New James Blake, "Overgrown"

James Blake's "Overgrown" Dropped Yesterday

James Blake, the young english heavy bass mellow electronic musician released his second album, "Overgrown" yesterday. His first album, "James Blake," was wildly successful, especially in the indie/ underground music scene. The reason he hit such success was because he developed a new sound. Mellow electronic music has been around just as long as the ability to make electronic music has. However, it's never really been done quite like this. James Blake, takes extended synth melodies and gently layers a strong back beat, usually ranging from 120-140 bpm and playing it in triple time, creating a very trap style drum line. Where, it stands out however is in his bass. James Blake, when he goes on tour, actually brings his own subwoofers with him because most venues do not have strong enough speakers. The bass, is subtle enough that you would not be able to recognize or appreciate the fine levels of music editing through most earbuds, headphones and speakers. It's the kind of bass that makes your entire body vibrate, the kind that isn't obnoxious when played louder than necessary. It's very tasteful, if it were food, you could enjoy it with a fine red wine. The single that has been blowing up is Retrograde, the entire album is worth listening to just for this song. Musically, it's one of the single most impressive pieces of musical interpretation i've heard in a long time. However, the most under rated, and in my opinion most pleasing song on the record is the song which the album is named, Overgrown. With a lot of clear influence from other music styles, it fits any occasion, setting the mood back to a relaxing "fuck being stressed." Also being the first song on the album, it sets the tone for the rest of the record. While the rest of the album is well balanced, the other songs just come off as filler. While there are definite highs and lows to the album, its still enjoyable as a whole. Check it out.