Assume Form isn’t bad because it’s a sellout. It's bad for other reasons.

[xrr rating=3.25/5]While dubstep as a whole appears obsessed with the all-important drop, London producer James Blake, having got his start in that maligned and misunderstood genre, prefers addition by subtraction. On his self titled debut, he utilized space and repetition to create a sense of unease and tension, giving songs like “I Never Learnt to Share” a weight that might …

20. Fucked Up – David Comes to Life [Matador] The most ambitious band to vaguely fit under the description of “hardcore punk” since Refused dissolved, Toronto sextet Fucked Up have outdone themselves with this year’s David Comes to Life. A rock opera is precisely the sort of thing punks set out to kill, but David Comes to Life never wants …

James Blake Enough Thunder Rating: 3.8/5.0 Label: Universal Republic The meteoric career of James Blake has been tailed by accolades and upturned noses alike, but without question Blake has proven to be a musical phenomenon. Hailing from Britain, Blake spent 2010 building a following with the release of three EPs, most notably Klavierwerke, which established him as a purveyor of …

James Blake James Blake Rating: 4.4/5.0 Label: Atlas/A&M Releasing three EPs in 2010, all of which got steady blog and critical attention, James Blake quickly made a name for himself before a debut album had even arrived. CMYK, Bells Sketch and Klavierwerke showed the producer and classically-trained musician had a wide range of taste, ability and ambition. It’s no coincidence …