xx

Mellow. XXtra Mellow but catchy

Forgettable.

Quiet and dull

meh

Other than the first song and the song Infinity, the album was slow and boring.

Weird mixing makes for a really unpleasant listen on headphones

Mediocre

I have never been a fan of the xx. I feel like their music is for people who have never listened to an indie band before. The album is the same song, over and over. Clap machine. A little bit of inoffensive guitar noodling. Breathy guy & girl vocals. Formulaic and very dull.

Soundtrack to a shitcanned teen romance movie

Pretty good for ambient music. Nothing really grabbed me. Not bad, but not great.

Fine elevator music, not super captivating

Un côté sous Angus et Julia stone

Boring, not dynamic enough. Timid atmosphere is cute but doesn't hold its own for the entire runtime.

I would be lying if i said i hated it, but I would also be lying if i said i loved it. really not big on it. Very chill this album is, I can respect it for it being very ahead of it's time but in that sense it hasn't aged the best. If this album was released nowadays I wouldn't even consider to listen to it. One positive that I can draw from it is that it is very good walking music. Favourite track: Crystalised

Me resultó olvidable.

I really like the intro to this - it's a really nice way into the album and sets up the tone. Sadly I don't think the rest of the album really delivers on that early promise though. I do like the atmosphere on some of these tracks, but the songs are just waaay stripped back and I'm not really digging that. I do usually really like bands where they have a girl and guy playing off each other, but less so here. The vocals are so breathy, and it feels a bit wanky indie to me. It doesn't have a ton of substance and I was a bit bored by the end. 2.5 rounded down.

Heard before: some I kind of enjoyed listening to this, but it feels so slight and replaceable that I can't get very excited. I dig spacey simple pop songs, and the interplay between the two singers is nice. But it just feels like there's a record like this every year. Top tracks: VCR, Heart Skipped A Beat, Infinity

This random album by some band I've never heard of is on the list... why exactly? The production was kind of cool, but the songwriting was mediocre and forgettable, and the vocals pretentious and weak. Also, when I saw this cover and album title, I kind of thought it was a joke! My initial reaction was: "Is this for real?"

Meh.

A slow droning album full of the same song over and over. Won't be listening to this again.

Let's be real, everyone only ever listens to "intro" and "crystallised," the rest is forgotten.

Starts with uncomplicated, dreamy tunes. Musically more interesting than textually. Some songs are teetering on the overtly melodramatic, giving off teenager vibes (shelter). Not making a lasting impression.

Oh yes, this album was absolutely MASSIVE wasn't it. Couldn't move for people raving about The xx. Kinda dull thought don't you think?

Yawn. This one did not stand the test of time.

This album is great for grooving while the rest of your family/household are a sleep.

boring. started irritating me like 4 songs in. advert music.

I like the sound but the album is overall a bit boring

This is an album that was super hip around a time in my life when I was making a great effort to like contemporary music, following a few years of mainly listening to stuff like Zappa, beefheart, the Beatles and Bert jansch. I remember giving this a go and being very underwhelmed, so when this came up as my third album of this challenge I was keen to see what I'd think now. Vectatmist, the ecstatic, two dancers, embryonic and journal for plague lovers were 2009 albums I did like. I also liked beach house around this time and I assume xx are a little similar? Let's find out. First impressions did make me think of beach house a bit. Simple, moody, a bit sexy. However I again found this to be not the most engaging music, with vocals and lyrics that I wasn't much a fan of; however maybe this would is something that could grow on me, and/or be nice music in the background. Back in 2009 I was interested in more of a more maximalist approach to music and I can see why this album would have bored me. Also because it sounds like it is trying to be cool. In 2023 I have more time for it and for the challenge I will listen several times, integrated to see what impact that has on the album for me. First listen reinforced what I thought back in 2009. I find it hard to put my finger on why, since I enjoy stuff like Grouper and other slow minimalist music. But I think the affected "cool sexy" vibe, the vocals and lyrics all put me off. Second listen was with my 10 minty old daughter which often brings a different vibe to listening, eg she loved scissor sisters and made me appreciate it. But, halfway through the second listen of xx I was done with it. The music feels affected, lacks depth in emotion, lyrics, music dynamics, textures. Not for me, Clive. I turned it off. 4/10

The intro is the whole album

It sounds like an album made by and for people falling asleep. The production and sound are pretty decent, but the songs, instrumentals, and especially the vocal performances are incredibly boring.

not bad, just very bland. sounds like some college friends deciding to make music, your friend drags you to a show of theirs and you just sit there and afterwards say: "well they were... nice."

Like someone trying to seduce you into their bed for a good nap

Mumble core. I am familiar with this album, though it's not for me, it's too lazy and boring.

I didn't get it when it was new and I still don't.

Nothing to write home about. Etherial adjacent emo pop.

When this started out, I liked out simple it all sounded and I thought that if they built on that, this could be a real humdinger! But it kind of just stayed there, treading water. Not into it.

Lately I've been listening to a lot of music that's greasy, sweaty, a bit raggedy but all the more human for it. Inevitable, then, that despite some nice, dreamy touches this would leave me cold. It all sounds a bit disengaged, no? There was a real buzz in the UK around The xx when this dropped but on this evidence it's hard to discern exactly why. I don't think 2009 was a vintage year. Anyways, time to return to the wanton harlots and steaming bayous of my swamp rock playlist. Ho hum.

I've never heard of this group so to see the intro having more than half a billion streams on Spotify and a lot of other 100+ million I was quite excited to listen to it. I was sorely disappointed. The only thing that is keeping me from giving this a 1 is the instrumentation which at points is quite nice and I do like the intro.

Pretty cozy vibes. I can see why this band got ripped off for like eight years; their sound is super inoffensive and sleep-inducing.

