xx
The xx
2009
Album Summary
xx is the debut album by the English indie pop band the xx. It was released on 14 August 2009 by Young Turks, an imprint label of XL Recordings, and recorded from December 2008 to February 2009 at the label's in-house studio in London. Producing the album, Jamie Smith of the xx created electronic beats for the songs on his laptop and mixed them in a detailed process with the audio engineer Rodaidh McDonald, who attempted to reproduce the intimate, unembellished quality of the band's original demos. Along with the xx's early R&B influences, the album has drawn comparisons from journalists to alternative rock, electronica and post-punk sounds. Its largely melancholic songs feature minimalist arrangements built around Smith's beats and instrumental parts recorded by the other members of the band, including Oliver Sim's basslines and sparse guitar figures by Baria Qureshi and Romy Madley Croft, who employs reverb in her lead guitar playing. Most of the songs are sung as low-key duets by Croft and Sim, both of whom had written emotional lyrics about love, intimacy, loss and desire. Released to widespread acclaim, xx was named one of 2009's best records and received praise for the band's atmospheric style of indie rock and pop as well as the interpersonal dimension of the performances. Commercially, it performed steadily over its first few years of release, becoming a sleeper hit in the United Kingdom and the United States, and eventually sold one million copies. Although major media outlets had largely ignored the band at first, and none of its singles became hits, xx received greater exposure from the licensing of its songs to television programmes and the band's Mercury Prize win for the album in 2010. Shortly after the album's release, and with differences between Qureshi and the rest of the group leading to her dismissal, the xx continued to play as a trio on a protracted concert tour that helped increase their fanbase, reputation in the press and confidence as performers. xx proved highly influential in subsequent years, as its distinctive stylistic elements were incorporated by many indie bands and top-selling pop acts. One of the most acclaimed records of its era, it has appeared on top album lists published by NME, Rolling Stone and The Guardian.
Wikipedia“XX” by the xx (2009) Never heard this album or heard of this group. Minimalist, airy, intentionally lazy, anti-energy vocals, with mechanical bass & drum—not a vehicle for any display of talent, but a cool enough sound. Lyrics rather plain. Guitar work very plain. Kind of a lazy New Wave—like putting Eurythmics and Edie Brickell in a dark room and piping in opium smoke. This album is okay for background music (though it wouldn’t boost production) or to lower my blood pressure. Not the kind of music that would bring an emotional response out of me. I could write more, but I don’t seem to have the energy. 2/5
Oh man did it take a couple listens to appreciate this album. This is FANTASTIC!!! Shhhhh…too loud for this album…(soft voice) it’s fantastic. The first couple times through there was a lot of (train) background noise. The subdued nature of this album is best admired in a quiet setting. The minimalist arrangements are just as, if not more, powerful for what is not there as much as for what is there. The most impactful part of the understated approach is that the parts that would seem “normal” in other music appear conspicuous, emphatic, and flamboyant. And here lies the genius. There is something notable about the vocals that I just couldn’t quite put my finger on. Enter Wikipedia where I saw that some critics describe them as singing not together, but past each other. Building upon that, I have a different take. To me it feels like they are in adjoining studios singing out windows that face the same direction. Close to each other, but separate, yet projecting in the same direction. I could go on and on about all the songs, but I will take a subdued approach and just state that this album is incredible. What a gem!
I've been doing this project for about three weeks now, and this is the first album I didn't particularly like. On paper it seems like something I would enjoy, but I just didn't feel it. The spare compositions on this album are sometimes lovely, with nice, simple foregrounded guitar. But the beats are dated and the vocals really kill it for me. Croft and Sims sound just as bored to be singing these songs as I felt listening to them. Favorite song: Don't really have one. Night Time is probably the most tolerable.
“Like two shy teenagers, eyes cast downward, awkwardly talking to the ground.”
Really consistent, coherent body of work. Nice vibe, clean sounds. A beautiful compromise between simple & interesting
An absolute masterpiece of stripped-down, subdued indie pop. The platonic ideal of the genre.
This and hot chip kick started my love of electronic music. One of the best album opening tracks
"Atmospheric English indie pop" is my vibe. I've heard Intro before but the rest was new to me. Good chill music for working to.
