''Klavierwerke'' is the third solo
EP by English musician
James Blake, who plays all the instruments and produced the record. It was released on R&S Records on 27 September 2010. The word "Klavierwerke" is German for "
piano
A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
works", as the album is mostly built on piano.
Composition
James Blake changed his style on the EP from
gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
and
R&B influenced
dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken ...
on ''
CMYK'' to more piano-based music.
According to Blake, the EP is "more personal" than ''
CMYK'', and its lyrics are more focused on emotion.
The EP has been described as "sadder and more intimate" than his previous releases,
and as similar to
Mount Kimbie's songs.
The title track features some vocal
static due to it being recorded on a laptop microphone. The static contrasts with the clear hand
claps and
bass notes.
The next track, "Tell Her Safe" has Blake singing over
percussion, with additional light pops and clicks, and a muffled refrain.
The song "I Only Know (What I Know Now)" features "twisted" vocals that the
BBC likened to the work of
Radiohead.
"Don't You Think I Do", the final track, has "scattershot keys" and "cascading static" and contains some
synthesizer.
Reception
The album received positive reviews from music critics. In a favourable review, Mike Diver of the
BBC wrote "every click beneath another click, every swoosh or sweep from computer keys through programmes and into production, is a fascinating facet of a whole that never once seems unduly overpopulated by elements that others might pronounce with greater emphasis."
Joe Colly of ''
Pitchfork'' named "I Only Know (What I Know Now)" one of the "EP's finest moments" and gave the album a score of 8.1 out of 10.
''
Resident Advisor
''Resident Advisor'' (also known as ''RA'') is an online music magazine and community platform established in 2001 and dedicated to showcasing electronic music, artists and events across the globe. Its editorial team provides news, music and ev ...
'' gave the album 4 stars out of 5 and stated that "Blake's ingenious move is to seemingly dance around the truth, leaving the listener to figure things out."
In 2010, Pitchfork placed the EP and two other Blake EPs, ''
The Bells Sketch'' and ''
CMYK'', collectively at number 8 on its list "The Top 50 Albums of 2010".
Track listing
Personnel
* James Blake – writing, production
*
Matt Colton – mastering
* Erika Wall – photograph
* Will Bankhead – design
References
{{James Blake
Albums produced by James Blake (musician)
James Blake (musician) EPs
2010 EPs