This album did not hold my attention at all. The low-energy of the vocals bored me and nearly put me to sleep.

Even if I tried to ignore this album, I'd still be bored.

Boarf

I have listened a few times in the past but on re-listen it was pretty boring. Standard indie-pop with ok melodies but not much more.

I expect good albums to be a nicely arranged set of songs. This was just 45 minutes of monotony. I could walk away, come back, and have no clue if the song changed while I was gone or if it was the same song. Scale: 5 - My absolute favorites. 4 - Albums I like. 3 - It was ok to listen to but I wouldn't seek it out. 2 - Didn't like. 1 - Absolute shit.

Pretty forgettable

Nothing special

Honestly kind of repetitive, and basic, nothing really to look forward to after each song

The intro is totally iconic but the rest of the album seems to fall behind. Base was interesting on a couple songs but overall just not that impactful. Easy listening but not memorable. 2/5

Some alright tunes but didn't really do it for me, especially the singing. Got bored and sacked off the last few tracks.

Why do people like singers who are constantly off-key?

Uh, I listened to this on Friday and now it's Monday and I have ZERO recollection of what this sounded like.

One great songs and then a lot of slow tones to sound like nostalgia

It’s good, and definitely very forward-thinking for 2009. I listened to this around the time it came out, maybe a year or two after, and it didn’t do a ton for me. I still feel the same now. But I respect it.

nice enough.

My pet peeve is when I need to look up the lyrics to a song because the vocalist is mumbling or marble-mouthed. On this album, the music is so subdued/minimal that I shouldn’t have had a hard time understanding the vocalists, yet I did. The arrangements were pleasant, though. If I had to pick a favorite: Night Time.

p926. 2009. 2 stars. Stripped down ambient background music for hipsters. Perfectly acceptable, but utterly forgettable.

it's a nice idea but you can't spin a whole album out of it

Cool album not for me though

2/3- Driving to school: Weak vocals and repetitive tracks made the album monotonous after the first 15 minutes. Good guitar tones and nice simple lyricism made it more tolerable.

I was hoping to like this one, but this was pretty boring to me. I was just waiting for it to be over. It wasn't offensive, but I wasn't interested in basically anything that was happening. I guess my favourite song was Fantasy, but everything blended together.

mid

Amazing sound but album is just dull.

I read some reviews on here of this before I listened and saw a lot of negativity but having listened to it now, I feel it’s not as bad as some were making out. Yes, it’s a bit boring but done in a thoughtful way. I didn’t love it but neither did it make me want to remove my ears. It was alright.

Decent, but most songs just sound like unfinished demos

The intro slaps nuts shame the rest of the album is so mid

This album contains a lot of indie rock/pop hallmarks including clean guitar with reverb, minimalist arrangement, prominent bass, and simple driving rhythms. What really ruins this album is the entirely lackluster vocal performances. It’s almost as if they couldn’t be bothered to fully pronounce anything. It seems to be going for languid and flowing, instead it comes off as lazy. The female vocals are sang with a faux soul affectation that simply does not work; she is not a competent enough vocalist to make it work. The lyrics are occasionally cliche and some of the rhyme schemes are awkward and lack the proper number of syllables to make certain lines work. It is jarring and really took me out of the music. On paper I should really like this band, but the vocals and lyrics are too irritating to enjoy the rather nice and spacious music.

First song = classic youtube/reels song. Could not make it past song three.

Meh, sounds like no effort has been expended (which I accept may be their schtick) in either the music or lyrics. Trying to be cool, while trying to cover up any sign that it took any effort. Like the audio equivalent of the "bed head" where it takes ages to make your hair look like you "just woke up". Also, just not very good.

I don’t know if I want in the right space to listen to this album or what, but I don’t understand what the appeal of this record is. Nothing seemed particularly impressive or revolutionary, with only a few tracks appealing to me. I wouldn’t describe the music as offensive, the best way I could describe it is hollow. Almost like the music in a commercial, it’s passable quality but there’s nothing that draws you to connect with it. 3/10

Simple and spare. Listenable but wouldn’t listen to it again.

Great sound, but not a whole lot going on otherwise. Good album for fitting a low-key vibe but, man, I already have a ton of that in my life.

Really not a fan

Boring white stripes. Like silversun pickups. Catchy but ultimately uninspired.

Very boring - nothing to grab my interest at all. Dull, unintersting, one paced, no dynamics...

PREFS : Intro, VCR, Crystalised, Basic Space MOINS PREF : Fantasy

Only 1 decent song really

The instrumental Intro is easily the highlight of entire album. Rest of it feels like something Netflix would use as a soundtrack for teenage drama couples scene.

Some interesting sounds but not that great

Enjoyable ambience that I sadly now associate with stock music due to how many times it has been ripped off

There are songs on this I liked but again think I struggle when an entire album is based on a stripped back sound, gets repetitive. The breathy vocals get on my nerves too

Not for me, enjoyed the intro.

Nice to see the authors expanding their favoritism of BritPop to post 80s and 90s. Not a bad album, but not list worthy either. 2/5.

Eh. Pretty underwhelming, boring.

Boring.

Eh.

T3B 1. Crystalised 2. Infinity 3. VCR

Loved first song, lyrics and sound. Got really excited for the rest of the album thinking I may have found new band to check out. Rest of album, songs all seemed to run together, all the same. Not a lot of vibe or energy. Not for me VCR a solid 4. Rest of album a 1 I'll give a 2 just because of VCR

aight

Not really my cup of tea.

I had an X who always wanted to listen to this whenever we did anything X rated. Boring music, just like my X.

