xx

I liked this a little bit more than their other album on here. I recognised a few of the songs but I can't place where from. Favourite tracks were Intro, Crystalised and Stars

Its pleasant but didn’t really leave me with anything.

first listen great indie beats i'm familiar with but never listened to the whole album

Actually quite enjoyed it

The intro is great, probably the best song on the album. The rest is pretty good. this is one that I'd like to give a half star to, so I guess add that to the score.

Moody blues

Decent indie electronic. A little slow for my taste but consistent. High 3.

Very 2000s. Not essential but didn’t hate hearing this album. I can’t say anything about it stuck with me after multiple listens but I remember this being “cool” when it came out.

This was a very pleasant surprise. The Intro track was the only one I'd heard before (commonly used in reels/shorts and such), but it all felt familiar nonetheless. This album really captures a mood, one I classify as "Driving down the highway in the evening while contemplating stuff." Not necessarily a mood I feel all the time, but for that mood it fits perfectly. It made me wish there was more by the end.

Melodic with a lot of nice sounds. I like the way the voices work together. Solid album. On the 4 side of 3.5.

Very mellow again, very minimalist but by accident 😅

They were one of the most popular bands around back in the late 00’s but I don’t really see the appeal of this lo-fi electronica. It’s ok for a single spin but it’s not engaging enough to be repeated often.

Not as bad as I expected - I had the idea I disliked this band. This was pleasant sounding stuff, just nothing that interesting either. I still have a song from the album before this in my head but that won't happen with these songs as I forgot them all immediately after listening. Still, they were nice, chill songs.

Not really my thing, but I get it

Nice and chill. 3/5

This one is tough because on any other day, this would be a 5/5 (including when the album first came out and Intro was mindblowing to listen to), but for some reason my brain registers these specific soundwaves as void of emotion, too simplistic, and annoyed at the guy's singing voice for sounding too much like a weed addict bum ex.

I checked last.fm and I've listened to this album almost 100 times in my life (mostly from high school and college) and it still holds up. The xx taught me how valuable pace and sparsity can be in an album. When you aren't layering instrumentation, even silence starts to sound like an instrument. Every single song on this album is a 5/5 for me, and unless you start blending songs from Coexist into the track list, you would never want to shuffle the album. Now back onto my soap box about how too many of these albums are too long: this xx album is 38 minutes; 3 years later, they release their 2nd album which is 37 minutes; another 5 years goes by, and they release a 39min album. In 8 years, the xx didn't waste a single second of my time. That's the blue print for all these albums that are over 60 minutes with filler junk songs. I understand why Katy Perry is writing garbage songs to fill up space between her singles on albums, but why are these 1001 top albums trying to fill up so much space? Anyway, this is a 5

On a first listen, this was good but pretty generic. On a second listen, we're up to a 4.5. Could be a five with time. Hard to say. But the laidback electronic sounds is really nice. VHS is a great song. Wish I could give the album more attention but busy times. 4.5 Rounding down because I want to get to know it better before handing out a 5

this was a really rich sound. i forgot how calming I found this album. I'm not sure if that's the lyrical intent, though. But that being said, listening to the 1975 makes me anxious so maybe it's a me problem.

Felt like it was close to a 4 but fell a bit short. A lot of good melodies, lyrics, and singing. Overall a good listen.

This is too breathy for me, but I get it. I'd love these guitar parts over a driving fuzz bass guitar and drums.

Intro is a really great song that I have heard many times before. Other than that I haven't heard the XX at all. I kind of get why today. While the other songs aren't bad by any means they just aren't as good as Intro. The whole album has a great mood running throughout it that I enjoy and Infinity is one of the songs I added to a few playlists for the future.

