This Week’s Best Single: James Blake’s The Wilhelm Scream

James Blake: The Wilhelm ScreamJames Blake: The Wilhelm Scream (Universal Republic, 3/8/11)

James Blake: “The Wilhelm Scream”

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Out this week is the second single from London-based electronic producer James Blake‘s recent self-titled full-length on Atlas Records. Alongside the title track, “The Wilhelm Scream,” the single features two new B-sides, “What Was It You Said About Luck” and “Half Heat Full (Old Circular).”

Blake’s anachronistic brand of soul-infused dubstep is delicately heavy; his restrained, R&B vocals seem to float, navigating a dimly lit path of spare, echoing beats. In the recent deluge of dubstep, Blake’s music stands out by tempering the typical foreboding murkiness with humanizing touchstones like pop-song pacing and clear-eyed melody.

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