James Blake – Playing Robots Into Heaven
The aptly-titled Playing Robots Into Heaven sees James Blake's sound design grip the firmament with hymnal vocals and glitchy configurations uniting android and angel
Contemporary music’s maestro James Blake applies his Midas touch to his sixth studio album, gilding 11 new electronic R'n'B tracks. The aptly titled Playing Robots Into Heaven sees his sound design grip the firmament with vernal vocals that are more sparing than usual but still hymnal, and glitchy configurations unite android and angel.
Imagine if a solemn cavalcade started cutting shapes – that’s the vibe Loading evokes, with its sombre but excited temperament. On Tell Me, Blake’s seraphic vocals burnish a propulsive, cacophonous frenzy that feels reminiscent of Bloc Party and Kelis (who he previously sampled on CMYK). Fall Back makes a hypnotic advance, with crisp and sinister syncopated rhythms that land like an Aphex Twin reimagination of Ludwig Göransson’s Oppenheimmer score.
He’s Been Wonderful dances over a precipitous drop, sheds its Crunk&B exoskeleton, and absorbs vast choir rings. Arresting emceeing complements the pad pinching and exacting bass on Big Hammer, while Night Sky impacts like ego death, with synths and vocals winding around in concentric circles.
Blake’s sonic ecosystem thrives in fusing seemingly discordant sounds. In striking electronic karate chops and pouring into careening chords, he makes the man-made appear organic.
Listen to: Loading, He’s Been Wonderful, Fire the Editor