James Blake, Mt Kimbie, CD/SD

i recommend every release by mount kimbie.

It's their clear peak imo

And it holds up too.

This is surely his best song-based album (although of course I liked him best before he learned to write a proper song)?

A friend of mine has a duet on this album which is truly mind blowing to the me of 2010 - 2012. Or 2021. I think it's a highlight for sure.

i've been kind of lost on him since the dust settled on assume form (which i still think is great). i was feeling impatient a couple weeks ago and decided to skim the scattershot of singles and eps he's done in the meantime and it all just felt kind of stopgap. i should give it more of a chance.

gave it a front to back listen on our walk just now and i really like the music, but his vocals are so unenthusiastic. thematically, he's repeating himself more than ever and he just sounds so stagnant, like he's bored of everything he's singing about. it's decent overall, but i can't imagine going back to it with any frequency.

"he sounds bored" is kinda where i've landed with Blake for the past five years or so

Idk I think he just sounds like James Blake

Except his influences are pop music and being in L.A. instead of dubstep and being in London

we may be saying the same thing

How about their mental health? Can we have an article from his girlfriend instead?
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Friday, 11 October 2019 18:44 (two years ago)

What a bizarre position to advocate, that people should be compelled to confess because someone they are involved with is objectionable to satisfy ones pseudo-political hang ups. Not that I cared for Blake's article but the responses to it have been peak pop idol fandom, and of course the inverse of the popstar is the fascist statesman-like orator. Very brexit-like this whole controversy was. Bowie did arrive at a key realisation coked out of his gord, (dance der mussolini) he just didn't then read Amadeo Bordiga's critique of democracy and abandon his liberal career to make unlistenable scronk for communist nerds. So in essence he only ever committed to his bovine fetish. A pity, it really is. Destroy the rockist vs poptimist binary now! pure hooligan plunderphonics!

There's a limit to your love James Blake, stop making tweepop and it will be unlimited.

JB backing up Monica Martin <3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G4T6L7tm4I

Enjoyed this podcast with JB, at least the bits where he gets very specific about his process. How the remixes where he would reharmonize acapella tracks led to doing the same with his own music (ie making a whole track, then scrapping it and using it as sample/source material for the 'real' track), and producing for other artists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4Mz7d6vjX4

Mount Kimbie released a Speakerboxxx/Love Below style EP, with the L.A. guy doing collabs with Danny Brown and Liv.e, and the UK guy doing hard UK bass tracks on the flip

Both good but living in London makes for more interesting music :)

special guest last night at a deep medi night :

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FcZePaBWAAAsQVy?format=jpg&name=large

my lad went for goth trad, but said that james was 'quite something'.

Kai's half of the Mount Kimbie record is probably more to my tastes, but Dom has become a pretty great rap producer. Feels very lived-in, which makes sense he's been playing the L.A. game for awhile now. Both sides sorta feel like mixtapes to get other gigs but also lots of nice stuff, and I'll probably listen to it more than any of their last few albums.

Haven't listened to the new record yet but I'm into his Mixmag mix, lots of unreleased bits and edits, takes me back to 2010 - 2012 (except with a lot more house vibes for 2023).
https://mixmag.net/feature/james-blake-cover-dj-mix

Overall I'm glad he's back around to DJing and thinking about the dancefloor, can only be good for his music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=615pYYcd2AE

said i just want you
to know that you are really special
oh i oh i oh i oh i

was not expecting to completely fall for the new james blake lp today

I need some more listens, it kind of floated by on headphones and I actually think that this is a non-headphones JB record, but I love to hear that.

On a nerd level I listened to his RA interview and he was saying that he built most of the tracks around snippets from modular synth jams (and that looking at a DAW on a laptop ruins his day now) and you can totally hear that. But the keyboard playing & singing (which still must be manipulated on a computer I assume) keeps it Blakean.

loved that mix.

james blake is probably the most insane 180 degree turn i have ever done on an artist.
used to pop into Fopp during my lunchhour and his debut was always on.
hated it.
fast forward to a couple of years ago when one of my lads bought me 'assume form' for xmas.
and yeah, that penny dropped hard.
his recent mad video re 'big hammer' = massive WTF.
loved it.

Haha wow, I'm the exact opposite. Obsessed with the first three EPs and the debut album, and while I've liked a track here and there since, I've been mostly wanting him to release something that gives me the same feeling. And I think Big Hammer is the worst track on the new one, lol (it is a cool video though).

i love Big Hammer.
such a mad mad track for a supposed major artist ..

I'll give it another shot. I want him to make even madder tracks like he used to!

also .. album release today.
yet his website/amazon etc says sept 22 !?

i think i love Big Hammer cos it's clearly james just having fun and trying to break out of the sadcore groove that he is predominantly known for.

latest jb has won me back. "i want you to know" is maybe my favorite thing he's yet done and the rest of the album is crazy diverse in the best ways. chaotic and experimental one moment, pretty and beat-heavy the next. really feels like he's pushing himself again. he's definitely not on autopilot for this one.

gearing up for the new mount kimbie, i found this live recording of 'maybes' off the crooks+lovers sampler-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKkFGYgzF1o
mount kimbie - 'maybes (live in berghain)' (2010)

New album is amazing. Strong Motorik vibes

From the singles it sounds like they've fully transitioned into indie rock, which is not super interesting to me. Definitely a bit of trend among dance and dance-adjacent producers though.

i mean city planning was all straight up beats...

but the new album is back to their more song-oriented material. definitely sounds like the spiritual follow-up to love what survives. they had quite a few songs available pre-release + it's only a 35 minute album. overall it sounds like them ―which is indie synth nerds who grew up on new wave, hiphop, + rave. "empty+silent" is early soty status.