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CMYK (EP)

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CMYK
A light blue CD with a design of a horse silhouette in front of an aquamarine inverted triangle.
EP by
James Blake
Released28 May 2010
Recorded2010 in James Blake's home
Genre
Length15:55
LabelR&S
ProducerJames Blake
James Blake chronology
The Bells Sketch
(2010) 		CMYK
(2010) 		Klavierwerke
(2010)

CMYK is the second solo extended play by London-based indie producer James Blake. It was released in both the United Kingdom and the United States on R&S Records on 28 May 2010.[1] It samples many tracks, mostly from 1990s R&B.[2] The EP received positive reviews from critics.

Composition

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The title track samples Kelis' "Caught Out There" and Aaliyah's "Are You That Somebody?". Pitchfork described the track as "modern homage to old ideas" as Blake "[took] two R&B archetypes ... and imagines them in a back and forth." On the track, Blake sings normally and also occasionally uses a vocoder to process his voice.[2] The track is influenced by 1990s rave pop and also contains synthesizers.[3] The following song, "Footnotes" also has Blake using the vocoder, but the song is hymnal and contains "gospel chords".[4] It is a minimalistic track; it uses slight noises to create an "atmospheric" sound.[5]

The next song "I'll Stay" has been described as the "warmest, most accessible track of [CMYK]".[5] It is also hymnal, but it contains a call and response with repeated, high-pitched synthesizers. The final track, "Postpone" has been likened to a "lumbering requiem before transforming into lumbering exultation."[4] It features electronic beats, "hip hop choruses", and "triumphant" horns.[3]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Fact4/5[6]
Pitchfork8.3/10[2]
Resident Advisor4.0/5[4]

The EP received generally positive reviews from music critics. Mike Powell of Pitchfork complimented how Blake used the samples in his music, and gave the EP a score of 8.3 out of 10.[2] Fact named "Postpone" as the highlight of CMYK, and called the EP "the most anthemic thing Blake's done to date." In the review, the EP received 4 out of 5 "records", and the reviewer stated that he was "sold [on Blake's music]."[6]

Sam Louis of Resident Advisor gave CMYK 4 out of 5 stars and stated that "Blake underpins nearly everything here with those comfortable blankets, wrapping you up while he makes you consider dancing." He also wrote "[Blake] clearly also knows that a little bit of subtlety can go a long way", and that "[his songs are] just as emotionally affecting, squeezing pathos out a single line from Kelis and warm, deep chords."[4] Pitchfork later named CMYK the eighth best album of the year, along with The Bells Sketch EP and Klavierwerke EP; the website applauded how Blake released so much material in a year.[7] It also included "CMYK" on its list of the 200 Best Songs of the 2010s.[8]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by James Blake

No.TitleLength
1."CMYK"3:39
2."Footnotes"4:47
3."I'll Stay"3:49
4."Postpone"3:40

Personnel

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Charts

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Chart (2011) Peak
position
UK Physical Singles Chart (Official Charts Company)[9] 49

References

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  1. ^ "CMYK – EP by James Blake". iTunes. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d Powell, Mike (24 May 2010). "James Blake: CMYK EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  3. ^ a b Kemp, Richard (22 October 2010). "Review: James Blake – CMYK/Klavierwerke EP". Pretty Much Amazing. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d Louis, Sam (11 June 2010). "James Blake – CMYK". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  5. ^ a b Curtis, James (8 December 2010). "James Blake – CMYK EP". Indie Shuffle. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  6. ^ a b Jama, Zainab (27 May 2010). "James Blake: 'CMYK'". Fact. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "The 200 Best Songs of the 2010s". Pitchfork. 7 October 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  9. ^ "Official Physical Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
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