The Bells Sketch

The Bells Sketch
EP by
James Blake
Released8 March 2010
GenrePost-dubstep
Length14:37
LabelHessle Audio (HES011)
ProducerJames Blake
James Blake chronology
"Air & Lack Thereof" (single)
(2009) 		The Bells Sketch
(2010) 		CMYK
(2010)

The Bells Sketch is the debut EP of London-based producer James Blake. It was released on 8 March 2010 by Hessle Audio.[1] The EP received very positive reviews from music critics.

Composition

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The songs on The Bells Sketch have a speed of around 72 beats per minute, which is considered slow for dance music.[2] The title track of the EP features "playful" vocals, "erratic jazz piano basslines", and synthesizers.[3] The song's vocals are a mix of samples and Blake's own voice. It opens with a violin-like sound, after which Blake starts singing. After each phrase, a "video-game noise" covers up the vocals. Halfway through the track, Blake's voice is drowned out by bass.[2]

The next track, "Buzzard and Kestrel", starts with a mixture of muffled vocals and dog whistle melodies. The song stays this way for half its duration, until a cowbell is played. The song then fades out as it ends.[3][4] It is influenced by lounge piano and Outkast snare patterns, and features some synthesizer.[3] The final track of the album is "Give a Man a Rod". The song is driven by claps sounding like drums, and vocals akin to Flying Lotus.[3][4] A version of the song without a drop was released in 2011, entitled "Give a Man a Rod (Second Version)".[5]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Fact4.5/5[4]
Resident Advisor4.5/5[3]

The EP received critical acclaim from music critics. Mike Coleman of Fact gave The Bells Sketch 4 and a half "records" out of 5, saying "The Bells Sketch is a complex thing – beautiful and difficult, its glitch-peppered oddities are addictive, but bursting at the seams with a desire to experiment and a complete lack of compromise."[4] Mike Powell of Pitchfork said of the EP: "I think it's both [brilliant and a high-concept mess], but I really like high-concept messes."[2]

Resident Advisor also gave the album 4 and a half stars out of 5. Speaking of the EP, critic Oli Marlow said: "Deliciously weird, off-key and superbly layered, James Blake's debut outing on Hessle Audio manages to succinctly justify the hype his work is now receiving."[3] In 2010, Pitchfork named The Bells Sketch the eighth best album of the year, along with fellow EPs CMYK and Klavierwerke; the website was "amazed" at how Blake released three EPs in one year, all of different styles.[6]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."The Bells Sketch"4:18
2."Buzzard & Kestrel"5:43
3."Give a Man a Rod"4:36

References

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  1. ^ "The Bells Sketch – EP by James Blake". iTunes. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Powell, Mike (25 February 2010). "James Blake: "The Bells Sketch"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Marlow, Oli (17 March 2010). "James Blake – The Bells Sketch". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d Coleman, Mike (8 March 2010). "James Blake: The Bells Sketch EP". Fact. Archived from the original on 16 January 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  5. ^ Bevan, David (12 May 2011). "James Blake: "Give A Man A Rod (Second Version)"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  6. ^ Powell, Mike (16 December 2010). "Staff Lists: The Top 50 Albums of 2010". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
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