I don't mind music that's sparse, music that leaves a lot of space for your mind to fill in. The only way I can describe this record is like eating a fistful of CBD with no THC: all the couch lock laziness with none of the fun "seeing colors" stuff. It's sleepy, lazy (but purposely so), but I can't say I loathe it. It's definitely not for me. It's definitely for someone who writes at Pitchfork. To me, there's way too much space between everything and I just can't get behind it. Favorite track: "Intro", "Basic Space"

Definitely the weakest as of far but it is only day 3. The production is pretty nice and colourful, but the vocals do this no justice at all; not sure what's more grating, the male or the female vocals. Numerous bands did this sound so much better literally a whole decade earlier.

Super cool hipster music with dual vocalists. I'm not a fan of Croft's stilted cursive singing style and not a single lyric stands out enough for me to know what they are singing about. The spartan, atmospheric tracks are begging for a more evocative vocal performance but we never get a chance to hear one. I'm begging to hear Kele Okereke's voice and words here. All of the songs sound the same.

Not that pumped on this. Decent music but sounds like the music before EDM drops. Very alright album tho

Good thing I was drinking coffee while listening. Not a morning album if you want to wake up.

Técnicamente interesante, musicalmente insulso

This is sort of dreamy and atmospheric in a pleasant way. I don't dislike it, but there is nothing here that really stands out. I actually liked the first song the best because it's basically instrumental. The vocals do nothing for me at all on the other tracks. Overall okay but forgettable.

Very repetitive, dreary, and not compelling. Would never listen again.

Didn't really grab me, not listened to it, will it improve with more listens?

Canciones demasiado relajadas y poco innovadoras. Ritmos muy tranquilos. Con poca alegría. Estilo muy plano

xx doesn't really impress when you discover that Intro is the best track on this album, a widely-recognised tune full of intensity and anticipation and tension and drama and then...the rest of it doesn't get close to the same quality or strength of feeling. 2/5.

It's chill, but not anything I'd reach for over similar albums

I just wrote a review about The Who in which I started that they are boring unless they are rocking it with massive Townsend power chords. Now I'm about to listen to stripped-down, minimalist, pop. All this from a group I've never heard of. Not holding out much hope. It wasn't awful, but it was a long way from being something I need to hear. The vocalists are having a "lame-off" over uninspiring music. Not bad if you need to sleep

I've never heard of The xx, so I had no clue what to expect from this album. I found the "Intro" pleasant enough. The guitar feels sorta '80s-ish in the vein of the Smiths' "How Soon Is Now?" or maybe something from U2. The fact that it's the most-streamed track on the album didn't bode well, though. Turns out that concern was valid. The album has a seriously low-key sound, almost ambient at times. It didn't make much of an impression on me, other than making me wonder why there was little to no percussion throughout large swaths of it. Thankfully, the percussion wasn't MIA in "Heart Skipped a Beat," which might be the track that stood out most to me (apart from the intro). Or maybe it wasn't. It was like picking out the shade of beige that stands out the most from other shades of beige. Gotta admit, I'm puzzled by the fact that this album was so well-received. It feels like the sort of unobtrusive music one would throw on just to fill some aural background space. I didn't hate it, but it's definitely not for me.

So. A couple of too-cool-for-school teens get together, with plans of becoming the next Interpol. Problem is, she can only talk-sing five notes, and the boy... well, he's limited to one monotone note. Despite this, they forge on. So they pen some really emotional lyrics which, to be ironic maaaaaaan, they talk-sing together in a completely detached and emotionless way. But they forge on. Having written a dozen or so of the exact same thing, they figure let's make an album. They do that. Turns out, it's less Interpol-esque, and more like a couple of 11 year olds doing a Casio keyboard drum beat over their mom's cherished Enya album.

weinig aan

Intro on kyllä hyvä biisi, muuten aika mitäänsanomatonta.

The first album that's no longer in the book as of 2021 edition (app must have missed this). It was always weird that The XX's 3rd album was ever included, but that's gone too. Feels slightly harsh on the debut which is pretty good, although from memory there were only about 4 songs on it that were standout, being generous, and they very much capture the moment around the end of the 00s. Immensely parody-able, listening to it now, and tbf the overtly stylised nature of the band meant they always were at the time. The rest of the album just sort of maintained the mood, meandering without doing anything special. But the standout songs were good, some not as good as I remember, and sometimes we're just in Chris Isaacs territory... I always found the bloke annoying. In the end agree with the decision to ditch from the 1001.

ehg

Insanely boring. Usually, I’m a fan of slower music but this wasn’t it. It was intolerable at points. The lackluster music and the singing (which I honestly could not stand) made this such a difficult album to get through. I really wanted to like it but I just couldn’t bring myself to enjoy it.

Ehhhhh……………………..

Didn't love this one. It was fine but not that entertaining. The songs didn't really grab me at all. The intro has the most listens as it's some tiktok song. I did give this a few listens though. Just not my jam.

I cannot process the conceptual absurdity of having a band called The xx and titling the debut album XX but then only putting one X on the cover. Oh, the quirkiness of it all! *eyeroll* What a gamble someone would take buying this album without knowing the band first. Stark black and white, one X. Could be anything, any genre. Imagine buying it, taking it home, putting it on and then what actually comes out of it is just more watered down unoriginal indie? Not knowing this band beforehand, I personally expected something edgier. It's fine. I just never got into that whispery electronic indie guy-girl singer thing that boomed in the late 00's. It's flash in the pan stuff that doesn't have the musical staying power I need.

som morno, sem vontade de viver kk

tbh not that good im not a fan of the genre couple of songs i added to my liked but just to give the album a second chance whole type of music and themes not really for me

This was the blandest thing I've listened to in a while. I couldn't even muster up the energy to totally hate it. What a lifeless, dull, boring piece of indie "rock". 2/5.

Okayish music, nothing special

Boring, lack of variation and feeling, would be good elevator music. Intro is great though and I like the atmospheric vibes of the album.

