It is entirely possible that James Blake has spent as much time in his life listening to Mary Lou Williams as he has Shackleton or Skream. His song and EP "CMYK" have earned him much deserved kudos recently, and it's clear his more quick, twitchy drum-backed songs are indebted to the roots of UK dubstep. But as his vocal work begins to leak out, his training as a pianist rises to the forefront and his peers shift from Mary Anne Hobbs mainstays to ’60s left field gospelites. At least when there is even anything other than his own voice. Much of "Measurements" is just the sound of Blake's voice, doubled or tripled into his own small choir. There are extended moments of silence, brief taps at a warm electric organ and a total lack of percussion. There is much repetition, gentle tape hiss, an overall alter boy sadness, but there are no drums. It doesn't sound as if they're missing, though, only that they never belonged in the first place.
Stream: James Blake, "Measurements"
