LogFAQs > #955806337

140. James Blake The Wilhelm Scream (2011)
from the album James Blake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isIABK-0ohQ

Key lyrics:
Im falling, falling, falling, falling
Might as well fall in

The impact of a song can change immensely depending on the context in which it is heard. I knew The Wilhelm Scream for several months before it fully clicked. I liked it just enough to put it at the end of a mix CD which I kept in my car for the rare trip. I was returning from visiting my first boyfriend when this song came on in the dark of night on an empty highway. Few experiences in my life have ever felt so revelatory. The dense, pulsing layers never came through properly on my tinny laptop speakers this experience was enough to push me towards investing in a better sound system.

The Wilhelm Scream is an isolating experience. James Blake frantically repeats the same phrases, modifying a key word here and there. The music keeps building, as if trying to drown him out. There is not much complexity to any individual element, but the way they intersect and override each other is mesmerizing. James Blake does his dense production justice, belting out his part with so much soul his impact not just on electronic music but contemporary R&B starts here. Like Archangel before it, The Wilhelm Scream fills a dense atmosphere with enough humanity to strike with unexpected resonance.

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My top 100 games (with write-ups): https://foolfantastic.com/top-100-video-games-project/