James Blake, Covers
Standing out from the noise in popular music is no easy feat. It takes more than a strong voice to stick out from the crowd these days, with so many choices at our fingertips. From the genre blurring and warbly bass bending "Limit to Your Love," to the hauntingly ethereal landscapes of The Colour in Anything, James Blake has always managed to sound unique. His command of the dark spaces between the notes combined with his chillingly emotive English voice and masterful electronic arrangements create a sonic stamp that's so original it's like hearing Stevie Wonder play the harmonica. It's tough to describe why, but anytime you hear Stevie on the harmonica you know it's him almost immediately. Blake's stylings have also influenced artists across the musical spectrum, from hip-hop to pop and folk music. His uniqueness also makes his covers of other artists more interesting. His cover of Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You" off his Enough Thunder EP is still one of my favorites. Covers is so timely, a treasured departure from the constant hum of the worry and stress of the pandemic. It's also a showcase of Blake's artistic growth and maturity. With these song choices and stripped-down productions Blake proves that he doesn't need a hugely distorted, slapping Roland TB-303 bassline in order to create big sound. While his piano-driven arrangements are refreshingly compositionally sparse, the sound is wide and deep, with plenty of dimension, even if the background is dark and cavernous. Darkness has been a bit of a theme throughout Blake's records, but it's not all depressing. His particular brand of blackness is often beautiful, releasing tiny shades of light peppered throughout those spaces between the notes. That's where Blake's magic lies.
His rendition of Joy Division's "Atmosphere" is breathtaking. This cover has a rare quality, duality, it's light and dark. The stripped down, metronomic percussive pulse weaving in and around Blake's echoey vocals sounds just as it should, like a contemporary homage to Ian Curtis's brilliance and tragedy. You can hear his love and appreciation for Joy Division all over this track. Blake's decision to cover Frank Ocean's "Godspeed" makes perfect sense, as they've been seemingly influencing each other throughout their respective careers. Blake also produced and arranged the original. They're both masters of subtlety, and making complex and intimate arrangements sound simplistic—which also makes them more accessible. The interesting thing here is that Blake's version is even more stripped-down, more acoustic than the original (of course, given its a minimal, piano-driven covers record). So, when comparing the two; Ocean's original sounds more like early James Blake than contemporary James Blake! If that makes any sense. For example: Ocean's use of panning in order to create a wider sense of space blended with gated, reversed vocal samples, and cavernous reverbs are classic early Blake signatures. Five years after Ocean's original, we get to hear a weathered Blake render a heartwarming, piano key pounding, airy interpretation that oozes with soul and... .
His choice of Stevie Wonder's "I Never Thought You'd Leave Last Summer" also shows Blake's aging artistry. Instead of picking one of Wonder's far more commercially successful singles to cover ("Higher Ground" anyone?) Blake goes for a the heartbreaking 70s ballad of love lost and despair. Blake's love and admiration for Wonder's art is as transparent as it is gut-wrenching; with his mournful, soaring voice aching for redemption. While the mood is obviously solemn, Blake manages to sound hopeful and reverent. Getting a proper recording of Blake covering Billie Eilish's "when the party's over" is a real sonic treat. Fans were introduced to Blake's love for this tune during his 2019 tour (that tour featured Blake and his piano—no big show tricks or gimmicks). This also makes for another interesting comparison, as you can really hear Blake's influence in the original: The warbling bassline, the panning, echoing digital artifacts pinging across and in-between the vocals (again: Classic Blake). Blake's rendition here also shows another ingredient of his musical magic, his seemingly endless vulnerability. Blake always wears his heart on his sleeve. His love and his heartache are always at odds with each other, yet he manages to carve such magnificently beautiful songs from this audible clay of heart-break and despair; and through his sensitivity, through his unmistakably unique, nasally, wispy voice we get a clear picture of both his torment and his joy.
Covers is a fantastic sonic soul salve for the 2020 afflicted. A year that, for reasons we all know, will also undoubtedly live in infamy. The world needed a collection of cover tunes like this, new and vintage music, re-interpreted and re-imagined with a minimally acoustic approach for futurists and purists alike. Getting to hear a true master of 21st century music and studio innovation like Blake take on this material with little more than himself and his piano, in a time of non-stop visual and audible noise: How can you go wrong?
