James Blake has had quite a year. The ground that he has covered in the ten months between the eerie, glitchy weirdness of The Bell’s Sketch and the dubby introspection of Klavierwerke is impressive in itself. He has made those transitions look pretty seamless, and despite the obvious differences between “Limit to Your Love” and any song off of his EPs, it also seems like a logical step. Here, Blake juxtaposes the stark minimalism that has become his trademark with some more unsettling elements. It’s a slightly fragmented but gorgeous reimagining of Leslie Feist’s ballad. It’s also a fantastic introduction his voice, which we will likely (hopefully) hear some more of on his LP.
Ever since Blake has started to favour his own voice over samples, his music has been just as notable for what’s missing as what’s there. “Limit to Your Love” uses its instrumentation sparingly, but it never really seems like something is missing. Blake still manages to retain his emotional potency, too. The crest in his voice when he sings “like a map with no ocean” is probably one of the most poignant moments he has created. It’s a strong finish to a great year and a good lead-in to the next big step for the already prolific producer.
[Off of the upcoming self-titled James Blake album, due out February 7th]
