Review: James Blake - Playing Robots into Heaven

James Blake

Playing Robots into Heaven

James Blake's "Playing Robots into Heaven" is a surprising and evolving listen that pivots from dancefloor-ready trance to ethereal synthpop.

★★★★

James Blake is one of the most interesting British musicians of the past two decades. Never standing still, he seems to occupy a musical space between traditional genres. He has a falsetto that gives an emotional gravitas to soft ballads, he has an intricate understanding of theory and structure that can be bent to fit either complex experimental pieces or a perfect piece of pop music. Finally, his unique ways of production have seen him coveted by renowned voices across hip-hop such as Rosalia, Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce, SZA and Dave, to name but a few from the exhaustive list.

His series of studio albums exhibit the same fluidity and transformative nature that has made him such a coveted collaborator. Blake’s sixth studio release, ‘Playing Robots into Heaven’ is no exception. The album arrives in a post-electronic landscape dominated by another super producer turned solo artist who shares many similar traits with Blake… Fred again. With ‘Playing Robots into Heaven’ it could be argued Blake is both challenging Fred’s mantle to the throne, as well as proving there's plenty of room in the electronic-influenced music space for artists of varying styles to occupy.

The record feels like an amalgamation of the various styles of Blake we’ve become accustomed to over the years. Whilst described as a return to his electronica roots, there are certainly glimpses of his entire career. Opening track, ‘Asking to Break’ blends a repeating melodic piano chord over trip-hop electronic beats reminiscent of Massive Attack. It’s a great example of the urgency Blake can create amongst soft and dreamy sounds.

Early single, ‘Loading’ is one of Blake's finest compositions to date. His layered vocals conjure the perception of multiple vocalists. It touches upon techniques favoured by artists such as Lapsley and Alt J. The way Blake can create a sonic representation of the track's lyrics, seemingly touching upon a transformation into a robotic being, through synth snares, vocoder effects and distorted percussion is a stroke of wonder. It unsurprisingly segues into something far more cybernetic ‘Tell Me’. At its centre, it’s a slowly building synth melody that explodes into life. It feels eerily similar to retro dial-up modems in its visceral intensity, but in typical Blake style remains stoicly melodic.

The album soon shifts into a more instrumental-focused state with ‘Fall Back’, ‘He’s Been Wonderful’ and ‘Big Hammer’ in particular. ‘Fall Back’ incorporates chopped-up vocals with a short dancehall club-influenced motif that wouldn’t be amiss on Beyonce’s Rennacisnse. A point that could be made about a large portion of the record, there’s a real appreciation for, and influence taken from soul and techno club culture. ‘He’s Been Wonderful’ seemingly features a brief yet recurring heavenly gospel choir, in a way similar to Kanye West’s experiments on his recent recordings.

‘Big Hammer’ blends trance, trap and heavily altered ‘dancehall’ vocals to create a claustrophobic, chaotic yet compelling listen. It’s a stark call back to his earlier baseline and electronic influences, it feels like a homage to early The Prodigy recordings. ‘I Want You To Know’ showcases another side of Blake, his ability to pick out a sensational sample. Here it takes the iconic 00’s bridge from Snoop Dogg, Pharrell and Charlie Wilson’s single ‘Beautiful’ and transforms it from its salacious and sultry origins into a sweet dedication of love layered over glitchy scat synths. A spiritual successor to his sensational standalone single ‘You’re Too Precious’ from 2020.

There’s also the dreamlike ‘Night Sky’ in which Blake’s falsetto glides over a colourful and hypnotic selection of notes. ‘Fire the Editor’ meanwhile is a track more akin to his work on ‘Assume Form’ as it blends ethereal hip-hop percussion and psychedelic chillwave melodies to create a sound that wouldn’t be amiss on Frank Ocean’s ‘Blonde’ or Sampha’s ‘Process’.

The album surprisingly peters out at its conclusion. ‘If You Can Hear Me’ is stripped back and sombre. Blake perfectly projects a feeling of loss and absence, however, it’s a strange tonal shift. As is the final track, ‘Playing Robots Into Heaven’, an intriguing instrumental track that feels tailor-made for the recent release of the galactic traversing video game Starfield. It feels as if the record is concluding via drifting off through space. An interesting creative decision to finish the album on such a subdued tone.

Overall, however, the record is a triumph. ‘Playing Robots into Heaven’ is a surprising and evolving listen that provides a clear structure, pacing and coherent flow that demands you to listen to it in a single sitting. There are a few exemplary standout moments such as ‘I Want You To Know’ and ‘Loading’, but Blake has achieved a rare feat of creating an album that will suit all admirers, there’s something in there for everyone, whether it’s to trance out on the dancefloor or to be moved by ethereal synthpop.

One thing is for certain, James Blake has once again proved himself as one of the most important and groundbreaking artists of his field.