James Blake - Trying Times Review
On Trying Times, James Blake confronts a fractured world with quiet introspection, finding moments of love and creativity that still cut through the darkness.
It’s no secret that the world is becoming an increasingly difficult place to inhabit with more people feeling the pressure of simply existing than ever before. James Blake has always been ridiculously good at articulating his thoughts on the state of society through his music and in turn, use it as a tool to navigate through the rough patches. His new album, aptly titled Trying Times finds the singer at his bleakest yet but if you listen closely enough, hope still lingers.
He dives straight in with ‘Death of Love’ which gives you no time to really process the journey you’re in for. Elaborate synth, layered vocals and dark lyrics all combine with a sample from Leonard Cohen’s ‘You Wanted It Darker’ - written by Cohen as a contemplation of religion and as an offering of himself to God before he died, Blake uses the sample to reflect on the way society has been so quick to ditch love and how it isn’t always for the best even when we believe otherwise.
It probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that from this point on, love becomes a central theme of the record. Yes, it’s a commentary on the society we live in first and foremost but it’s also a record about how love trumps all no matter how bad things get. These moments of love are everywhere: there’s the blatant ‘I Had A Dream She Took My Hand’, featuring little other than his vocal, some synth and piano before a reverb soaked choir join the mix, it’s exactly how all the best love songs are: simple but powerful. There’s something strangely romantic in ‘Make Something Up’ too as the singer ponders the importance of creativity, how despite the fact we live in a world dominated by reliance on technology, nothing will ever be more powerful than the human ability to create and imagine.
James Blake is a man that does duality like no other, he doesn’t confine himself to a certain sound anymore like he did in his early days and Trying Times twists and turns through the sonic landscapes of electronic music and something that aligns better with R&B/soul to occasionally meet in the middle and result in something that feels distinctly his own. ‘Didn’t Come To Argue’ combines the best of both worlds meanwhile on ‘Doesn’t Just Happen’ he enlists friend and frequent collaborator Dave to add a touch of grime in there too.
The moments where the singer shines are those that are cloaked in sadness, the latter portion of the album feels like him at his best: ‘Through The High Wire’ has a somewhat cinematic quality to it with its heavily processed vocal and gospel sample but it is ‘Feel It Again’ that is the real standout here. Seemingly about the period of grieving a relationship and wondering whether you’ll have that kind of connection with someone again, it’s a powerful and melancholy rumination that stirs up all emotion and leaves you wondering whether this is an off-cut from a time that was pre his relationship with Jameela Jamil.
The album concludes with ‘Just A Little Higher’, whether it was his intention or not, it’s a powerful reminder to not be defined by the place you’re from and always dream bigger than what you think you can achieve. It’s a powerful closing statement for an album that looks into the flaws of this great big world we live in and still manages to pull out the positives. It’s a beacon of hope in an otherwise trying time.