James Blake — Playing Robots Into Heaven — Album Review
Alternative | Electronic | Soul | R&B
Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Music
I feel that I full discovered James Blake at the perfect moment. Though I did vaguely familiarise myself with his vocal style through featured appearances (such as on Travis Scott’s “STOP TRYING TO BE GOD”, and on “Bloody Waters” from Kendrick Lamar’s black panther album).
My more full-blown discovery of the London-born musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, however, came in the form of his fourth studio album, titled Assume Form, and released in 2019 (the aforementioned “perfect moment”).
I was, admittedly, going through a bit of a rough patch in my life, around the time that this album was released, not to mention that it was widely regarded as the first “big deal” of an album to release in that musical year. Thankfully for me, things started beginning to shape up shortly after the month of January in which that fourth studio album had released. And in those respects, it came as no surprised that Assume Form stood as one of the most iconic musical moments of 2019 for me.
But on top of that, that very album gave me the chance to fully indulge in the heavenly and heart-warming electronic sounds that came to us through Assume Form. It was one of those album that worked absolute wonders when it came to soothing the soul of the listener.
Now that we’ve gone over how much I clearly enjoyed Assume Form, I’ll now move on to the following record, titled Friends That Break Your Heart, released in the later half of 2021. Though I recall it being a fairly hectic and busy time at the point in which this album released, I was still excited to get into it, following the splendour put forward by its predecessor.
However, there was something about this album that was a much harder pill to swallow for me personally. I simply felt that James leaned a little too heavily into the electronic side of things, to the point where a lot of the atmosphere present in Assume Form, was lost in this one, leading me to perceive Friends that Break Your Heart as a far more forgettable album (though still solid in composition).
And now we finally move on to the album I’ll actually be reviewing in this article (thank you for your patience), James Blake’s sixth studio album, named Playing Robots Into Heaven.
Given how I perceived the last two albums, I was definitely in two minds about how this album would ultimately feel. Nevertheless, Playing Robots Into Heaven certainly got off to a brilliant start. With the opening three tracks (“Asking To Break”, “Loading”, and “Tell Me” respectively), there was definitely a reintroduction of the elements and atmosphere that made Assume Form so indulgent for me. Given the time of year as well, the moods present in all three tracks felt perfect.
After this, however, something odd happens; of course the first instrumental track (this one being “Fall Back” of course) was quite refreshing to have at the place that it was in (I even felt that this would’ve made for a great intro). But after that, we got another instrumental track, then another, then another, then another.
It was a very weird vibe, listening to this section of the album. It made me feel as if James Blake had perished a quarter of the way through the album. I admit that I have always had a slight pet peeve with albums that overdo it when it comes to interludes (or tracks that feel like interludes, in the case of Playing Robots Into Heaven), but this album overdoes it, and then some. Thankfully though, James Blake’s vocals do return towards the end of the record.
In short, I really did see the potential this album had when it began, but the long void of weird electronic interlude-esque tracks felt like an absolute blemish on what could’ve honestly been an album on the same atmospheric level as Assume Form.
Favourite Tracks: Asking To Break | Loading | Fire The Editor
Least Favourite Tracks: He’s Been Wonderful | Big Hammer
UMG Recordings | Republic Records | Polydor Records