Not great

I had never heard of them lol but Cool album awesome trancelike atmosphere. Guitar is so fn cool and weird. Vocals are pretty good too just some resident sleeper tracks. Intro Is phenomenal (In my rave experience I have heard this mixed in a couple times)

Incredibly unique indie pop album, very minimal in its entire presentation. The songs, the arrangements, the artwork, the song titles. Impressive how fully form the xx arrived onto the scene. This, however, revealed itself to be a double edged sword, as their following albums haven't succeeding in capturing the magic of this debut, nor any of the members' respective solo efforts. Key tracks: Intro VCR Crystalised Islands Shelter Basic Space

good production, very smooth/chill pop

Minimalist teenage fun

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.

Complete (Revisit)

I thought this album was okay but it didn’t do a lot for me. The intro sound I knew and the entire record reminded me of a silversun pickups album (granted, probably influenced them). Nothing wrong with it, but 3 stars

cool listen

Sometimes less is more.

die ganz bekannten songs sind auch banger. anderen sind suess

Ikonisches Intro, der Rest ist auch ganz gut

Slow, relaxed and semi fun. I don’t think it’s a bad album, I can see it’s for some people - just not me

Yeah not my thing really

Amazing album, blew me away upon its release.

4/15/25. Eh, not really for me. Not horrible by any means, but thought it was quite a boring, forgettable listen.

Good vibes. (31 known/61 new)

After listening to this album, I sent it to one of my friends as it sounds a lot like boygenius which is very much is væb. I then looked back at the review of I See You and found that I compared The xx to boygenius there too. They definitely know their sound! The overall feeling here is very chilled out. Maybe it could be described as cafe music - there’s plenty to enjoy, but if you don’t want to give it your full attention it still makes very nice background music too.

В школе интересно было слушать, конечно. Сейчас уже не то

What a beautiful record. It always takes me back to a specific time and place. This is the record that opened the floodgates and inspired many other acts from Phantogram to London Grammar.

I know this on but haven't listened in a long time, I was glad I did

I don't have the connection with this album from it's release but I can't deny that it goes down smooth. It's a great listen.

Peak millennial nostalgia. I teeter between a 4 and 5 since some of the songs still gets quite a lot of play in my life. But listening to the full album- there are some low points.

Fantastic. All time fave

Classy

Dour. Millennial Blues. As an album it tells its story but there isn't a track here I'd say to someone 'hey listen to this song'

fw this one heavy i'm sad they don't have a lot of other stuff. i liked every part of this

sound like banger 2010x

At its best when it's presenting you with small, minimalist and frankly pretty cute indie pop songs. At its worst when it sounds like they plundered the sound bank of some multinational firm's PR team, missing only the voice-over ensuring you that this corporation believes in a better future for us *and* our children.

Börjar urstarkt. 5a första fem. Tappar lite sen, men hög klass genomgående

Banger

Intro is awesome. Then the whole album falls off a cliff into a sea of boring.

Great music but I didn’t enjoy the vocals

One of my favorite albums. Reminds me of studying in college.

This is really lame unfortunately, real background music.

always nice

3/5 all songs where decent

This album has three amazing songs in a row where the sparseness of the vocals and production serves to build emotion and tension—Crystalized, Islands, Heart Skipped a Beat. But sadly, that same sparseness is too simple and lacking to carry the rest of the record.

it’s okay. nothing i’d turn off if it came on, but very bland

I’m a huge fan of Colors by Jamie xx but this album pales in comparison. The opening track, Intro, a clomping beat heavy head bobbing wonder gives way to a functional but uninspiring VCR. The rest of the album was heavy on beats but left me cold. L

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.

This album - you're sitting in a dark, ambient cocktail lounge on a pleather couch in "insert cool city here". A 23 year old with a lip piercing is DJing on their MacBook Pro that their parents bought them. A woman sitting next to you, who smells like perfume, cigarettes and vodka, is telling you about her families candle business in Ohio. This is the album playing. 5 stars.

Love this album

I really enjoyed this album!

i do not know how this could be considered something you have to hear before you die. i mean it is fine background music but it really had zero impact on me in any capacity whatsoever

Actual review date: May 6, 2025 Well that was a long and unexpected break from reviewing. I listened to a bit of this before life got in the way and I kind of liked what I heard. I listened to it full today and it was decent. It started off promising but did get a little boring for me. Still, I didn't mind it but it's probably not something I'd keep on my phone. More of a 3.5.

