After collaborating with this year’s top artists like SZA and Travis Scott, genre-bending producer and singer James Blake released his first solo album in nearly a decade, titled Playing Robots Into Heaven. The Sept. 8 release champions what the artist does best – well-produced, vibey tracks touched with the presence of his soothing vocals.
The swift, 42-minute listen is Blake at his best, with 11 songs that shift from funk-wave to a signature, smooth R&B style.
“Asking To Break” ambiently kicks off the album. An echoed vocalization permeates through much of the song, accompanied by a simple-yet-mellow beat. Gently, a piano carries Blake’s vocals and makes the listen almost lullaby-like.
“Asking to break / All this time, so go ahead / We’ll be just fine,” Blake croons in the chorus.
Secondary track “Loading” expertly elevates the album’s tone with an amped-up synth beat. Once again, Blake’s soft vocals are juxtaposed by slightly intensified cymbals and 808s.
Lyrically, the album does not hesitate to dive into deeper themes of mental turmoil and the tribulations that are companioned with relationships. While some songs require a second listen to internalize their deeper nuances, Blake manages to mask their raw despair with artificially produced beats and synths.
The longest track on the album, “Tell Me” is the epitome of Blake’s return to his dubstep-esque roots. Nearly a quarter into the song, an intensely palpable ringing finds itself competing against Blake’s vocalizations, taking away from the overall listening experience.
Following tracks “Fall Back” and “He’s Been Wonderful” see unique departures from the direction of the album, with lyrics that are fundamentally distant from the deeper themes previously explored.
The latter track samples “Wonderful,” a song by Pentecostal pastor and gospel musician T.L. Barrett and the Youth for Christ Choir. Sonically compelling, Barrett’s deeper vocalizations paired well with Blake’s seasoned production quality.
“Big Hammer” is easily characterized by its 8-bit video game-esque beat, enhanced only by a persistent 808 drum. The Ragga Twins, an electronic music duo, take the lead vocals on the high-amp track. In his Apple Music annotation for the song, Blake cited the pair as longtime inspirations.
“They’d either be at the things I was going to, or they’d be in the tracks of the DJs I was listening to,” Blake said. “They were a big influence when I sampled them, and the tune just felt like ‘Now I’ve got it, now it’s done.”
Eponymous track “Playing Robots Into Heaven” concludes the album, beginning with an eerily distant playing of keys. It is entirely lyricless, allowing its somber instrumentation to suffuse into emptiness — a well-themed ending for the record producer’s recent release.
Playing Robots Into Heaven is available on all major streaming platforms.
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