Fantastic 1st song. Terrible rest of the album.

i *liked* it BUT it very much felt like boo hoo hoo dy know what i mean

This passed me by, both then and now. Pleasant, but not memorable.

Nah.

Pretty modern ambient "indie" rock. Lots of reverb and some synths. Most songs are duets but didn't particularly care for one of the voices (the guy). It's well executed and I can see why this record would be really appealing for a lot of people. If I would have been at the right age when this record came out, I could imagine it being important to me. But unfortunately I wasn't and this kinda music isn't really my thing - little boridng. It's ok, but not for me.

Like The Pleasure Principle, the recurring backing track got a bit boring after a while.

I only liked two songs, nice and short, minimal production but nothing crazy

pretty meh nothing stands out 2.5

Very edgy and quite spooky, not sure it was my vibe

Inoffensive background music.

It's a bit bland. Didn't finish it, listened in a social setting so didn't play close attention. Very simple and samey

Disappointed. The classic intro I know doesn't compare to the rest. Strange, low key vocals.

Apologies to fans of this type of indie music it’s boring as hell though and doesn’t sound good in my opinion

Eh

Lil too mellow for me but not horrible

too quiet and slow, some good songs.

at first it was just boring but towards the end nothing could happen and it just kind of got bad

eh. I was looking forward to this one and I like the way it starts off. Appropriately enough..."Intro" - seemed to want to set up the album in a mysterious way... ...but this album doesn't *go* anywhere. It's like a demo version of collected soft Interpol B-sides with terrifically soft (weak?) vocals. And it just kept going like that. And going. It's melodic enough for sure, but it absolutely never swings at all. And I guess there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. But there was also nothing at all that ever caught me; dammit, I just wanted it to $#%!ng kick at any time. Just once! But these vocals man... "Infinity" - now there's an appropriate title - *give it up* already. Too bedroom-emo-mumbly for me to like. Frankly it sounds like a demo and to be honest this one was frustrating as hell for me because rather than outright hate it (like I do with a band like Pixies or gd Velvet fng Underground) I kind of feel that most of these songs could or would or should be really good! ...if recorded by another band. 3/10 2 stars.

Nothing new for me.

I almost cried when I saw this because I thought it was an Ed Sheeran record. Luckily, it wasn't. The record starts off with an Intro and another track that I just didn't care for. The guitar riffs on "Crystalised" are great - they make the track very interesting compared to the first two tracks. The sound is very minimalist - use of simple 808s, laid-back, breathy vocals, and basic guitar/bass riffs and occasionally (if you're lucky) they bring in a piano. The unfortunate thing is that this type of sound is pretty forgettable as I can't remember a single song from the early 2010s that sounded like this and that I consider to be a classic. "Heart Skipped a Beat" was decent - I enjoyed the beat, the guitar riffs that build as the track continues on, and the payoff is quite great at the end of the track. "Shelter" did not deliver on the buildup provided on "Fantasy" which felt a lot like an interlude. It was pretty forgettable and uninteresting all the way through. This album is filled with highs and lows. However, because the sound is so streamlined, the highs and lows really don't make much of an impact anyways. I can't deny the influence this record has had on the music industry. It's minimalist sound is quite endearing in some ways. However, it's just very forgettable. There are some good tracks on this record, there are some bad ones, but overall it just feels boring and unimaginative. I give this record a 5/10.

Sparse electronic instrumentation over whispered or mumbled lyrics. Late light vibe. Pretty enough, but for me as flavourless and insubstantial as a soap bubble.

Austere, and a little boring

He intentado escuchar con atención este disco 4 veces en mi vida, en distintos años, terminando siempre con las mismas ideas: no es para mi, suena bien hecho, me mata del aburrimiento. Me gustaría poder dar una mejor reseña pero en verdad no puedo procesarlos. Quizá algún día lo logre. Songs: Es la misma siempre.

De las cosas más sobrevaloradas y aburridas que he escuchado. Por ahí medio soporto un par de momentos, pero jamás como para tenerlo en mi música. Siento que todo se les va en una introducción exagerada y ultra decorada, capas y capas de ambientes y detalles y al final no pasa nada. Y lo peor, creo, es que este disco es lo que pasa como "lo que debes oír antes de morir" para esa época que creo que tiene mejores cosas.

Appreciate the minimalism but the mood and inflection stays so flat. Somehow weirdly comes across as both emotionally distant and melodramatic at the same time. Nothing really bothered me but I can't say I enjoyed it... Actually this started to annoy me around the second half of the record. Sounds like a woman numbed up on pain killers having a moaning session with a lovesick zombie.

Never seemed to build momentum. Couldn't connect to it.

Crap

Some melodic tunes. Its so minimalist that some songs sound like demos. Too floaty for me.

Lift music

Couple of decent songs. Rest is forgettable.

Dull as dishwater

i get what they're doing with the sound however this bores me

pretty boring tbh, i like the intro the most but thats still not saying a lot.

