xx

Heard this one for the first time maybe two years after its release. I didnt get the hype then and I dont get it now. The same bland bass riff and three-quarters asleep vocals on every damn song. The apple music description literally says it's so sparse not because of any dedication to minimalism, but because they didnt know how to play their instruments, which is unsurprising. It also says that it's R&B, which i think is insulting to R&B. It just bores me

I dont think I have ever heard of XX music, but i do know they were much feted at the time, so this will be a voyage of discovery.. Oh I.do know this one its been used a lot on telly, nice enough intro to the album. Tune 2 Again this is nice enough, but nobody could call it exciting. Tune 3..I know this one too, probably because it has been used in countless tv dramas, 4. Once more I know this, not sure you'd differentiate it from the last track, it sounds exactly the same. This is clearly the go to record for lazy tv music supervisors. 5. More of the same, its not bad, but its non descript, not sure that is much of anything. 6. Back to the TV music......I guess its because it's atmospheric but unlikely to make anyone look up grom their phones... ..like a particularly drab M83 (who i like very much and who are also used on telly a lot) 7.See no 6. 8. Not sure which genre this would be classified as (Dullstep perhaps?) but they're phoning it in now. 9. I am becoming as bored as they sound Is that a Chris Isaack guitar part? It sounds very "Wicked Game" i didn't like that tune much either. 10. Seriously bored now 11. You are feeling very sleepy 12. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Unispiring music for uninspiring people. Dnner party tunes for hipsters. Not terrible, but neither is it interesting enough for anyone to stop shovelling Kale imto their mouths whilst they wang on about favoured beard waxes, cold brew coffees or show off their new ironic tattoo. Now playing in a boutique clothes emporium (don't call it a shop) near you (if you live in London, or Brighton) 2 stars, its on a par with The Pointer Sisters

#284 Heard Before? Lots. I'm familiar with all three of their albums. Notes: - male/female duet vocals are always a treat for me. - i mostly ignore lyrics. there's nothing too embarrassing here, and even some lines that jump out with surprising resonance. - it can sound like ESG, if the funky joy was replaced with insolent melancholy. - speaking of which, why is ESG missing from this list? insane! - with arrangements this stark, the smallest new elements (off-beat strums, a piano part, a new snare sound, a single synth note) can sound revelatory. Verdict: So minimal it can border on invisible. For the moodiest of moods. Listen Again? Yup.

I mean what can you say. This is a 2000s indie music classic. It's just perfect in all ways. I could listen to the YouTube version of Intro on loop for hours, it's just that good, every single time. Favorite tracks include Heart Skips a Beat where the drums pull off the ectopic beat to perfection. Crystalized, VCR also highlights.

The more time passes the more generational this record becomes. Stripped down new wave with house inflection. Excellent production, tight songs. I’ll say it: without this record there would be no Lorde, Billie Eilish or James Blake.

Very chilled and atmospheric

Self-absorbed techno babble. Not 1001 worthy

Really liked the instrumentation throughout. I know ear came much after but they kinda remind me of ear so I’m not sure if ear was inspired by them but this was cool. I’m not sure if I’d relisten a ton but it was definitely pleasant to listen to and the lyrics are incredibly relatable. I saved Intro, Heart Skipped a Beat, Fantasy, Stars, and Islands

Really wasn’t a fan of this one unfortunately. I found the vocals, especially by the female singer, extremely grating. Not sure what to call it but I really dislike this style of vocals where the words run into each other and aren’t spoken clearly with almost a lisp. The instrumentals were pretty weak too. I was glad it was a short album. Only gave 2 stars cause it’s not completely unlistenable and would be bearable in the background. Not sure how this even made the list to be honest.

Lyttede ikke.

From the name of the band and title of the album, to the very low-key, minimalist songs, to the way the songs barely register....this is a generic and utterly forgettable album That said, they put the listener in a relaxed mood and it's the perfect album to put on when you want to just turn off your brain and decompress. Boring, without edge, banal. 2 and a half stars rounded down.

