James Blake - James Blake

There’s a danger when so much hype is placed upon you, that you are never quite able to live up to it. But that’s not something London singer-songwriter James Blake has to worry about, because his self-titled debut is sensational – and in all the right ways.

Most of you will have heard his inspired cover of Feist’s Limit To Your Love on the radio, but placed in the context of the album, it sounds even better. The bass throbs away when you least expect it, and if you’re listening on good quality speakers, it really is something else. This isn’t just music you hear, it’s music you feel.

James’s vocals lie at the heart of this; they’re soulful, packed with emotion, and the way he multi-tracks them throughout the album, laying one layer on top of another presents a unique and attention-grabbing experience for the listener. The layers slide in and out of each-other, coming forward then falling back like waves, the sound of a distant idyllic shore.

Tracks like To Care (Like You) are classic chill-out, and those looking for a simple categorisation of this album will find it there. Despite all the singer-songwriter stuff being bandied around, this is a laid back electronic album at its core – tripped out beats and bleepy synths painting minimalistic soundscapes. The important thing though is that James’s personality and soul is what takes this album to the next level; that gives it that personal element, reaching out beyond the CD player and into the air itself. The top 10 UK chart placing the album has already achieved is testament to that personal connection being made.

This is an unpredictable album – it will never do what you expect it to do. See Why Don’t You Call Me? as a prime example. It starts off as a simple, piano led ballad. Even the name seems steeped in classic love overtures. But then halfway through, the techno-wizardry kicks in, the James Blake magic as it were, and the tracks skips and jumps away with itself, chilling altered vocals breathing out over stabs of icy static.

In its most outré moments, like the almost entirely acapella Lindisfarne I, vocoder is thrown into the mix – threatening to make the album seem almost too cold, too mechanical. But it never does. Instead the robotic touches only add to the charm; they are part of the mystique, part of the wonder and awe that James Blake casts on the listener. His debut is without doubt an intensely beautiful album, instilled with a distinct sense of identity. And it lives up to every single inch of the hype.

Urban Myth Club - Open Up

Open Up has been a long time in the making. Dance music collective Urban Myth Club released their last record Helium all the way back in 2006 and received mass critical acclaim for it, some even hailing it amongst the best downtempo albums ever released. They then took to the stage at Glastonbury, The Big Chill and an assortment of other festivals. And now, come 2011, they’re back – and one listen to their new album shows that the wait has been well worth it. Prepare to lose yourself in one of the most hypnotic, relaxing, entrancing albums you have ever experienced.

The music here is equally at home sound-tracking winter chills or summer bliss, and that perhaps is its strongest asset; how universal it is. Innovative but never so much as to alienate listeners... ambient, but with some real rhythm and groove interspersed without, particularly on opener Wake Up. As an album of contrasts, Open Up flows exceedingly well; each track sitting perfectly at home side by side with its neighbour. Vocal-led tracks give way to expansive, instrumental moments. The album has it all.

Trippy little acid house bleeps fizz away while the beats click and rustle; the sound of grass blowing in a warm breeze. Urban Myth Club’s music is evocative to the max. They have a keen sense for melody too. Take a listen to the Bjork-esque Surrender and dissolve in the sheer bliss of that chorus. Then there’s the Moby vibes on Coming Home, all futuristic and hyper-modern; the vocals crystalline and perfectly at one with the swelling synthetic strings in the background. It quite literally transports you away to another world, and the sheer power of some of these tracks can only be marvelled at.

Even more impressive though, is the fact that just when you think you’ve heard it all, the album turns itself on its head and pulls out an entrancing slice of acoustic heaven in the form of We Have Landed. Piano and delicately picked guitar; the charm is in the simplicity. And these touches seep out into the rest of the album, little pieces you pick up on more and more with repeat listens. Fragile harp strings, or the funky basslines on display in Fragile. This is an album that gives and gives. Pure magic.

Open Up is released February 28^th.