All the hype surrounding the 22-year-old English prodigy since his first releases in 2009, tremendously augmented the expectations surrounding his first LP. Stars in the pop heavens come and go and hardly ever keep their promises when called at. So why is this skinny british youngster different, who produces his debut feature as an oeuvre capable of stylistically accompanying a whole era? Of course, the talent of creation seems to be in his genes being the son of a creative couple consisting of a graphics designer and a musician. But talent alone is not enough. In James Blake’s case it is his courage that turns the oeuvre of a man into an exceptional masterpiece. The courage of symbiosis, the courage of breaks, the courage to leave things out. The album James Blake is herewith contradictory as well as homogeneous, warm as well as cold, electronic as well as classical, claustrophobic as well as open. Above all, it is certainly intimate and full of emotion – and therefore public. The voice breaks, the piano is fragmented. The space between chords sometimes seems endless, the poetry is distilled to its inner core. Contrasts, as diverse as they can be, go hand in hand in this discrepancy that results in a great pop masterpiece.
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West Mineral