I don't know how and why it took me so long to discover the music of James Blake but when, on a whim, I decided to look him up, I listened to his 2013 album "Overgrown" from start to finish and never turned back. The 25-year-old Brit blends elements of dubstep and D&B, melodic and emotional piano and strings, jazzy vocals, and poetics in his hybridized, yet sleek and seamlessly woven music. Blake's music gives you a window deep into his mind and soul while also being relatable and translatable to your own life. The music is minimalist yet beautiful and compliments rather than overtakes Blake's vocals. What I probably appreciate most about Blake's music is his ability to create an atmosphere that is at once wholly real and raw while at the same time becoming otherworldly, romantic, and mystic. First Blake relates to you--evoking intense emotion in his audience--then he sweeps you up into the imagined world of his music. Currently, a few of my favorite tracks from "Overgrown" include: "Overgrown", "Retrograde", "Digital Lion",and "Voyeur".
Give the full album a listen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Jx5rYQpasw
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