James Blake - Assume Form

James Blake

Assume Form

2019

Spotify

James Blake has created a somewhat unassailable mythos around himself. For a lot of artists that means that their ability is somewhat lacking and that by luck or fortune's favor they managed to wrangle themselves a bit of fame. For Jame Blake the opposite could not be more true. It is his talent that makes him unapproachable, his ability to craft intrigue and diverse songs makes him feel otherworldly. It was a vibe that Bowie had, though more on the nose at first, this shyness turned on it's head into unbridled charisma. That is what you hear from the first track on this new album Assume So, the song by the same name is this delicate little work with a high pitched vocal driving the entire thing. It's Kanye and It's Frank Ocean all at once. James Blake doesn't get the credit He deserves because He is so intense about his creativity. In Blake it's called genius, because He his quiet and understated about it, but it's the same genius that runs through Kanye West. You hear it on "Mile High" with Travis Scott and Metro Boomin, where Blake transforms the rapper and hip hop producer into haunting singers. Blake doesn't try to become a trapper, He knows better, instead He brings Travis Scott into his orbit, and allows Boomin's beats to move and shift into something totally new and totally wonderful. It's kind of like that Francis and Lights with Chance the Rapper track, it felt like a blend that wasn't forced or an attempt to cash in, this feels like true artistic expression in an entirely new way. 

There are a few times on this record though that it feels like Blake is being a bit too extra. "Barefoot in the Park" with it's Latin flavor is so extravagant that it doesn't really fit Blake's style. It's almost that very British thing of finding something they like and putting their own spin on it. Sometimes it works, but other times it sounds messy and odd. There are a lot more songs like that on this album than in Blake's past. "Can't Believe the Way We Flow" has these amazing melodic moments, but than at other times is totally confusing an odd. It's almost like Blake is tired of melody and is desperate to challenge you in other ways. In the "what the fuck" feature of 2019 Andre 3000 makes a super rare appearance on "Where's the Catch?" and it makes you miss him so damn much. No one has his voice, no one was able to see the writing on the wall as well as Andre 3000, and this feature just proves it even more. The track would be fine, but then Blake seems to just take everything too far, push it to it's utmost boundary. He finds some magic doing this, but He also makes you wade through a whole bunch of shit to get there. There is so much that is so lovely about this album, but also a whole lot that is pretty mediocre. The final third is a straight up snoozer with "Power On" leading the pack for most inconsequential. I love Blake's vibe and I love a lot of his music, but there is just something that is holding him back from taking over the world and on this album it feels like it might be him. 

7.6 out of 10