Heliosphan - Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (1992, R&S)
Libra - James Blake - upcoming EP (2011, R&S)
It’s been a massive year for good ol’ J Blizzy. First up was his self-titled debut LP, released to widespread acclaim, but also generating some more polarized opinions, especially in regards to its stylistic step away from the heavy dubstep influence apparent in his earlier EPs. But a couple of months later he dropped Order and Pan on Hemlock, a sharp turn back towards dubstep, albeit with some very minimalist, stripped back production. Then, just earlier this month, he released his Enough Thunder EP on Atlas, his most polarizing release yet, and definitely the least dubsteppy (at least on the surface).
But obviously that wasn’t enough, Blake is now set to hit a label trifecta this year— R&S just announced that a new James Blake EP is due out through them by December. Haters and general ‘meh’sayers of his Enough Thunder can rejoice, as this likely indicates that this release will be be infused with a lot more dubstep, along the lines of his earlier EP releases on R&S, CMYK and Klavierwerke. You can check out a rip of Libra, one of the upcoming tracks off the EP here.
Lindesfarne I / Lindesfarne II - James Blake - James Blake (2011, R&S)
Lindesfarne is the next single from James Blake’s sublime debut album, being released along with Unluck in a few days time. The single features a cut down edit of the work, which originally appears in two parts on the album, tastefully compressing a quite out of the ordinary musical opus into something radio-friendly, which is probably quite necessary if he’s hoping for much radio-play.
However, I still prefer it how it is featured on the album. The first two and a half minutes are almost completely acapella, featuring only Blake’s digitally altered and layered vocals, sonically screwed to the point that it can be hard to hear what he’s singing. But it all comes together in a starkly beautiful way. Then the second part comes in, with its muted pops and clicks providing a rhythmic framework for Blake’s water-like vocals, now also accompanied by a hushed acoustic guitar. The whole album is fantastic, but Lindesfarne I & Lindesfarne II have to be among the most musically explorative, and in the end, the most beautiful tracks on the LP.
Also, check out the video for the track, directed by Martin De Thurah.
Polynomial-C - Aphex Twin - Xylem Tube EP (1992, R&S)
Trawling through Aphex Twin’s massive discography is never dull, but for all the genius tracks he’s made, there is a lot of slightly more mediocre material. Thankfully this is one of the former, an awesome track from one of the first singles he ever put out.
Why Don’t You Call Me / I Mind - James Blake - James Blake (2011, R&S)
Stuck up the end of Blake’s debut are two of my favourite tracks from what is already a consistently top-notch album, to me they seem to demonstrate perfectly what he’s on about as a musician. Beginning with a soulful ballad accompanied only by sparse piano chords, Blake then begins to refract the refrain electronically, adding a slight sense of tension, but still maintaining the sparse, soulful feel of the piece. Then, following a short pause, Why Don’t You Call Me flows into I Mind, which subtly completes the transition from acoustic to electronic, using the refracted piano chords as featured in Why Don’t You Call Me, whilst adding in Blake’s trademark post-dubstep beats.
It’s perfect music for relaxing to on a lazy Saturday afternoon after a long week.
The Wilhelm Scream - James Blake - James Blake (2011, R&S Records)
Video directed by Alexander Brown.
The Wilhelm Scream - James Blake - James Blake (2011, R&S Records)
Having become one of the defining figures in the blossoming british post-dubstep scene, James Blake dropped his debut self-titled album just a few days ago.
While building on the genre-hopping EPs he released over the last couple of years, James Blake now almost always features Blake’s own soulful voice instead of the samples used in his earlier work, and indeed still used in a majority of mainstream dubstep. Blake also cites The xx as an influence on the album, and the engaging quietness and space of their album is apparent throughout his debut. He finishes off the mix by throwing in a good dash of post-dubstep experimentalism, and although the result can be a bit challenging at times, after a few listens James Blake proves to be a beautifully introspective and rewarding album.
The Wilhelm Scream is the soon to be released second single from the album, and is definitely one of its highlights. The haunting lyrics penned by Blake’s father, the former heavy rocker James Litherland, are brought into life beautifully by Blake’s soulful voice, and supported excellently by his unique production.
Tha - Selected Ambient Works 85-92 - Aphex Twin (1992, R&S)
Whether you think he’s a genius, a hack, or just plain weird, there is no denying that this album changed electronic music forever. It has influenced a vast amount of music that follows it, even a lot of stuff you hear today. And as another plus, it’s also a really good listen.
