James Blake Shows Life's Messiness (Thanks To Bird Poop) In 'Can't Believe The Way We Flow'

Begin, stop. Begin, stop. Begin again, then pause the video once you visualize the cartoon. You'll do that a lot watching James Blake's new video for "Can't Believe The Way We Flow" from his fourth studio album Assume Form. It's like a scrapbook of faces and places, gradually connecting with each other while bird poop rains from the sky and eggs get scrambled in pans. That's a wild description, nevertheless that's probably the simplistic way to find sense in what's being presented to viewers. Just keep playing and pausing the video at different points and you'll visualize what we mean.


There's a lot going on in "Can't Believe The Way We Flow" that opens your eyes, however perhaps its most shocking beginning move is to show us a shiny leather jumpsuit that looks like it's straight out of a horror movie. James Blake, who's in the video for no more than five seconds, makes a quiet first appearance, sitting on a bench, pondering the intricacies of the universe. He looks up to the sky and gets bird pooped drizzled on his brow like caramel sauce on french vanilla ice cream, and then we're taken into this vast Rolodex of spaces and faces.


The leather jumpsuit worn by a unidentified elderly man, an exotic dancer lacing up her heels, lovers saying their goodbyes for the day in the doorway while one holds a cat – these scenes and more are snapshots of the energy that exists in the world. Like a storm, faces start swirling and flying in front of the camera at blinding speeds as if propelled by wind, showing an entire populace of people. We're eventually shown faces coming with each other for kisses and other kinds of embraces. It's energy connecting to synthesize new beginnings and it's pretty to watch. The bird poop manifests itself again at the end, quite possibly even grosser than before. Yet it's all in the magically realistic world that Blake has prepared for us.


Assume Form came out in January. The LP features the previously released tunes "Barefoot In The Park," with Rosalía, and "Mile High" with Travis Scott.


Take a look at James Blake's "Can't Believe The Way We Flow" video up above.