Neat. Something different for this series so far. Of course I knew the intro song cause its huge but it was a pleasure hearing the rest of the stuff. Still kind of boring

I had a false memory of being a child and this winning the Mercury Prize and me feeling that the world had opened up. After a quick Google I discover that I was almost 19 years old with much bigger things on my mind and this nearly put me to sleep.

It was fine lol

Never heard of them - was going through a mental health crisis in 2009 which probably explains why. Would keep this on my Spotify account

And people say that Halloween music doesn't exist... have they ever listened to this?

OOOOOO alr time for bias, I already know I love these guys but ill admit i mostly listen to Jamie xx or Oliver Sim solo projects and ive never listened to this album front to back. So lets go Intro duh VCR pretty!! Islands!!!! Heart Skipped a Beat! Fantasy!!!!! (Dude this song is haunting but beautiful wtf) Basic Space!!!! Stars This album is lovely, the production is so tight and the very definition of subtract until you have only what you need. I wasnt expecting this album to be so somber and almost melancholy. Its about love and people with demons in their closet trying to open up but afraid to do so because they want protect their partner from themselves. Romy and Oliver's voices are like butter. Maybe this album just hit me at the right time. A little TMI but I got stood up on a date today so maybe im projecting a bit in this album but this absolutely deserves a spot on this list. Fuck that one guy who called it uninspired

Airy and atmospheric vibes

An absolutely incredible first track, and good throughout, but the rest of the album doesn't rise to the expectations established by the opener

There was some potential here as I enjoyed the feel of it, but somehow it never went anywhere. Maybe part of its appeal. The vocals are pleasant enough but not attention grabbing. I might have enjoyed it more as an instrumental, like the Intro.

It’s not for me but nothing stood out as bad about it.

At first I really didn't care for this, by the end I was kind of into it. Feels like it could be a nice edition to a bedtime playlist.

4 - I listened to this a lot when it first came out. I still like it a lot.

Surprised how old this album is now. Really kicked off a trend of dreary indie. Some tracks are nice and atmospheric, but I can't get over that I've heard them on every tv advert going.

Did I like this? I did. Surprised as anyone

Very mid

I get why people would say this is boring, but for me it is a very calming and easy listen to album. I really needed something like that today, so it's nice to be reminded of this album again. It's also hard to deny how influential this album is and continues to be to this day, there is a lot of things coming out now that you can somehow trace back to this album. For me, as someone who grew up with music that sounded like this and has a lot of nostalgia for the music of this era, it's an easy 5 stars

a classic

Buen album, divertido de principio a fin. Destaco la reconocida "Take me to the river", "With our love" y "The big country"; las demás fluyen con concordancia y originalidad. Buen album, hasta diría que se puede pocisionar en mi top numero uno de los Heads.

Solid album but not an all time classic

Pretty good, couple of good tracks, atmospheric. Kind of boring overall though, don't see myself coming back to it much.

Buen disco. Un poco sobrevalorado para mi gusto y un poco repetitivo, pero tiene lindos temas.

Very worthy of a spot on here purely due to its influence, it's a really good record but the moodier, darker vibe pop sounds of the 2010s with sharp and sophisticated production is built on the bones of this album.

Sounds like a collection of Netflix drama series theme/background music. I like the music, but not their voices.

Didn't love it or hate it, didn't make much of an impact.

I liked it, feels like the most modern album we've had on this for a while. Very much an archetypal mercury prize winner, whatever that means

It's fine.

I love this kind of cold, detached, airy, dreamy, minimalist records, but I feel like a pretentious asshole for doing so. Doesn't matter, this is a vibe and you can claw it from my cold, pretentious hands!

Lavmælt. Spennende

確かに、音数が少なくて全体的に浮遊感を持つアルバム。このアルバムの制作当初はメンバー全員10代だったらしい。やばすぎ。introは確かに名曲ですね、アルバム全体の長さも短めで良い。ジャケットもシンプルでカッコ良い。やっぱりこういう女の人の声はずるいですね。

4,1 Highlights: Intro, Crystalised

it's ok. 38 minutes only but still feels a bit boring at times

Pretty decent album to chill to. Does kind of end on a whimper.