Electronic, emo, shoegaze is not really my thing

A calm and peaceful album, maybe even a little boring. 0RS

Ja ist denn das Mothership im Wald gelandet? Offenbar schon, denn unüberhörbar hat man sich direkt im Intro schon eng an der Sound-Ästhetik der frühen Cure bedient. Sparsam geht's dann weiter, aber wärmer, gefühliger. Millenialiger halt: Grenzen verwischen, Emotionen zulassen und trotzdem on top of things bleiben. Romy und Oliver singen mit offenem Visier, bleiben verletzlich und wirken, vielleicht genau deshalb, irgendwie ein bisschen unbesiegbar. Mir, und da sind wir wieder im Forest, gefallen die atmosphärisch halligen Nummern am besten, z.B. Fantasy und direkt danach Shelter, oder auch "Night Time". Am wenigsten anfangen kann ich mit den "schnelleren" oder poppigeren Nummern wie z.B. Crystalised, dem Hit der mir einfach zu blutleer und energielos ist, oder Infinity mit seiner Chris-Isaac-Gitarre. Und das wäre auch mein genereller Kritikpunkt am Album: es erscheint einfach viel zu oft viel zu luschig und zu lau. Funktioniert für mich bei langsamen Nummern gut - aber halt auch nur da. Bei den anderen ist es schon provokant lahm, und da fehlt dann wiederum mir die Energie. Insgesamt kann ich mir gut vorstellen, dass das hier in seiner prototypischen Zehnerjahre-Hipsterigkeit sehr kurz davor ist (oder wahrscheinlich auch schon längst passiert, ich kenn mich da nicht mehr so aus) ins Style-Abseits zu driften - als has-been-Sound der Ex-Kids, denen gegenüber James Murphy damals seine Edge verloren hat, und die ihrerseits nun Anschluss suchen an junge Leute, die in sparsam designeten Coffee Shops öffentlich ihre Langeweile zelebrieren durch wahnsinnig angeregter Schwaadlapperei über serious next level Shit beim Ansetzen von 2 Litern Cold Brew. 2,4

MEH

Nice production and vocals but most of it seemed to blend together for me.

Really? I thought maybe I was just sick of the one song from this album I always heard on that radio but it turns out the whole album sounds like that one song and I don't really care for it.

Ok enough. Little energy or memorable songs but fine enough play in the background musico

Mainstream lackadaisical bullshit. Tired, worn-out vocals and minimalist, echo-ridden electronic.

I had read about the xx and was excited to listen to dream pop. I heard fine electronica. Not much song to song distinction.

Not a fan, boring

One of the most overrated bands/albums out there. Everything after the great "Intro" feels like a betrayal. This album is just a snoozer. I mean, it's fine. It sounds good enough. It's nice sleepy time music. But the place this band holds as these ultimate indie legends is total BS in my opinion.

fine

Bad album imo. The singing is not my thing. Sounds like someone got a delay pedal for birthday.

I liked the first track, but went downhill from there. Possibly a bit too minimalist for me, but I think my biggest issue is that it sounds like they just couldn't be bothered putting in any effort when recording it. I realise that is part of their style, but the vocals in particular are so lacklustre that it really puts me off. And all the delay and reverb can't cover up the fact that the guitars just don't sound very good. Comes across as very pretentious. They couldn't be bothered with it, and neither can I.

okay, hab's zum einschlafen gehört

ok

The Good: Not a damn thing The Bad: That I should have known a band calling themselves “XX” would showup twice on this damn list The Ugly: Normally I’d say that it was not nice for me to spoil the fun by telling you the artists have 2 albums on this here journey… FUCK ME I had to go back and read what I said about the other XX album… and it pretty much sums up the same thought about this album: shit. Why this has to be on a Must Hear Before Die list goes well past my intelligence… but two fucking albums? Either I have zero taste in music, or I am a masochist who just likes to listen to albums that make me want to jam a pencil into my ear after a while… 1*

The intro was incredible the rest of the album was the most annoying fucking thing ever like i cannot listen to that ever again my ears were bleeding

More boring indie slop. The singers sound as bored as I am. At least its only 38 minutes but it feels twice as long.

I tried not to judge it by what I'd read... But this literally just feels like music for people who go on holiday just to aurafarm and act nonchalant. Seriously, every song feels like the musicians are trying to convince me they don't care about the music it all, it's only the female vocalist that keeps me from viewing this as music literally made for corporations. The album feels like a nothingburger with the only benefit I gained being appreciation for other albums with any modicum of feeling in it more than this. I'd rather listen to octanecore slop, at least that builds to something

Nothing going on here musically, it’s just the talk singing over the simplest of beats. I’d hesitate to even call this an album.

I hear it used as background music. It’s ok it’s nice

This is the profoundly depressive indie rock that my ex was into right before she left me. Let's try to conduct a somewhat unbiased listening, shall we? There's no drummer, so while it's rhythmically interesting, the credit goes to their sampler guy, Jamie xx. The bass playing is competent but not particularly distinctive. Romy Madley Croft's guitar playing is distinctive: fairly clean, mostly single-note loopy hooks with just enough reverb to add atmosphere. The dual vocals alternate and weave in and out a little bit but never harmonize. I'd describe the overall feel as anhedonic -- these folks seem to be experiencing a clinical emotional numbness while writing and singing kind of mopily. If you're not feeling anything, how are you writing music? Or why? Especially: why must I listen to this? Songs like 'Islands' do develop sort of a groove but it's not deep, doesn't last long and is totally undermined by the flat delivery. Indie often did this roundabout 2009 and it's a hill I'll die on: the cultivated affect of listlessness that a lot of bands played with at the time is anti-musical. It should be fought, tooth and nail, both in music specifically and in culture more generally. It's true that anhedonia is a very real affliction of depression and other disorders of mental health but expressing it and wearing it as a badge are very different things. Mostly, this sounds like two musicians and a DJ got to jamming in the wee hours after a party and had had too much booze and Xanax. 'Stars' starts out OK but just because the bassline sounds like Tina Weymouth for a hot second. Then the singing starts. This might be for you. If it is, I recommend speaking to a mental health professional. Otherwise, 1/5; marginally better than listening to Morrissey. I'd rather listen to the Smiths or even Kid Rock.

Soulless, programatic music with a muddy and uneven mix. The lyrics are all but indeciperable. "Fantasy" sounds like they accidentally hit record while they were testing out a software update. "Infinity" is aptly named as it goes on forever yet goes nowhere. This album supports the idea that maybe there aren't 1001 that you must hear before you die.

What a disgusting voices and lyrics. I vomited and got a headache from disgust. Have absolutely no shame publishing this crap

Nah

Vocals felt too pop for me. Instrumentation felt minimal (in a bad way).

