The Colour in Anything

The Colour in Anything
Studio album by James Blake
Released 6 May 2016 (2016-05-06)
Recorded 2014–16
Studio
Genre
Length 76:13
Label Polydor
Producer
James Blake chronology
200 Press
(EP)
(2014)		 The Colour in Anything
(2016)
Singles from The Colour in Anything
  1. "Modern Soul"
    Released: 11 February 2016[1]
  2. "Timeless"
    Released: 14 April 2016[2]
  3. "Radio Silence"
    Released: 5 May 2016[3]
  4. "My Willing Heart"
    Released: 5 May 2016[4]
  5. "I Need a Forest Fire"
    Released: 5 May 2016[5]

The Colour in Anything is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter and producer James Blake, released on 6 May 2016 by Polydor Records. It serves as the follow-up to his Mercury Prize-winning 2013 album Overgrown. It features contributions from Justin Vernon and Frank Ocean, and additional production work by Rick Rubin.

Background and recording

In November 2014, Blake announced that his third album was "seventy percent done" and would be released in "about five months."[6] In January 2015, he announced the album title Radio Silence.[7] He later stated that the album would feature Justin Vernon (of Bon Iver) and Kanye West, as well as guitar work from Connan Mockasin.[8] In a May 2016 interview with BBC Radio 1, Blake stated that he began work on the album in his bedroom studio in South London, and after "running out of steam" went to United States to complete the recording at Shangri La Studios with producer Rick Rubin.[9]

Recording involved writing contributions from Justin Vernon and singer Frank Ocean, the latter described by Blake as "a huge inspiration for this record."[10] Regarding Kanye West's absence from the project, Blake clarified that "I wanted Kanye to be on the song "Timeless," but the verse didn’t materialize. I think a huge swath of things happened in his life, and I just stayed out of it."[10] During this period, Blake also worked with singer Beyoncé on her 2016 album Lemonade, contributing to two tracks.[10]

Blake reportedly "explored sitting at the piano and singing a lot more" during the album's conception, and developed a desire "to work with other people on my own projects" in an attempt to relinquish some control over his own work.[10] Discussing the tone of the album in contrast to his previous work, he stated that "I realized that [when it comes to making music], it wasn't important whether I was happy or sad—it's about sensitivity and your reaction to the world. I wouldn't want to be one of those artists that keeps themselves in a perpetual cycle of anxiety and depression just to extract music from that."[10]

Promotion and release

On February 11, 2016, Blake premiered a new song entitled "Modern Soul" during his BBC Radio 1 residency.[1] On April 14, 2016, he premiered a new song titled "Timeless," and announced the completion of an album featuring 18 tracks.[2]

On April 28, social media posts by Blake and his label, 1-800 Dinosaur, reposted photos of a mural by children's novel illustrator Sir Quentin Blake (best known for his work with writer Roald Dahl) that hinted at the new album title The Colour in Anything;[11] these were confirmed as the new title and artwork of his album several days later.[12] The murals were displayed in London and Brooklyn. On May 5, Blake unexpectedly announced that the album would be released at midnight.[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic78/100[13]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
Entertainment WeeklyA–[15]
Exclaim!9/10[16]
The Guardian[17]
The New York Times(mixed)[18]
The Observer[19]
Pitchfork8.2/10[20]
PopMatters5/10[21]
Rolling Stone[22]
Spin7/10[23]

Upon its release, The Colour in Anything received generally favorable reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 78, based on 27 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable" reception.[24] In a review for Pitchfork, Kevin Lozano wrote that Blake's music is "unparalleled, spacious, and impossibly textured." He goes on to write that "At the end of the day Blake just wants to prioritize happiness and self-knowledge above all else. It’s a thoroughly unhip statement that makes you believe smiling, even if it hurts, is the coolest possible thing in the world you can do."[20] The Guardian wrote that "The Colour in Anything reaffirms that he stands apart from his new peers. His music is not nice; the production frequently evokes a disturbed mind, and over it he speaks of profound alienation."[17]

In a lukewarm review for The New York Times, Ben Ratliff opined that the album "grows self-pitying, almost maudlin, in ways Blake has managed to avoid in the past simply by using more elusive lyrical metaphors."[25] Resident Advisor noted that the production was "a notch above" Blake's previous work, making special mention of the tracks "Points" and "Modern Soul," but notes that the album grows "tiresome" through its midsection, and likens it to a "funeral procession." Some critics criticized the album's length, pointing to some tracks that could be cut for time. PopMatters compared Blake to rapper Drake, stating that "like Drake, he had it in him to release a great album here. He just chose not to," while describing much of the album as "colorless and tedious, with Blake’s typical lugubriousness added in."[21]

Accolades

Publication Accolade Year Rank
The Guardian The Best Albums of 2016 2016
Mojo The 50 Best Albums of 2016 2016
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2016 2016
The Skinny Top 50 Albums of 2016 2016