2009, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Dream Pop: Sehr starkes Album, ich catche den Vibe ziemlich krass. Funktioniert perfekt als Album, eines der besten Alben, die ich jemals gehört habe. "Intro" ist perfekt, krank gutes Lied. Starke 4 bis 5.
I already love this album, so still love it. Very chill, coherent, and a great duet
Ugh, I can't believe I'm about to do this for my first review.... BUT, I was way UP on xx early. I drove 3 hours to see them play a little college show in Columbus, OH with Nosaj Thing. It was astounding. Mo'fuckers are solid gold as far as I'm concerned.
Absolutely love this album. Heard it many times before, I'm guessing I'm probably gonna go 4/5. Shit, maybe a 5. Some absolute bangers. Hmm maybe a 4. Shame I can't do a 4.5. Damn, maybe a 5. Not sure
Really loved this album, some of the songs are similar but it all blends together wonderfully.
Ich hab es gestern Abend auf einer Autofahrt zur späten Dämmerung von Bestwig nach Soest gehört und brooo hab ich es in dem Moment gefühlt. Jetzt gerade hört es sich nur nach vier Sternen an, aber gestern Abend waren es locker fünf und damit gehe ich auch.
I've been tuned in to this since Project X. cmon man, everyone should know this album.
Lovely production, the soundscape is wonderful. It's a pleasure to listen to at night with the stereo loud and my eyes closed!
Admittedly this album has grown a lot on me over the years, but its outstanding. Simple but powerful and evocative. 10 great songs with a nice buffer (Fantasy) seperating them in the middle.
Intro is one I definitely heard but not sure where as not just from when Rihanna sampled it anyway love it xylophone! music with alternating vocals and especially Male and female or low and higher pitch is something I love Islands is another one I know, i have a feeling this was ab album i listened to when it came out and i just lost it over the years but love it Basic Space reminds me of regina Spector the female vocalist parts I mean Jamie xx has been all over music I have listened to over the years and really ties this album together such a catchy album just calling it out as its unusual but both singers are gay and given they are Male and female singing back and forth I am sure a lot of their music has be misinterpreted but it stands on it's own definitely this 1001 albums has made me discover a lot of music but this is the first re discovery as this is definitely sitting on an old ipod or creative zen or somewhere of mine 5 today but could bounce back and forth as a 4.5 probably as 1 to 5 rating is hard
Heard it before. Very unique use of bass. Well put together, the whole album has a "flow" feeling
Apart from the intro song, I did not remember this album as well as I thought I would, and it did take a little while to get used to the sound again. In the end, I did enjoy it as much as back in 2009. I love the low-key but soulful performance of both vocalists, accompanied by the minimalistic electric guitar melodies and similarly sparse atmospheric electronic elements. Great album.
Great Introduction. It’s currently the artists most streamed song on Spotify, rightly so. Simplistic instrumentals, but smooth flowing. Mellow.
I liked it! Unique and good sound. Good vocals. Would definitely listen again. The songs that automatically played after were cool too.
Alt J, The xx and London Grammar all very important in my formative years
aquí podemos ver como el capital se apoderaba de todo lo que no había tocado: nuestras identidades, el amor propio, nuestros pensamientos más íntimos, la nostalgía. yo me acuerdo de cómo fue. ahora solo queda una huella de nostalgia. este disco lo tengo asociado con la guerra también. Gran debut. Sonaba como a nada en ese momento: indie, R&B, Young Marble Giants. Recuerdo que lo odiada, hoy me parece brillante y hasta naif.
Great album with immaculate production. The guitar licks are so identifiable.
xx is one of the nicest alternative electronic music album I have listened in some time, the voices, lyrics, melody construction, everything makes the album very interesting.
liebe die transparenz und das understatement, stellt die (instrument) Melodien schön in den Mittelpunkt. Wie ein Werbespot für Reverb Effekte. FM4 Mukke pur. sehr intim und nachdenklich. Infinity klaut frech Wicked Game :-D Die Harfen auf Heart Skipped a Beat mega, und der Drumtrack auch (der einen Beat skipped :-) )
liebe das album! schon sooo oft gehört. lieblingsnummern crystalised und islands
02/13/22 Omg what a surprise to see this pop up. Throwback to minimal “low-effort” indie pop/rock. Olds will hate it, of course, but it’s a great, dreamy album.
