James Blake got tons of buzz in 2k11, mainly because there was a buzz drought, and the 3 most definitive 'new artists' that 'blew up' this year are Odd Future, Jimmy Blake, and Lana Del Rey. Really just an apocalyptic situation. Anyways, P4k finally decided to jump off the Blake Buzz Wagon and 'pan' his a$$ with a 6.4, which might be the lowest score ever recorded for an overhyped buzzband. We must commend them for their regulatory measures to attempt to 'nip it in the bud' before he ends up on too many fake alt magazine covers. Back in 2k10, Jimmy Blake would have received above an 8.6 for the same snoozeworthy effort.

Anyways, the whole review just talks abt dubstep, and how James Blake makes 'pussy ass dubstep'. Even though his music is boring, he is still trying to sell himself as an 'authentic dubstepper' because it's the only way people will talk about him besides saying that his music is 'just as boring as Bon Iver's'.

When asked to give his definition of dubstep in an interview last month, James Blake said, "There's a very broad template, but it largely focuses on a bassline and the intricacies of drum patterns and it has an intense focus on a feeling-- and I think that's a separation from some other dance music." Ostensibly, the feeling Blake is talking about is that of heady isolation-- the shadowy sensation that Burial perfected with 2007's Untrue and Blake successfully brought into the singer-songwriter realm with this year's self-titled LP. As for the many dubstep artists who rely heavily on computers during gigs, Blake hates them: "To me, laptops have got no place on a stage," he told Pitchfork in March. And when he covers quintessential songwriters like Feist (on his album) or Joni Mitchell (on this EP), he's not trying to render them obsolete as much as join them within the canon of authentic artistes.

Even though his voice 'sounds distinct' because he is singing like a haunted old man, the tracks are still boring/plain/lacking anything compelling about them:

Without any of his signature, modern embellishments, Blake's take has the feel of a stiff recital, his vocal undulations ironically sounding less natural without those well-situated sonic accoutrements. The same can be said of the title track, an original piano-and-voice composition. Even though Blake has been slowly unveiling his singing voice over the last two years, these plain and flat tracks sound surprising. Perhaps they shouldn't. In an interview from April of last year, he said, "Although I'm making this heavy dance music, I sometimes just sit down at the piano and just sing. It's like that's my ultimate calling."

Wait, nevermind, his voice sux and no1 understands what the eff he is singing:

And even though it's pretty damn hard to understand a word he's saying, that melancholy core is present.

"Enough Thunder?... more like NOT ENUFF THUNDER!" -they actually make this joke in the review because the album is so bad

Only three-and-a-half minutes into the EP's penultimate track, "Not Long Now", do we get anything resembling a beat dropping. For those who adored Blake's heavier, more rhythmic early material, Enough Thunder could easily turn into Not Enough Thunder.

Unfortunately, James Blake still has 'staying power' because he will 'talk shit' in interviews, so we will still have to hear his boring music and read about him complaining abt how dubstep has 'gone down the shitter' like an old man. Really wish I could put a boot in his a$$ [via the American Way].

But one of the great things about Blake is how he's willing to make a statement: in his uncompromising music, in his candid and thoughtful interviews, or in his choice of titles.

Here is the 'conclusion' that provides commentary on modern dubstep. They had to bring Skrillex into the discussion.

But it could also indicate a sort of corrective to the abrasive and cartoonish strain of dubstep that has taken grip as of late, especially in America. To Blake, dubstep means something intimate and internal, but to the many fans of acts including Skrillex and Bassnectar-- who use their wobbling bass like hair metal guitarists used solos-- it means something exuberant and euphoric. And while Blake recognizes both feelings, he certainly prefers one over the other. Talking about the faster-louder-stronger evolution of the style, he recently said, "Those melodic basslines are insultingly simple and aggressive and annoying. That is now a valid genre, but it certainly isn't dubstep. It's turned into something else. That's cool, I'm happy about it. I'm not like, 'As soon as it became mainstream it became rubbish, or whatever.' It's just something different now." It's a refreshingly mature yet opinionated take from someone who turns 23 this month. Blake is fighting the respectable fight on Enough Thunder, though the EP's totally bass-less tracks show that he needs dubstep as much as dubstep needs him.

Have u listened to this album?
Is it 'effing terrible'?
Does a 6.4 mean that no1 will take him srsly as a compelling buzz artist any more?
Did James Blake 'choke' his buzz away?
Is he more boring than Bon Iver?
Does he need to stop forcing himself into the dubstep conversation when his music is actually just 'really boring', basically making itself genre-less?
Is this review an indirect endorsement of Skrillex?
Should p4k be 'more American' and stop endorsing overhyped NME-core bands?
Should we boycott Jimmy Blake in America bc he h8s it so much? #BoycottJamesBlake
Is his new gimmick just going to be 'giving blogworthy interviews where he complains about dubstep' even though he is a complete snooze?
Does a 6.4 mean that he has been euthanized?

James Blake

Alternative Celebrity, Buzzband

James Blake is a solo buzzband from London. Some call him 'the prince of dubstep.'

Lists: dubstep, British, 2k11 buzzbands

Read more>>>>

Pitchfork Media

Company, Blog

Pitchfork is a popular indie blogzine that does reviews and gets mad hits.

Lists: blogs and magazines

Read more>>>>