James Blake - Playing Robots Into Heaven

 

Singer James Blake returns to electronic music roots

Playing Robots Into Heaven includes scratchy percussion, children's choir, distortion and more!

Playing Robots Into Heaven is singer James Blake's sixth studio LP and the follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2021's Friends That Break Your Heart. The artist did release an album of ambient music in 2022, titled Wind Down, that made use of AI technology and served as a sleep aid.

Blake has been a linchpin in contemporary popular music, notes The Guardian. Alongside his production work, imbuing a cosmic spiritual warmth to artists such as Travis Scott and Beyoncé, his acclaimed solo output has traversed an arc from solitary electronics topped with his forlorn vocals to a happier-sounding (and occasionally insipid) palette that leans more into traditional songwriting forms.

Playing Robots Into Heaven is more serene than Blake's history might suggest. The album meanders in stretches, still intricate and surprising textures weave through the record: scratchy percussion; ghostly, sped-up vocals; a children's choir; lush distortion; liquid synths; liturgical piano. "Tell Me," with its siren-like trills, could be the more sedate cousin of Darude's Sandstorm. ... The album's sleek yet plaintive production is a welcome reminder of what Blake does best.

 

Side A

Asking To Break

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Tell Me

Fall Back

He’s Been Wonderful

Big Hammer

Side B

I Want You To Know

Night Sky

Fire The Editor

If You Can Hear Me

Playing Robots Into Heaven

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