Definitely not for me...

Una po ron ga

best track: fantasy

Completely forgettable. The most generic 2000s electronic indie BS.

not really into this one tbh

Weinerlich, langweilig, trostlos! Das nächste Machwerk von Leuten, die einfach den ganzen Tag heulen. So klingt das für mich.

Boring

Day868 - this is 2009 music in a nutshell. terrible

when the guy started singing i said "fuck you" out loud

They all sound so bashful. Do they know that music tends to be more enjoyable when it doesn't sound like a middle school class popcorn reading?

fome

Probabily they made a lot of money selling music rights for netflix dramas and amazon commercials. 1.5 / 5

🙄

This is such boring lazy music delivered without passion. I do not get the fuss with this band

2 - lethargic moody bullcrap

Not my type..

After a brief break from all the sad boy rock bands or whatever, I came back to this albums intro. An instrumental with potential EDM vibes, I was excited to mix up the genre here with something fresh and modern. Second song in, straight back to sad boy cry cry wah wah. I'm on the brink. The only thing that can bring me back is some Kendrick or pendulum. Some MF DOOM would be hella clutch.

Man, it’s been a while since we’ve had a truly boring, non-noteworthy album! I’m thankful for The xx for giving me the day off. This album is music, for sure. It’s sparse, but not in an intriguing way. The album lacks excitement, progression, and overall interest. No footholds to latch on to today. Just an overall flop. 2/10 for me.

I wish i could put 0

Música água com açucar que toca na renner

Bro this was so boring - I was not engaged and I was not pleased and I did not dance even a little bit

not for me

23/03/2026 1. intro - not massive on this immediately... wouldn't listen again 2. vcr - don't like the intro... bass is alright i guess? singing is a bit cursive. not a fan. lyrics aren't my thing either. 3. crystalised - vocals are still absolutely not for me. bit grating. very breathy. beat drop is alright? what do these lyrics even mean. 4. islands - like the bass at the start. don't like anything else. 5. heart skipped a beat - guitar and synth is quite nice in the instrumentals. *5. fantasy - really love the bass about 1:30 in... still don't like the vocals, but the instrumental is nice :) 7. shelter - nothing to say. just not my thing :/ 8. basic space - this is primark music to me... peak advert music. 9. infinity - like the guitar and bass at the start, just reaaalllly don't like the vocals. not even halfway through this song jesus.... like how loud it got near the end. 10. night time - nothing to say again. wish this was the last tune. 11. stars - bass at the start is nice. nothing else though! so glad this is over!! never heard of this band or album before so went into it blind... did not enjoy this at all... one of the most boring, corporate albums i have had the misfortune of listening to!!! will NOT be listening again <3

Sinceramente, achei o álbum bem chato. No começo, com a intro, até pensei que ia gostar, mas a cada música ele foi ficando mais cansativo. As vozes dos cantores são muito monótonas e acabam deixando tudo meio sonolento, e as letras também não me prenderam. Dou crédito apenas às melodias, que em alguns momentos são boas, mas no geral é um álbum que eu não ouviria de novo. (Única música que gostei foi a primeira pq não tem cantor só instrumental)

Too mainstream type of sound for me Too generic i would say. Not that i am saying it is bad but its not for me icl

I bought this when it came out and is not for me. Seemed like a young marble giant thing idk

Really weird!

2/10

Only 38 minutes? Felt like 90 minutes. Ugh. I had to look up when this came out, 2009. Then I looked up what came out that year and now I know why this is so liked. 2009 was a shit year for music. It was a bunch of American Idol and Xfactor crap. My favorite albums from 2009 was Baroness’s Blue Album and Cuban Linx II by Raekwon. While I love those albums, they don’t scratch a top 200 list on mine. Also, what a waste of a cool name line The XX. Like Elon, these guys ruined the letter ‘x’.

This is the worst inclusion of the list so far. What’s next, imagine dragons?

Iowa Football 9, xx 7. About as interesting as waiting in line at the Secretary of State. I vaguely remember this being popular in its time, its inclusion in the 1001 serves as a testament to the how terrible most rock and roll has gotten. Coming up next: Old man yells at clouds.

For me it's terrible

3/10

Absolute guff.

no. just listen to Paramore.

This band came prepared with two strikes. I’m primed to give the third. I suppose I can already justify the first two. Strike 1. Being from 2009. We’ve spoke of cultural death here at the ol’ reviewin’ post and Rigor Mortis set in around the end of the “oughts.” Second strike. Naming your band in a quirky stylized fashion. I don’t want it. I don’t like it. You know what I REALLY don’t like? Albums that sound like a jam session featuring a wealthy, polyamorous couple (no thirds found) who will aggressively tell you about their health and fitness regimen. You know, soulless , dead eyed sociopaths focused on image to distract from their unquenchable thirst for blood. Can that be strike three? Let’s go with that. Drink the wine! Drink! They’ll be here with flamethrowers! 0 HIGHLIGHTS: Getting very sleepy.

music designed to evoke a little bit of a feeling in the context of the television show/ad it's paired with while being so forgettable that it doesn't register as a song. the 2 star for their 2017 release and the 1 star for this should be switched but putting both on the list is a 1 star choice. music: hated. (⌐■_■)

