Album Release: September 8, 2023
James Blake’s 6th studio album, Playing Robots Into Heaven, sees the 34-year-old electronic artist mixing influences of trap and club music into his developed bag of tricks. It takes a haunting look at Blake’s connection with his loved ones, his audience, and his role models. He expertly weaves echoing piano riffs with fragmented drum patterns while integrating samples in unconventional ways. Blake’s production envelops the album in an icy ambience with granular synth lines, the low bass of an 808 kick drum, the percussive sheets of white noise, and a thick, glacial reverb.
The album opener, “Asking to Break,” includes chilling, high-pitched vocals over a somber piano progression. The laidback drum beat uncomfortably juxtaposes the reluctant pleading from the vocals. It’s followed by two of the album’s highlights. “Loading” is soaked in vocals soaring from rich pitched falsettos to unpitched distorted layers over a throbbing drum loop. “Tell Me” is expertly paced, alternating between infectious dance beats with gritty synth lines to quieter moments of reflection and minimal instrumentation. Both of these tracks slowly crescendo into thrilling club beats that give the album a boost of momentum.
The defining features of trap music are ramped up in “He’s Been Wonderful” with thunderous 808 basses and crisp hi-hat loops along with creative implementations of samples from gospel music. The synth line delightfully ping pongs from ear to ear, distinguishing this track from the rest of the album. “Big Hammer” continues the instrumentation with a sample from one of James Blake’s favorite groups, the Ragga Twins. Its tone is more ominous, yet the drum beat implores the listener to dance along to warped synths and an unrelenting bass drum.
After “Big Hammer,” Playing Robots Into Heaven begins to lose the energy and variety of its earlier material. “I Want You To Know” trickles in delightfully lush high pitched vocal runs over sustained synths, but it doesn’t quite make up for the dull passages in between. “Night Sky” and “Fire the Editor” do not make much of a significant footprint. Both lack a sense of volatility that made the earlier tracks exciting and dynamic.
The penultimate song, “If You Can Hear Me,” is a refreshing and heartfelt monologue from Blake, with stripped back instrumentation to let his lyrics shine through. The album closes on its title track. The looping bell tone melody provides a sense of predictability and control, bringing the album to a soothing conclusion after 40 minutes of pulsating drum rhythms and vocal harmonies.
Blake continues to impress with his mesmerizing display of electronic artistry while bringing in new influences to reinvigorate his sound palette. But in the second half there is little musical variety overlaid on repetitive drum loops. The samples in “He’s Been Wonderful” and “Big Hammer” add to the soundscape while the sample in “I Want You to Know” detracts from the more engaging original sections. Even so, this is a worthy addition to Blake’s consistently amazing discography and a fine addition to anyone’s electronic music rotation.
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