Not inherently bad just very samey. You are wishing they would up the tempo every now and then. Bland is the word.

Not great when the beat song is the short instrumental intro. Starts cool and vibey but really does the same one thing the whole album.

Unfortunately does not hold up for me :/ Very much a "you had to be there" album, but one that doesn't do much for me beyond the late aughts.

Why do all the songs sound the same. Two XX's in the no thank you box.

Bediralica album, ni dobar in los. Nemam najdrazu pjesmu

Hmm. This started off quite promising. There were a couple of decent tunes in the first third of the album, particularly Crystalised which is easily the standout track. After that, it is so bloody samey and BORING. It was like a musical Groundhog Day full of nothingness. Dull as dishwater. Meh. Quite frankly, they should rename themselves The Zzz. 2/5 and that’s being generous.

Sparse Dub, needs more Step. Intro is nice, but that minimalist approach, only really bucked by Crystallised and Islands, just means I lose interest as the journey goes on. Maybe this is by design, an album designed to help you sleep perhaps? But just too front loaded for me to last the duration by choice.

Cool mix of modern electro-rock with singer-songwriter. Solid 3.5/5.0, but ranking 4.0 so I remember to go back and explore more of their catalog.

The best and well known part of your album being the intro is interesting. The rest of the album was ok, but not something really interesting. Weird they have two albums on the list...

Just vibes. Feels like this album was a decade earlier than where it belonged

I don’t like Jamie’s voice. Just kind bored but I get why it made such a splash at the time. But listening right now, it’s fine. I’d be super bored if I was just listening to it without something else to do…so

2.5/5. Some minimalist indie-pop with a very distinct style of production. Feels very much like an album meant to be heard in headphones. That being said outside of the production, nothing about this one really stood out to me. There’s nothing structurally wrong with it and nothing that offends the senses, but it all just feels like a cloud of fine enough 2000’s indie pop.

4.5 stars If I didn’t have history with this album I may not have gotten it. But it’s a vibe and I’m all for it. The quiet vocals, beats, minimal production all works great. No skips. Although in my years of listening to my peer 2 peer downloaded version in the 2010s I never realized I was missing the cover of “Hot Like Fire.” I have the vinyl and never noticed a track I wasn’t familiar with. It didn’t change the album experience for me. This is always a winner for me.

zz

Boring af even my b thinks so

80

Boring

enjoy the production here quite a bit but the melodies are just uninspired

I'm the target audience for this album. I listened to a LOT of indie electronica during this time period, even saw the xx live at a festival in Japan. Have almost no memory of that concert, or of listening to this album though I definitely have at some point. I should be into this but I just feel like there's other acts in this genre that have stuck with me more (Sylvan Esso, Marian Hill etc) I found a lot of this to just be super slow, very minimalist and a LITTLE bit boring. I'm sure at the time it was more interesting!

Really like the music. Love the emptiness and minimalism. Very atmospheric. The vocals are drab. Probs would prefer it as an instrumental album.

Could be the most overrated band of all time. Whys he sing with a weird accent. Hate

I used to think I liked the XX after a short phase I had with with them...cant really be arsed with them now! Good album but just kinda boring

Epitome of average. Hate her voice,he's bland. Lyrics shit. Overpushed and overhyped at the time, Remember this period well and they were everywhere. Its ok. Harmonies ok. But feels like an agenda hype. Be some woke thing wont it! Well and truly overrated.

Saw the xx at glasto. First time hearing them and enjoyed it

Two albums on consecutive days that didn't engage me, were monotonous and dull. Let's hope for something better today!

Music by Elon Musk?

Boring - adjective Causing or marked by boredom; dull and uninteresting; tiresome: to have a boring time. Synonyms: tedious, tiresome, dull, the album ‘xx’ by The xx

Millenial slop. Crystalised not bad.

