James Blake’s second album, Overgrown, is possibly the hardest piece of music to review. As I ferociously slap at my keyboard, with the album blaring in the background (most probably sparking more noise complaints from my bitchy neighbours), I can’t quite decide whether I like or dislike this record.
The title track, ‘Overgrown’, plunges the listener into the deep end of Blake’s ocean of sound. A thick, repetitious bass line gives the otherwise melancholy track peculiar warmth while waves of droning keyboard riffs and Blake’s unique voice develop into a luscious, climactic end.
‘I Am Sold’, on the other hand, opens with more subtlety, as layers of percussion and humming bass slowly join Blake’s balladry and accompanying keyboard, culminating in a dense and ambient track.
The whole pace of the album takes a sudden turn, as ‘Life Round Here’ immediately kicks off with off-beat drums, simple arpeggiated piano chords, and a post-dubstep drop that resembles a demonised version of the Tetris theme song. The track’s similarity to ‘I Never Learnt To Share’ is quite possibly what it so incredible and so very James Blake.
The following track, ‘Take a Fall for Me’, is where the album falls short. While it follows on perfectly from the wickedness of the preceding track, the addition of Wu-tang Clan’s RZA makes the whole thing sound like an MTV or Channel V hit, and urges one to hit the skip button.
‘Retrograde’ showcases Blake’s innovative vocal layering, bringing the track in with a soft, melodic hum over which he sings. As is common in Blake’s music, the song develops into a huge drone of bass, vocals, synth and keys, only to collapse into its barest form as the song peaks. Sadly, the song is unnoticeable due to its predictability.
‘DLM’ is much the same: while it features even more vocal layering – each differing in melody and pitch – the track does little to engage the listener, which is worsened by an unanticipated, unsatisfying and anti-climactic ending.
However, ‘Digital Lion’ emerges as the album’s redemption point. It plunges suddenly into a dark and disorienting concoction of noise as a tribal snare beat, Blake’s humming, the obligatory slightly modulated bass line and unidentifiable noises rumble through to the core of one’s soul.
‘Voyeur’ is the perfect follow up. Industrial sounds combine with more of Blake’s distinct vocals, invasive horns and bone-chilling synth riffs. The track continues to chop and change, evoking repeated trips to the stereo to see if you are still listening to the same one.
‘To the Last’ perfectly winds everything down to another striking exemplar of Blake’s softer, more melodic musical side.
Similarly, ‘Our Love Comes Back’ begins mysteriously elegant. Bass and muffled percussion once again slowly join Blake’s vocals and keys. They melt together in a delicious brew of sound, as Blake hums his audience into a deep trance.
Overall, Overgrown is an incoherent album. Songs such as ‘Life Round Here’, ‘Digital Lion’, ‘Voyeur’ and ‘I Am Sold’ perfectly capture Blake’s talents.
However, comparing this record to its predecessor is unavoidable and is most probably what makes it so disappointing. Blake’s debut was a collection of bone-chillingly brilliant tracks with choppy vocals, minimalist drumbeats and modulated bass lines capable of causing heart palpitations.
Now it seems Blake has tried to achieve commercial success with kitschier tracks like ‘DLM’, ‘Retrogade’ and ‘Take a Fall for Me’, upsetting what could have been another spectacular exhibition of Blake’s signature sound.
