Loos'd of Limits & Imaginary Lines: On the Juke: James Blake

Spotify can seem like a blessing straight from the fingertips of Jesus sometimes. In my mindless perusing, Spotify informed me that James Blake had come out with a new album, this to my surprise. I like him as an artist, and his previous albums, "Overgrown", "Thunder" and his self-titled album had me enraptured. So of course when Spotify notified me of this apparent new album I clicked on the link faster than you can say, "OH HECK YA."

Now I will concede that Blake has a particular (maybe even acquired?) taste, especially when it comes to "The Colour in Anything." Coined as having an "indulgent length," the album is, like much of his other works, incredibly soulful and romantic; it requests listeners to partake in a sort of magical journey that I would recommend mentally preparing for before embarking upon. It seems to me to be a bit more ambient and experimental, which I am not always in the mood for, to be honest. But if I'm doing homework, writing, or even on an evening drive where my thoughts can get lost on the seemingly endless road before me, he's really quite perfect.

Favorite song on the album? By far "I Need a Forest Fire", which was released as a single before the full album release. A collab with Justin Vernon and James Blake? Ye duh it's gonna be good. It's most definitely on repeat for me. I also thoroughly enjoy the piano driven song, "f.o.r.e.v.e.r.", which gives off major Sam Smith vibes. It is a surprising rest from the mega-modern electronic playfulness present in most of the other songs on this album. It's really truly beautiful and may make you cry a little bit.

So give James a listen, if you're up for a little bit of an experimental, artistic trip. If that's what you're into, by all means, listen forth.