Eu ainda fico esperando a Rihanna entrar quando escuto a intro desse aqui
One of my all time favourite records, so a totally biased 5 stars. My go to album when on a plane, headphones in, eyes shut, blast this and chill the fuck out.
The Intro Is Eternal. Belfarcha I Was Always Looking For It, Never Thought It Was Called INTRO Hhhhhh
Didn't realise that The xx have been around since 2009! It feels like they only really came into consciousness in the last few years (being 2022 atm), but upon reflection it really has been a long time! The xx have a way of making music that just slips into you consciousness and take over your soul without you even noticing it's there. Best: Intro; Shelter Worst: N/A
So soft and relaxing you could completely dissolve into this album. Love it. Not so complicate but still satysfying.
Chill and classic indie album with several good songs (Intro, Islands, etc.). 4.5 that’s up to a 5 just because of how many songs I have on my playlist already!
30th June 2022 Listened while working from home in the office. Went to the oak in the evening. One of the seminal albums of my generation, I remember when it came out and people just went nuts for it. Will always remember watching them at glasto as the sun went down.
Minimalist electro with deep tones & sleepy vocals. I had forgotten how great this album is. Excellent listen.
This feels like a trip down a highway on a summer night not affected by climate change, windows down,
You know there’s a bunch of albums on this list I’ve had where there’s one iconic song and the rest is pretty forgettable. The first 5 songs on this one are now all timers. Crystallized is about as perfect as a pop song can be. The rest of this record I feel looses steam in the second half. I can’t imagine eating this anything less than 5 stars. It’s an essential part of the 2000s alternative canon. (I might have only heard it first in 2011 but who cares) I’m not going to find who to attribute it to, but I once read with The XX it’s more important the notes they don’t play (truly terrible take, up there with calling music life affirming). I’ve also heard this music called really simple. What it is is very precise, accurately built. Have not given the other XX (or Jamie XX) albums a chance after this one. I suspect I’m going to be listening to them at some point either in this list or otherwise.
it's a pretty peak indietronica/indie pop album. the combination of both the slow subtle male and female vocals and the atmospheric guitars/bass juxtaposed with the energetic drums create an album that set the scene for a new type of indietronica. highlights include vcr, crystalised, heart skipped a beat, infinity, and stars. i also need to point out the odd semi-ambient song fantasy, as while it wasn't anything too unexpected, i did still love how the xx executed it.
There's something magical about the combination of the dreamy vocals and the slightly distorted, echoey instrumentals. I love this album.
Yesterday, I listened to this album for the first time, with my love, and was moved by even the first song in it. Very smooth, calm, beautiful melody.
I listened to this a LOT when it first came out (my first/second year of college) and loved it, but got a bit tired of the songs on the first half. They were quite overplayed and popped up in all sorts of films and TV shows at the time. 'Intro' in particular was very overused. Listening to it again today though, I think enough time has passed that I can appreciate it again. This is a finely crafted album. The music is fantastic and it is atmospheric and melancholic in all the right ways imo. I can see how some might say it is a bit melodramatic, too "of its time", or that the lyrics are a little basic. It is all of those things, but overall I think it's a great album, and only has a few tracks that I find a bit underwhelming (Fantasy, Basic Space and Night Time). Maybe that's my emotional connection with the time speaking though. Nice one to round off my first 40 albums! 9/10
Un disc d'un moment i una escena. Però que gairebé 15 anys després continua conservant tota la seva força. Ens va sorprendre a tots, de la mateixa manera que discos icònics et deixen amb la boca oberta ja des del primer cop que els escoltes. No han tornat a assolir el mateix nivell des d'aleshores, i l'efecte sorpresa ja va quedar més aigualit, però aquest àlbum continua sent una meravella
Not sure why i like this so much. maybe i heard it before??? maybe in another life???? good floaty dreamy, but a bit of a one trick that i almost went with 4 stars.
Holds up pleasantly well. With the opening of Intro, I realized to which degree certain bits of this album have remained earworms for years. However, I had never heard the whole project. It didn't blow my mind or ears in any significant way, but the minimalism on display here is of a more interesting variety than most. xx's influence on the rest of the music world can also not be overstated.