This is a band I see talked more about music journalists or critics over day to day conversations. Not that their totally obscure or something, but even among my friend groups of people in different music scenes and tastes wouldn't ever care to bring them up. The whole 'indie pop' thing that exploded in the mid to late 2000s was not something that ever appealed to me. At least it's not a sad white singer-songwriter boy with an acoustic guitar. [Editor's Note, which is me who is also the writer that is also me: My last.fm logs say I have listened to this album in 2011, and I do not remember having done so at all. I have re-listened to the album of course] Let me expand more on my dislike for indie pop, since this album essentially fits that late 2000s/early 2010s mode to a T, minus the aforementioned acoustic guitar stereotype. The BPM/pace is slower, sung in a manner that makes the scene seem competitive on who can mumble or speak as softly as possible. There are synthesizers and I will never complain about that. Fantasy has this great bass on it that you have to go through a minute of boring indie pop singing to hear it. I'm not the best at hearing lyrics through songs so I may be rhythmically biased (as you can read), but my hearing focuses on the sound of the vocals like you could imagine hearing someone sing in a foreign language. The vocals aren't bad, just boring and not engaging. The engaging part feels forced on the deep breath-sounding reverb. Shelter could be engaging song if the drums could be played with someone that can play faster than a heartbeat. That gives me the most ire of the genre/xx: PLEASE SOUND LIKE YOU'RE ALIVE IN THE ROOM. Drums being this mellow enrages my soul. And even when the drums are present, it's got the repetitive boring beats to it and not even the Krautrock motorik style that you could appreciate or feel shroomed out hearing it. I could go on and on about certain complaints, but it's just me saying something that something is boring or basic. I don't like to rank things one star unless I truly abhor it (in contrast I'm fairly lenient about 5 star records, which is essentially a "fuck yeah" from me or really digging something I haven't heard before), but this album does capture a sound of a decade, a pretty shitty one at that I grew up in. I think in a sense it's an iconic and reasonable inclusion on the list. Lots of boring bands were inspired by this sound, in a small group of genres one ought to formally call "millennial bullshit". Stomp and Clap, Indie Pop, Postgrunge: working together to make rock music sound sterile in three different ways. There's nothing on xx, even the parts that I liked in most of the songs that makes me feel like hearing any of the songs again on my shuffle playlist filled of all the music I like, which is over 30,000 songs. All the cool surf guitar tones, synthesizer tricks, an occasionally interesting bass line: I can find all of that elsewhere. There's a reason they say you need to learn three chords, because using the same two over and over again on different songs would make the Ramones scoff and laugh. The reason for my dismay for this music is that I cannot stand the vocals, the lack of good rhythm, the slow-paced nature of a "pop" record, it's all too conventional and corporate-approved emotional music. I need life in my music, I want to feel energy or some kind of actual vibration or pulse of vibration to feel moved by music. It just sounds lifeless or a soul was sucked out of someone. This was the sound of 2009/2010 if you hated partying and club music, but felt perfectly okay about synthesizers lest you hear it go too fast, loose, and crazy. SAT/ACT prep music to study to ass shit. Music to lower your blood pressure to dangerous levels to. I feel like Miles Davis talking about that cat Steve Miller writing all of this. Two thumbs down.

Underwhelming.

Lame

It sounds all the same.

Not for me

Not quite my style of music

The xx? More like The zz. Best songs: Nil, unless you wanna go to sleep

Yeah, this is pretty terrible over-produced crappy pop, just like the other The xx album on this list. 1.0/5.0: Embarrassing

its a travesty they even have one album on this list much less a second one. this makes me wanna blow my shiii smoove off brother

I never liked this sound when it was popular but tried to give this album a chance. However the weak vocals coupled with the weaker instrumentals just came across really bland and gave me no interest in listening to it for a second time.

I can see it now, 40 years in the future -- I sit on my rocking chair, and regale my grandchildren with colorful accounts of how The xx changed the landscape for shitty commercials for ever. 1

Could hardly be more lifeless.

First tag said that it was boring, and it was right.

bad. i hate this genre of music. also conveniently uses one of my least favorite styles of singing. get out of my fucking face

hate this shit

I hope I don't get AIDS from this faggot shit.

Wasn't my things. Not much distinction between the songs.

Elevator music on Xanax. Painfully boring and childish lyrics and melodies. I have no problem saying I hated this album.

Super boring and bland

Have you ever spent 39 minutes examining a carpet?

no.

Not a fan. Sounded like background music in a hotel lobby.

me aburrí

Simple music, annoying voices. Everything feels the same

Unimpressed. Barely anything to commend it. Basic music for basic bitches.

Deathly dull. I can think of neither occasion nor mood befitting the ambient dreariness which comprises the bulk of this album. How this lifeless dreck won awards and acclaim is beyond my ken.

Bore Factor 10!

why? why? why this is on the list?

Too dull to hold my attention. Mikey put me right off!

Very minimalist, simplistic, repetitive and reverb heavy indie pop with vocals that sound like they're falling asleep. It reminds me of the sensation of being hungover and feeling tired and sad. Not enjoyable at all. I barely understood a word they said though so maybe I missed something.

This shit sucks. Bailed half way. I have no idea who decided to put this thing on here, but they’re a fucking dork. Sounded like background music that would be playing at caffeine free vegan coffee house

Antes pegarme un tiro que oír esto.el nombre del álbum hace honor a su música

Unfortunately, too annoying for me, even though I can appreciate that the production is incredibly clean and the songs are like nice enough. But something about the style irks the hell out of me.

DIE DIE DIE

I can't imagine how seeing this live would be any good at all. Nothing happens and everyone is whispering. This is lame.

"And the winner of this year's Paper Merchant of the year award: Wernham, Hogg & Partners!" Applause. The lights go down on the sparsely packed conference room in Hull's Premier Inn as a bloated troupe of polyester and cholesterol make their way up to the stage to accept their prize, to reap the year's sow. The XX's Crystalline plays as they do, practically an anachronism in this cursed purgatory but Phil the middle aged conference manager insisted. He heard it on an iPod commercial and knew this was the dynamism the Paper Merchant awards needed. But the effect is more like having a Beatles cover band play a dementia home: it's a cruel simulacra of artistry, barely real enough to find some tortured resonance in the few braincells left in the room but nothing that'll knock them off the course the Lexapro has set for them. It sucks, basically. History will not be kind to this era of popular music.

