The Hype: James Blake and His Eagerly Anticipated First LP

I have to admit that I get caught up in the hype.  Or the buzz.  Or the amped-up commercialization of an unreleased album.  And when the person/band being hyped is an underground, as-yet-underappreciated dubstep producer-cum-soul singer from England with three fantastic EPs and a Feist cover viral video to his credit, count me as one of the eagerly-waiting disciples. This is why I find it necessary to write about James Blake and his soon-to-be-released self-titled debut LP.

James Blake entered my consciousness when I first heard his EP CMYK -- one of a trilogy of EPs that, had they been combined into one album, would certainly have been on many top ten lists for 2010.  His 2011 album will be released with much fanfare on February 7.  If you read music blogs in England, it is hard to escape the conclusion that Blake is "The Next Big Thing".  Time will tell, but I, for one, have bought the hype.

Blake celebrates the space between notes.  The silence is as important to his music as the vocals, the beats, and the loops.  Patience is therefore essential, and rewarded, when approaching his minimalistic style.

For the unititiated, I offer three samples of his previously released work as a prelude to the new material:

"CMYK" from the EP CMYK:


"I Only Know (What I Know Now)" from the EP Klavierwerke:


"The Bells Sketch" from the EP The Bells Sketch:


After having listened to those, it will probably surprise you to hear "Limit To Your Love", a cover of the Feist tune in which Blake forgoes the looping vocals and dubstep style and lets his incredible R&B voice fill the empty spaces. 

"Limit To Your Love" from the LP James Blake:


And just in case all of this weren't enough to get you excited about the album drop next week, here is another teaser:

"The Wilhelm Scream" from the LP James Blake:


Much will be written about James Blake in the next few weeks.  Is he an artist on the verge of a breakout?  I think so, but I look forward to hearing what you think.