James Blake - Assume Form

While Assume Form is a slight departure from James' previous albums and overall sound, I think this change was needed. With The Colour in Anything, I could start to hear the sound James dabbled in age. While that album does have some great tracks, most of them sound generic and repetitive. It was clear that James needed to change things up. For the most part, Assume Form achieves that change up in an amazing way.

On Assume Form, James dabbles in more pop and hip-hop production. While James did have tracks that were pop and hip-hop based, especially on the track with RZA, he mostly leaned into piano ballads and experimental music. This change is done nicely on this album, and production is fucking amazing. Even on the weaker tracks, the production keeps me entertained and engaged with the album. It's low-key and moody, which I really love. Mile High and I'll Come Too are a few of my favorite tracks with fantastic production. James mixes the beautiful instrumentation with hip-hop type beats almost flawlessly. The features are also pretty great on this album, especially André 3000. I don't think this man has ever had a mid or bad verse, and Where's The Catch? is no exception. His flow and lyrics are top-tier, and the production complements his verse. I also love the track with ROSALÍA. Her voice is beautiful but dark, which is achieved the ghost like production. I think the one feature I dislike on this album is Moses Sumney. The production good, and in all honesty, Moses starts out pretty great. But when he tries to hit those high notes, everything falls apart for me. It does not sound good in my opinion. But thankfully, the rest of the album is great, and the last track, Lullaby For My Insomniac, is stunning. It's probably my favorite track of the entire album, with its amazing production that starts to build up and James' poetic lyrics. Overall, Assume Form is an amazing up for James Blake, with fantastic production, features that add more life to some of the tracks, and James' stellar vocals.