The highly buzzed, reblogged, reTwittered, reFacebooked, and rePitchforked James Blake dropped his unseemly “light-feeling” debut album Tuesday.
The album’s songs feel light because Blake is a dubstep artist. Dubstep is not the first genre to harken thoughts of pithy, clean lyrics and soft electronic synth in the background. And though the songs he released so far do tend to be in a more traditional dubstep vein, nearly the entirety of his self-titled new release places total emphasis on his immaculately crisp and minimal falsetto. 
Aside from Blake’s voice, another component of the album that will strike listeners is the curious composition technique that he employs.
Any adherence to a traditional crescendo, decrescendo repetition of tension and release is foregone for what seems to be short snippets of expression that could represent either the dark corner of a London dance club or the memory of a former love. That’s not to say we don’t see a standard dub bass line on a track or two. The majority of the album, however, is committed to a near jazzy, bluesy rendition.
This unconventional dubstep song writing is prevalent throughout the entirety of the album. Take for instance the album’s third track “I Never Learned To Share.” The track opens with Blake, a cappella, repeating the lines: 
“My brother and my sister don’t speak to me / but I don’t blame them / but I don’t blame them.”
After the third repetition, there’s the addition of a glitchy synth, which peaks and drops about halfway through the song into a slow monotonous bass line. This is further accentuated by the meticulous addition of organ synths that build into a very standard and heavy dub beat, which is smoothly phased out by the end of the song.
The song, with its constant repetition and slow build, has the same effect on the listener as a traditional dubstep track in its ability to lose the listener in a series of climaxes, consumed by thought until met by a concise end.
But, really, there’s nothing traditional here, at least in the dubstep sense. Blake’s classical piano training and affinity for experimental, yet danceable tunes render listeners curiously gratified.
Listeners familiar with the vocals of singers like Antony Hegarty, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) or Patrick Wolf, will find familiarity in Blake’s style. However, Blake is evidently taking his influences and applying them to his own unique brand of electronica music, instead of building on the work of others.
The classical piano that appears multiple times throughout the album sheds light on just how diverse Blake’s talents and musical tastes are. What’s most fascinating about the album are the facets that are passed over on first listen. Although the listener might originally perceive the album as some ho-hum alternative to electronica, they will eventually discover on more listens that Blake’s music is actually carefully layered, mastered and scrutinized down to the very last beat.
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