I have had conversations with friends recently about the relationship between the seasons and our listening habits. Additionally, the notion of when a release occurs as it pertains to the seasons plays a substantial influence into our first experiences with certain releases. Undoubtedly, autumn is my favorite time of year because it’s colorful, the weather is crisp and clear and there is a feeling knowing that cold winter months are looming that add a sense of anticipation to the time of year as well. What on earth does any of this have to do with James Blake’s latest release?
James Blake‘s four track ‘Klavierwerke EP’ is an example of a perfectly-timed release seasonally. Recently many comparisons have been made between the latest James Blake releases and the full length releases of Burial. I completely understand why, however I think people are approaching this releases with too narrow of a scope, focusing only on the fact that they are emotive electronic releases. I don’t think anybody would disagree if I publicly ascertain James Blake sounds absolutely nothing like Burial. I am not a fan of the word ‘dubstep,’ I don’t think it holds much significant meaning to describe the music it encompasses, and the use of ‘post-dubstep‘ to describe artists such as James Blake, and Mount Kimbie do a similar injustice. I do not hear any influnces of the sounds of dubstep in releases by these artists and I’m grateful because each release by James Blake including this one seems like a literal ‘breath of fresh air,’ especially given its appeal to dubstep fans. It is not too terribly surprising however; most ‘post-dubstep’ releases transcend genre effectively. It is clear James Blake, and similar artists pay absolute no expectations to what people call their music, or how they are defined – and it is clearly evident in this recording.
It’s tough to analyze James Blake releases, or Burial releases, or Mount Kimbie releases in the same way I approach a lot of the straight-forward dance/club oriented releases on this site; it’s something that speaks to people in a way different than dance or club music and this does not mean I do not appreciate club music and non-club releases in the same way. This is definitely not ‘club music.’ Like the changing of seasons or an old photograph, they speak to people in very personal and intangible ways, making them difficult to describe. I still feel this way hearing Burial, and it is the only way I can describe the appreciation I have for Klavierwerke EP from James Blake.
The release is available on Juno Download and the iTunes Music Store alike. All I can say is approach this music with an open-mind; it’s only four tracks and there is very little there not to enjoy.
