited for what he had coming next. After a pair of excellent singles earlier this year James shifted his course and his sound for this EP. While these tracks are the most dancefloor Blake has sounded in years he brings with him absolutely all the remarkable production nuance and harrowing lead vocals he's developed since for another selection of remarkable songs.
I Keep Calling is the first song of the bunch and it kicks the EP off with a watery ballad full of rich minimalistic production. James' haunting breathy vocals fly in and out of the mix and at about one minute in a short drum pattern slides into the track alongside some pitched up vocals. Blake's beautiful singing hovers over other manipulated vocals in a way that is reminiscent of Burial in how blissfully danceable it all is. The track is a gorgeous intro that blends his wonderful haunting ballas vocals together with his knack for detailed but infectious dance beats. The title track Before starts off with a more lowkey approach with it's lighter percussion and a distinct glitchy synth effect driving the song. While the hook gets off to a bit of a slow start once we creep into the ghostly harmonizing of the title lyrics it gets ethereal in a way that has stuck with me big time since I first heard it. The second half of the track is even more stripped back and near ambient at points and I completely adore it.
Do You Ever is a more straightforward track with a short drum loop serving as it's core instrumental. It has the catchiest hook on the record which is too the point and effective. The only minor issue I have with the track is that it bounces between vocal effects throughout the verses and while some are excellent, there are also moments where the impact of Blake's vocals is dulled by the effects. The last track Summer Of Now has all the sonic elements of a James Blake tear jerker but it reaches an almost optimistic point by its conclusion after introducing a distant up-tempo club beat and James insisting that he can be the summer of now. The songs blend of melancholy lyricism, blissful vocal effects and dense atmosphere is an emotional swell that I love as a closer to the EP.
Before isn't completely absolutely perfect, but it is damn close. These four tracks present a unique brand of danceable music with an emotionally rich core centered around Blake's vocal performances and puts on an absolute masterclass of detailed compelling production through it's instrumentals and mixing. These track's have the tense compositions and varied electronic instrumentation of Blake's early work and they are highlighted by the always immaculate vocals James Blake brings to a project. As far as short form projects go Before is just as essential as projects like CMYK and Enough Thunder and will likely go down as the best EP i've heard all year. 9/10
Album Cover Review By Tyler Judson:
I really like the base image for this cover. The bokeh from the out of focus subject and the silver of the frame created a nice framing inside the composition. I like the graininess and it makes it feel nostalgic. The only thing I dislike is the text on the side, I feel like it could've been better placed anda font that is more interesting could've been utilized. It just makes it seem basic and like a freshman graphic design project. 7/10
For more electronica check out my review of A.G. Cook's Apple here