Tracks from this album always come up with Tanya and I listen to the Chill station on $MUSIC_STREAMING_SERVICE. I like it! Probably not strongly enough to give it 5 stars, but it's an easy 4.
Good stuff for teenagers to stargaze to. Used to be my evening wind down.
Sounds great on headphones. Really grew on my by second listen. maybe a 4.5 even.
If this made it in the boys who wrote the book would've had their heads explode listening to the third.
This record is very much of a specific time and place for me. Really brings out some emotions and memories. (I do like this record.)
I liked this one the most of all the albums so far. It's still not really what I listen to, but a lot of the beats had a great atmospheric vibe that I could get into.
Para mi gusto de lo mejorcito de estos años 2000. El arranque de este disco desde Intro pasando por VCR, Crystalised y Island es impresionante. Recuerdos de New Order, Everything but the girl. Un disco que merece la pena.
Listened to this last night. Pretty solid album - I enjoyed the beats and the vocals.
Imported from London, the simplicity in this album is so methodical and delicate it really goes to show less is more. Even in songs like Intro with no lyrics the melodies weaved are truly masterful. Band leader Jamie xx really punches a strong layered sound with minimal instruments.
I had no idea what this was but Indy rock is definitely something I’m intrigued by and like listening to you. I thought the album was really good and I love the combination of his voice and hers. I would definitely listen to it again and I would listen to their music in general
I enjoyed listening to this while I worked--very cathartic and great background/chill music. Was a good album.
Im ersten Moment war mir damals der Hype zu groß und ihre Omnipräsenz zu American Apparel tauglich, aber nachdem ich im Abenddämmern aufm Primavera 2010 (?) unbeteiligt an ihrer Performance vorbei flanieren wollte, haben sie mich gepackt, mich mit dem ersten Ton verliebt gezaubert, unglücklich verliebt. Danke ihr müde-depressiven Emos. Ich umarmte dieses Gemüt, in dem sich - wie es aussah - also schon alle frisch gekürten hipster einig waren. Meine innere Dana Bönisch vergibt passend zum Festival „leicht“ überteuerte 3.5
Enjoyed it a lot. It may just have been a case of capturing my mood perfectly as a lay in bed feeling under the weather.
Like this album, very chilled out. Still reminds me of being on holiday in Crete 2010
How has this not been on my radar before? Not entire sure how to define it, other than worthy of further exploration??
I was surprised how much I liked this album. Not a band I normally go out of my way to listen to, but this is a great well rounded album.
Super chilled, great for 6am on a Sunday morning or 2pm on a Tuesday in the office.
If there were a couple of really standout songs I'd go 5 stars. But even if it sounds mostly the same throughout, I don't really mind at all. I love the vibe of this record!
Happy to see this one on here. Smooth beats and raw subdued vocals make for a unique sound and a great listen. The duo play off each other perfectly adding a dynamic of conflict and then cooperation to the lyrics.
Pretty chill, voices were nothing special but background instrumentals were somewhat interesting, songs kinda all sounded the same but were pleasant. Would throw this on again while studying or something to give it a more thorough listen
One of the best examples of how incredibly effective negative space can be in music. Their brand of modern R&B blended with pop is consistently arresting and engaging because it does so much with so little. Hushed vocals about sex and relationships over airy compositions consistently impress. It's simplicity breeds an endlessly enjoyable experience because you often find just as much in the nothing between notes as you do their actual notes.
Wow, what a great find! This is a group/album that I didn't know I needed in my life but am glad to add. It's lyrical without being predictive, deep without being pretentious, playful without being cutesy, chill without being boring. I like the voices, unconventional on their own, yet well suited to each other. I like the sparseness of the arrangements, which makes each instrument and the vocals all that much more important. Intro had me very interested from the start, but I warily awaited how their vocals might skew things. When the female voice dropped in on VCR (after that catchy toy piano riff & thumping drum/bass combo kicked in), my wariness waned. The male vocal, somewhat sloppy & slurred) was interesting in itself, but when she joined him, the mixture was just perfect. This feeling continued for me throughout, with particular highlights for me being Heart Skipped A Beat (great, fun percussion tricks), and Infinity (again, great percussion, with reverb-dreamy guitar). Stars is a great lead-out, leaving me wanting more. It's clear to me by this point (almost 50 albums in) that this list skews British, esp. in alt-rock/pop genres. While that's bothered me a bit with the more "name" groups, I love that it's brought my attention to things like Nick Drake and this.
