Beyond Wine: Album Review of Assume Form - James Blake

Vinous critic, Neal Martin reviews recently released albums as part of his ongoing Beyond Wine series. Although labeled "Beyond Wine", there is no need to worry about missing out on wine content. Neal makes sure to recommend the perfect wine to enjoy with his album of choice. In his most recent review, Neal recommends a 2016 Riesling Trocken to sip on while listening to James Blake's newest release, Assume Form. Enjoy this excerpt from Neal's album review paired with Trocken Riesling reviews from the Delectable community! ************************************************************************************************ "Last October, when I was driving the kids to school, BBC Radio 6 played a track from Blake’s forthcoming album. “Don’t Miss It” sounded so fragile and spectral, I had to resist leaning down and placing my ear to the car speaker lest I swerve off the road. Once home, I replayed the track (thanks, Spotify; I guess I can’t do that with HMV). I just loved the song. Built around a maudlin piano motif peeled from what sounds like a crackly 78rpm shellac, Blake deftly introduces a celestial choral sample and his own voice warped one way and the other, whilst all the time retaining a Spartan arrangement. The trick is that halfway through, an unexpected key change turns it a bit bluesy. Genius. So-called “sad boy music” turns more “soul boy music.” Assume Form is slightly poppier than its predecessor, The Colour In Anything, which was one big sad emoji of an album. It’s still James Blake, so there’s no fist-pumping EDM anthem to jump around to. Blake’s voice is as brittle and fragile as ever, and at times it fails to really translate the emotion intended. But he has an impressive array of collaborators this time around, including Moses Sumney, Spanish sensation Rosalía, Travis Scott, producer du jour Metro Boomin and no less than the God that is André 3000. The best of these is Rosalía, whose Latin voice lends real warmth to the almost commercial “Barefoot In The Park” and complements Blake’s vocals much better than you would think. The standout might actually be “Can’t Believe The Way We Flow” thanks to an inspired swooning sample of Manhattan’s “It Feels So Good To Be Loved So Bad” (possibly the best song title I’ve heard in years.) Blake creates a celestial, hymnal centrepiece that sounds like it’s raining down from heaven. Generally, Blake is a happier bunny than he has ever been, at least judging by the lyrics. Obviously everything is going well with Jameela Jamil. Occasionally in the past, Blake risked sounding so down in the dumps that it rubbed off on the listener. Sure, there’s always an undercurrent of melancholy, but Assume Form sounds more open and positive. The production is immaculate, much of it in collaboration with Mount Kimbie’s Dom Maker, a mixture of muffled beats and static, and rumbling bass notes to shake your house with intricate percussion. It sounds pretty amazing on a decent audiophile system. If you want to know how music sounds right now, stream Assume Form and relish one of the most innovative musicians forging his own interesting and now happier path. Wine Recommendation: Nothing too heavy, I think. A 2016 Riesling Trocken from Eva Fricke would be just perfect." --Neal Martin, Vinous, Album Review of Assume Form - James Blake , January 2019.