2009 but let’s just say this is the 2010. In my opinion this is when music started getting interesting again after some non stellar stuff of the early 2000’s. The production is good and subtle. Vocals are nice However it does kinda just drift in and out , with maybe a few guitar lines. Definitely seems like another album that’s needs extra listens to let the songs marinate in your head. At the moment light 3.5/5 (rounding down , for now)

Little less ethereal than Coexistence. It's good, just not as good in comparison

niche

The consistent downbeat atmosphere, the "of it's time" production style and certainly Sim's vocals will divide, I feel they suit the songs and the aesthetic the band was going for. Although far from the first band to take electronic beats and marry them to more straightforward guitar lines and vocal melodies, it was a fresh sound when it dropped in 2009, bringing a more sparce sound and a dubstep influence. Intro genuinely might be the best thing here, great opener. An enjoyable listen still and it's a coherent piece of work in terms of track listing, length and flow. They didn't really do anything that approached this in terms of quality afterwards as a group, mostly re-treads with diminishing returns. In Colour is probably the best XX personnel related album. 7/10

What an amazing album. If you love Wolf Alice, pretty sure you'll like this

One time when I was waiting to get off a plane (Delta or American, maybe?), "Intro" from this album was playing on the PA. Very odd for deplaning to feel so goddamn intense. The spooky, minimalist approach on this album is extremely unique. A great listen, front to back.

I like that The xx unmistakably sound like The xx, although that leads to a lot of their songs sounding the same. Still, this album is moody AF... in a good way!

I feel lucky to have experienced this album from the very beginning. They came out of nowhere and sounded like nobody and slowly crept into everybodies's radar. There's nothing new going on here really, but I never heard and haven't yet something so styleish and concise as this. Even the minimalism on the album cover tells you what you're in for and it works to perfection

Wonderful sound. Listening to it on a subpar system or headphones does not do it justice. take the wonderful sound away, and you are left with some very good songs, and some not so very good songs

Begon best wel sterk, werd heel snel minder

Funky inventive beats and some good tunez

Its ok. Indie AF but not annoying. Definitely not something I enjoyed but it wasn't repulsive.

Continuing a week of 2.xx star rating Name is quite apt for how I feel . Fxxk One man’s Calm, relaxing, indie pop is another man’s boring indie pop It takes till the second to last song for either singer to give any real emotion in thier delivery . Too little too late Two stars

boringgg yawninggg slopppyyy

The beats were probably the best part of the album. Most of the tracks had parts I liked, mixed with other parts that were interesting but I wouldn’t necessarily call good or bad. The two voices together just didn’t really work for me, especially with the lyrics, and that made it hard to fully get into any of the songs. Nothing I’d really go back and replay, even though the production had some good moments.

Great parts but some slow sections

Why do the band members sound like they're too sleepy to make interesting music?

A consistently good album, with however few highlights. A weak 4.

This is a tricky one. On the one hand, if I pay attention, critically listen, there is a lot that I don't like. That's not to say "bad". But I listened once and was working away while it was playing and I blinked and all of a sudden spotify had finished the record and moved on to Roads by Portishead (great song) and it was jarring. It made me think "wow, I was kinda in the zone there wasn't I". So I slept on it and tried again, and again, if I listened critically it wasn't something I'd look for, but I don't think this is a listening album, it's a vibe, something that you drift away with. And it was good at that. There is a solid chance I'll come back to this. It might sound like a slight to say "this is great background music" but in this instance it isn't - it's immersive, and that is a fine compliment.

Meh alright but a lot of songs I have heard as singles and all pretty much the same

Boring to the point of being lampooned as stereotypical millennial indie crud. Very beginner Focusrite GarageBand sounding music with an added budget. Jamie xx is far more interesting when he's doing solo stuff. There's always the intro though (5/10, 2/5 on this scale)

Lobby background music or youtube intros

Youtube intro, "Heroes" ripoff, car commercial. Pretty millennial but not bad

The first half is full of goodness, but by then end it fizzles out. Just got kinda bored of the melencholy. Decided to listen to it again and ended up taking a glorious power nap.

Minimal, melancholy.

6.5/10

Brilliant chilled album.

I got a write-up at work because I fell asleep at my desk

I used to like this when it came out but now it feels bland.