I would love this album if I worked in advertising. I do not work in advertising.

Sounds like all the female alternative bands. All the same.

Definitely not my style.

Boring

It's been years since I last listened to this, but my opinion on them basically remains the same. They sound so so good for one song then I just get bored.

I was a really boring album. I’m glad that the members of this band took jobs producing and writing music for other artists because they could not perform their own material.

Not my style.

Very boring. Very 2009. I did not enjoy it and at times actively disliked it. I feel like The Intro was forced upon society as some kind of ultra crossover song. The rest of the album felt contrived. The whole thing lacked depth. Maybe I’m missing some huge piece of this puzzle, but I thought the whole thing sucked and I never need to listen to it again. Including The Intro.

Impossible to describe how much I hate this.

"What's that? That's not an insect. That's your music, is it?" Not my music, but the xx's music. Not my words, but the words of my wife. But, if she imagines the sound of flies buzzing around this pile of a record, there's a good reason. 1 Ten years before COVID-19 there was The xx. When I think of their debut album I recall viral videos of xx fans being wrestled to the ground by security while they loudly denounced the onlookers, standing appalled in their Radiohead masks, as ‘Sheeple’. These xxers had had enough of music made by ‘experts’. It did no good to try to reason with them that The xx album was demonstrably worse than getting the flu. The Prime Minister went on tv and ordered everyone not to turn on BBC 6 Music unless there were 3 other stations playing different genres all on at the same time in the garden, or something. It did no good; the Mercury Music Prize, the Guardian Album of the Year, the NME end of year list, the xx listening party at Downing Street - these superspreader events guaranteed that the xx spread to a million copies. That was a crazy time. I didn’t listen to The xx myself until long after the worst peaks. It was awful; far worse than the flu. I was struck that it was exactly the same level of awful for 5 days; never better or worse. The strangest thing is that some people look back now and say The xx was great. Poor devils. They never recovered their sense of taste. 1/5

Echt ongelofelijk saai, de stem van die vent is mateloos irritant en alles is gebaseerd op dat domme deuntje van de intro. Vreselijk

Really not my cup.of tea. It lacked anything vital.

The group is absolutely petrified at the though of making an interesting song. Even the beloved intro is just flaccid.

i am not 15 so of course i don't like this.

Intro gave me so much hope.

Eek. Okay...3rd on the list that I've never heard of and that shouldn't be here. 1001 is really not that many albums when you think about how much great music has been produced in the last 70 years...and this is not among those. Boring, monotonous, amateur vocals and instrumentation.

I couldn’t finish the album. What genre this is, I don’t like it.

Not for me

I guess that Eyelash kid wasn't the first to Mumble Sing

1* Not for me!

All the other songs aside from Intro are very dull/samey. Islands - Her voice isn't good...is that on purpose? Heart Skipped A Beat - Never mind, both voices I'm hearing are bad.

snorkkkkkkkkk mimimimimi

Never heard of the band or the artist, and there was no link to listen to it

1.5 not very interesting airy background music. Favorite songs: none

sorry I wanted to be positive with the first album of the 1001 albums but I’ll be fine if I never hear this ever again. soooooooo boring

Maybe better than the other one I listened to from them on this list. I hate this band though, straight to the dungeon, 10 years. Will I listen to again: 0%

Too indie for my taste. Sounds like tik tok music for their stupid dancing videos. If I didnt liked it before I like it much less now

I’ve heard this before. Where? Ah yes, it was a free download from the Sydney morning herald. I hate nimby, middle classless garbage such as the herald. So, while fully admitting I might be being unfair, none of this hit me in any way that suggested it was a must hear. I’ll give this the one point I took off the Pogues. And that’s it.

irritated the fuck out of me when it vcame out and it was everywhere, all supermarkets, car radios, barber shops, pre gig warm up music, old lady ballroom dances, played this album. Watchin the live performaces of the girl playin one note repeatedly on a 2000dollar guitar seems weird. Wasnt into it then, still not into it now. Overrated shite.

What uninspired drivel this album is. Beyond hated it. What a dreary decade. Can I give it zero

I wish I could unhear this.

Far too slow, not one song stood out🤔

Yet another post 2000 record from this book, that I just do not like. What’s wrong with me? …or the editors of the book?

geen idee... na enkele noten verdween dit album volledig op de achtergrond

Never heard of them and gave it a go. I don't understand why this is on the list. Whispery vocals, mumbling, boring, no song really stands out. With most albums I can find at least one positive but not this time. An X for The xx.

Прослушал на работе 3-4 трека. Пойдёт для фона или в кафе. Приятная музыка, зачёт. Но в коллекцию не скачиваю.

Was shit in 2009 and still shit now. How this album is even on the list I will never know. If inpcild give it 1 star I would.

Sparse and somber. Lots of repetitive reverb guitar. Female vocals, male vocals, sometimes both together. If Evanescence took a Valium. Doggedly melancholy.

zzz

Sounds like any other indie pop album which there’s already plenty of representation. Not sure why it’s on the list. Stylistically derivative of 80s post punk with a tinge of minimalist electronica.

Meh. I wish I was in a band. They make it sound easy. It feels like spa version of Indie rock

One of the dullest albums I've ever listened to. Best Song: Intro Worst Song: VHS

Kind of shit, boring, singer isn’t that great, songs aren’t great either

Dull! I have no idea why this was so lauded at the time of release it’s uninspired musings and sparse guitars just do nothing for me

Tumblrcore shit

Mild ambiant music. I'm not sure why this has entered the list. Electronic music that didn't, so far, challenged my listening.

An audio-ization of paint drying

Sounds pretty bad

The kind of generic indie pop that hipsters couldn't get enough of in 2010 but that everyone else ignored. Its not awful but I can't understand how it ended up on this list.