It’s apparently been more than a decade that I’ve been trying to figure out what I want from “Intro.” I love the sound. But I’ve never been able to figure out whether I want it to keep looping for at least twice as long, or do I want it to build and evolve into a more complete song. The songs on “xx” often build a bit only to retreat, consistently teasing the listener. I think edging is the technical music terminology for that, right? The tease works though. It’s a terrific chill out album, creating a laid back atmosphere with understated, crystal-clear guitar and just the right amount of electronica. “Crystalized” and “Stars” stand out, but the whole thing benefits from its consistency.
I liked this, but I wish it was a bit more directive. The music was pretty chill and I wanted a stronger beat or melody to punch the songs up a bit. Generally this is in my wheelhouse, it's somewhere between a 3 and 4 for me. Liked the vocals of these two!
I've been dimly aware of The xx for a while, but they never really made an impact on me. Giving it a decent listen as part of this project has definitely opened my eyes (ears?) to them, though - yeah, like it! Dream pop-adjacent, knackered, end of the night vibes. Will definitely be coming back to this album a lot more in the future. Fave track - "Shelter" at the moment, but I'm sure more listens will turn up more faves...
love the darker atmospheric vibes of this, want more pop like it. great driving music
Production is great, mellow vibes with some catchy sounds. Compact and consistent throughout, really easy listen. Best songs - Intro, Crystallized
This is groovy and has gotta have one of the best intro songs of all time (more than twice the number of plays on Spotify than any of their other songs!). Some other jams and generally good vibes but do feel like some of the later songs are only ok.
Atmospheric, intense and minimalistic indie. I like the duet songs the most, but I also wish there was a bit more intensity on display.
I had no idea Shakira's "Islands" was actually a cover! So glad I discovered this album to find out :)
Estoy consciente de que este álbum no fue del gusto del grupo, pero a mí sí me gustó. Me agrada el tono "melancólico" de la música, sin llegar al extremo de "Cigarrettes after Sex". De hecho algunas canciones le dan un aire a lo que hace Magic Numbers. Creo que quitaría un par de canciones que de verdad me parecieron muy tediosas, pero definitivamente lo volvería a escuchar.
Questo disco a me all'epoca era piaciuto e anche se non é invecchiato benissimo risveglia in me quell'anima hipster croccantella. 3.5 sul 4
The epitome of 'chill indie beats'. A terrific modern example of a brilliant debut album. As with so many albums, the first track is the standout - the aptly named 'Intro'. However, the entire album is worth a listen, with 'VCR', 'Crystalised', and 'Stars' being some other notable standouts in my opinion.
From the first moments of its iconic intro track, xx seems to command your attention. This is remarkable in part due to just how little there actually is to pay attention to. These songs are soft, sparse, and quiet, but their intimacy pulls you in like a whisper until you tune out everything around you just focus on what you're hearing. On the surface, this album shouldn't work. The melodic lines and lyrics sometimes sound underdeveloped, the guitar riffs are repetitive and minimal, and the band doesn't even have a drummer. And yet, it does work, to marvelous effect. These songs are captivating. "Islands" sends chills down my spine, "Fantasy" makes me want to levitate out of my chair, and "Shelter" is undeniably sexy. "Infinity" might be the album's shining centerpiece, featuring a slow build to a gorgeous climax in the song's final minute. The influence this album had is undeniable. Does LANY know that the xx did their thing a decade ago? Does Lana know that Romy Croft invented the indie girl voice years before Born to Die? Do the untold legions of bedroom pop stars getting famous on TikTok know how in debt they are to this album? Overall, I definitely enjoyed this album. While I'm not the biggest fan of indie pop in general, I can appreciate the granddaddy of modern indie when I see it. This album is undeniably one of the most underrated records of the 2000s, and one that I think everyone should listen to.