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Radio Silence"  James BlakeBlake 4:00
2. "Points"  Blake
 3:31
3. "Love Me in Whatever Way"  Blake
  • Blake
  • Rubin
 5:03
4. "Timeless"  BlakeBlake 4:22
5. "f.o.r.e.v.e.r."  BlakeBlake 2:40
6. "Put That Away and Talk to Me"  BlakeBlake 3:57
7. "I Hope My Life (1-800 Mix)"  BlakeBlake 5:40
8. "Waves Know Shores"  BlakeBlake 2:55
9. "My Willing Heart"  
Blake 4:02
10. "Choose Me"  BlakeBlake 5:38
11. "I Need a Forest Fire" (featuring Bon Iver)
 4:17
12. "Noise Above Our Heads"  Blake
  • Blake
  • Rubin
 5:03
13. "The Colour in Anything"  BlakeBlake 3:33
14. "Two Men Down"  Blake
 6:01
15. "Modern Soul"  Blake
  • Blake
  • Rubin
 5:32
16. "Always"  
Blake 5:04
17. "Meet You in the Maze"  
  • Blake
  • Vernon
  • Blake
  • Vernon
 4:55
Total length:
 76:13

Sample credits

Notes

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[30] 16
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[31] 68
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[32] 23
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[33] 88
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[34] 31
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[35] 21
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[36] 20
French Albums (SNEP)[37] 74
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[38] 76
Irish Albums (IRMA)[39] 16
Italian Albums (FIMI)[40] 81
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[41] 26
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[42] 23
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[43] 21
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[44] 79
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[45] 47
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[46] 19
UK Albums (OCC)[47] 13
US Billboard 200[48] 36
US Dance/Electronic Albums[49] 1
Digital Albums[50] 8

References

  1. 1 2 "James Blake Shares "Modern Soul"". Pitchfork. 2016-02-11. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  2. 1 2 "James Blake announces album completion". FACT magazine. 2016-04-14. Retrieved 2016-04-14.
  3. ↑ https://play.spotify.com/album/1l1HtS1J4bUrXLDu5DopsL
  4. ↑ https://play.spotify.com/album/3lNTOqOADRbgHwy3fqnDGM
  5. ↑ https://play.spotify.com/album/07hmu28zzgXybHfpQeb0iY
  6. ↑ "James Blake says new album out in about five months". Pitchfork. 2014-11-23. Retrieved 2015-01-13.
  7. ↑ "James Blake announces new album title". Pitchfork. 2015-01-13. Retrieved 2015-01-13.
  8. ↑ James Blake Says Kanye West and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon Will Appear on His New Album
  9. 1 2 Lobenfield, Claire. "James Blake's The Colour in Anything will be released tonight". Fact. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Maloney, Devon. "James Blake and the Pursuit of Happiness". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  11. ↑ Bowe, Miles. James Blake Hints at New Album Title and Artwork. Fact. 28 April 2016.
  12. ↑ Bowe, Miles. "James Blake's confirms next album title, debuts new artwork on billboard". Fact. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  13. ↑ "Reviews for The Colour in Anything by James Blake". Metacritic. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
  14. ↑ Kellman, Andy. "The Colour in Anything – James Blake". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  15. ↑ O'Donnell, Kevin. "James Blake's The Colour in Anything: EW Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  16. ↑ Slingerland, Calum. "James Blake The Colour in Anything". Exclaim!. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  17. 1 2 Aroesti, Rachel. "James Blake: The Colour in Anything review – toweringly accomplished, heart-wrenchingly frail". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  18. ↑ Ratliff, Ben. "Review: 'The Colour in Anything' Mourns Lost Connections". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  19. ↑ Empire, Kitty. "James Blake: The Colour in Anything review – bleakly mesmerising". The Observer. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  20. 1 2 Lozano, Kevin. "James Blake: The Colour in Anything". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  21. 1 2 Gu, Michael. "The Colour In Anything". PopMatters. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  22. ↑ Pagnani, Renato. "The Colour In Anything". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  23. ↑ Beta, Andy. "The Colour In Anything". Spin Magazine. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  24. ↑ "Reviews for Overgrown by James Blake". Metacritic. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  25. ↑
  26. ↑ "The Best Albums of 2016: 40-31". The Guardian. November 30, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  27. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Mojo. November 22, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  28. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Stereogum. December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Top 50 Albums of 2016". The Skinny. December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  30. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – James Blake – The Colour in Anything". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  31. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – James Blake – The Colour in Anything" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  32. ↑ "Ultratop.be – James Blake – The Colour in Anything" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  33. ↑ "Ultratop.be – James Blake – The Colour in Anything" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  34. ↑ "James Blake – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for James Blake. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  35. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – James Blake – The Colour in Anything". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  36. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – James Blake – The Colour in Anything" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  37. ↑ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes - SNEP (Week 23, 2016)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  38. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – James Blake – The Colour im Anything" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  39. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 19, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  40. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – James Blake – The Colour in Anything". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  41. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – James Blake – The Colour in Anything". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  42. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – James Blake – The Colour in Anything". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  43. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – James Blake – The Colour in Anything". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  44. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – James Blake – The Colour in Anything". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  45. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – James Blake – The Colour in Anything". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  46. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – James Blake – The Colour in Anything". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  47. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  48. ↑ "James Blake – Chart history" Billboard 200 for James Blake. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  49. ↑ "James Blake – Chart history: Dance/Electronic Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  50. ↑ "James Blake – Chart history: Digital Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.