Apart from house and techno music (and those records are not in the 1001 list unfortunately) there is just very little novelty in populair music in the 21st century. This is also illustrated by this album: it sounds like the xx took a single song of Young Marble Giants as the blueprint for their music. It does not mean it is bad though: the album is excellent and in contrast to all those recent 1001 albums it has certainly built up some status. So in the list? yes. 5-star: no.
My first album with this site. New to me, but a real good one to start with. Mellow dream-pop and real easy to listen to.
Álbum muy preciado cuando iba en la prepa, a veces lo escucho aún y aunque ha perdido un poco del buen efecto que tenía bien, le tengo cariño. Tiene buenas letras, sí crea una atmósfera presente en todas las canciones y pues se oye bien. 9/10
A gusto. Sonidos muy reconfortantes. Por otra parte, nada puede superar esa gran gran intro. Para mooods muy específicos. Not the best workout music.
Moody and atmospheric indie rock. Would have sounded almost standard at the time, but can be appreciated now divorced from the rest of the scene
Xx's subdued sound was the equivalent of trip-hop with dubstep rhythms or other fashionable styles replacing hip-hop rhythms. Really relaxing. (7/10) FT: Intro, Crystalised
I’m not crazy about Indie, but this was actually quite enjoyable! The production was good, I loved the guitar work and the shared male and female vocals were awesome. With a big song or two, with a few more defined choruses in the songs, it would be a perfect album for the genre.
I love the voices, the mood, sparse arrangements and general sound. When it's good, and it gets the vibe/beat right, it is amazing. My one complaint is that it gets a little samesy and there are many songs without a hook. Still very enjoyable.
Exceptional start, fades off towards the end. Some anthems on here I had pretty much forgotten about
Buen álbum. No los conocía y me sorprendieron. Me gustó que las canciones tuvieran una onda muy relajada, muy chill.
desde 2009 provando q gente feia tb transa. 'intro' é uma das melhores intros.
Energetic, insatiable, enjoyable electro-pop from some of the most enigmatic musicians around today. As a debut, they couldn't do worse and they bring about plenty of emotions and feelings to the tracks. All around pretty great album. Favorites: VCR, Crystallized, Islands, Heart Skipped a Beat, Basic Space, Infinity.
Good hipster indy pop Weird how YT pushed the intro song like 10 years ago so hard despite the album having much better songs
Catchy, unique sound. Might have heard so many of these songs on the radio so many times I was ready to write them off. But as a first album from some kids fresh out of high school this is really creative and impressive.
Each track is well put together. Minimalist indie rock that focuses on perfecting each sound in each track. Melodic and whispery vocals appeal to all audiences. Each track has its hooks, necessary to get people's attentions whenever a new song comes along, ending with a satisfying closer that ties together the theme. The codas to "Crystalised" and "Islands" are so short but leave you with a positive note. The star of the album is definitely Jamie Smith. The guitar, bass, and vocals are really nice, but honestly it's Jamie's work on the sequencer and production that really makes each track pleasing to the ear. "Intro" and "Fantasy" do amazing jobs at organizing the tracks and giving the audience room to breath before taking in the next one. Starting with "Fantasy," the following pieces become much more atmospheric and dark. "Shelter" just gives off Joy Division vibes. We re-enter some of the heavy dance beats in the latter halves of "Infinity" and "Night Time." Over a decade after its release, I can agree that this album had a huge influence of 2010s music. I hardly listen to the music of the past decade, but this very much doesn't sound like much from before 2009, but yet this is the kind of music (but worse) I hear all over advertisements and the chill-kind of music I hear in friends' indie music. I can finally hear the transition how we got to this point, which I feel I can now appreciate. Favorites: Crystalised, Islands, Infinity
I love this album. Their sparse arrangements, her voice, their songs… all great and new sounding.
Electronic pop that's not form the 80s that I actually like. Perhaps a bit boring at times but I like, I might go back to this. Never heard of this band before.
One of the most incredible musical moments of my life was hearing "Intro" echo across Glastonbury's fields at the close of the 2013 festival. It was a fitting coda for a weekend of excess. The rest of the album can't quite match the lofty heights of "Intro," but it the XX certainly had a unique sound and pushed things forwards a little bit.
Starts strong, then very similar for the rest of the album. Not bad, just similar
Treads a very fine between minimalistic and dull but I think it juuuust pulls it off. Not one to regularly listen to but still enjoyable