Most of the songs sounded too similar. A little too boring for me

Good production, but overall low energy, dull vocals. Good background music, less enjoyable for active listening.

Impossible to describe how much I hate this.

I liked this in college but found it kind of annoying on relisten

Non stop classic bangers

Mid alone but good based on the significance in the industry

"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

this album is okay not my favorite but the songs are actually pretty good just didn’t really like it too much. it just wasn’t very compelling and stuff.

one of my all-time favs, love this record

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

Quiet and romantic, a surprise favorite

Chill beats and cool vocals.

Surprising.

Album is great, but the last songs idk i think I dont get them

Kind of a sleepy album. Not sure I’d revisit.

That track “Intro” reminds me of car commercials. This whole thing feels like something a YouTuber or podcaster would have adopted to be their channel’s theme music. I like the production on some of the tracks (“Crystalised” has a good drum sound, for instance) but the lazy vocals can only do so much in 2025.

Sì boh carino, con alti e bassi non particolarmente degni di nota

Rating: 8/10 What a chill and relaxing album. There is a beauty in the minimalism here, not too much happening instrumentally but there is so much attention to detail that with each listen I can probably find something I didn't notice before. Will definitely listen to it more, can see this being rated higher with repeated listens.

Loved this when it first came out but it’s aged like old milk. It now sounds (to me) cliched and dull

I like the chilled vibes and slower pace. Makes a change. The guitar is catchy and fun. Vocals seem a bit flat / lack depth though.

Lovely! No context for this one but none need.

Although I'm not sure I ever knew the name of the band that played it, I've heard the opening "Intro" track many many times and always enjoyed it (brief as it is). I'm glad I finally get to hear the album it belongs to, even if the other tracks don't always live up to what I imagined they would sound like. There are only a few duds, though (mainly "VCR" and ""); my favorites are "Intro", "Islands", "Shelter" and "Infinity". I was also surprised at the number of videos for an album that produced no singles--the "VCR" video kind of redeems the lackluster song; "Crystalised" and "Basic spaces" both have pretty boring videos, although weird to watch the percussionist play the tiny drum-board; and the "Islands" video accentuates a good song with a great and sad hypnotic dance story. It's tough to know how best to rate an album that's more mood music than something demanding all your attention. But for "Intro" alone I'm willing to give them four stars, and I feel like the remainder of the album backed up that potential anyway.

Didn't really make much of an impression. Not awful though.

I never really “got” xx even though I was alive when they became an indie sensation. A handful of their sons are enjoyable late night driving songs. But ultimately I’m always waiting for the beat to drop or a hook to start and it never comes. 3/5

Ah, the quintessential Tumblr album. I don't know if this has aged the best but it does make me very nostalgic in a sad way. Very vibey and chill, minimalistic album.

I audibly screamed when it was generated. It was ON REPEAT during the panini. Beautiful memories

Nothing of substance here really

This album is cool because it's different. But it makes me feel sleepy. I could definitely see myself listening to this on a rainy day, looking out the car window, just vibing and being melancholy. Will I come back to this one? Maybe? Probably not? Am I disappointed that I gave this a listen? Nah.

6/10 Easy background music Moments of the cure Crystallized and heart skips a beat

this is so industrial house but no

Beautiful perfect...background music. The intro is incredible and so evocative, and there are some more standouts - fantasy (that outro!), basic space - but on the whole the sound is too shy to listen to regularly. I'll still round a 3.5 up to a 4 because it's an album I will be returning to next time I'm doing physics homework.

a little chill Brit electro-pop goes down well on a cloudy Monday morning.

Zz

xx

Listening to this album without much prior context other than listening to Jamie xx, I expected a completely different vibe. I really liked a lot of the minimal instrumentation and put in context of the year the album came out, I can see why this album was such a hit. Maybe one critic was that there wasn’t much variety in the instrumentation like the guitar and bass tones, which made a few songs sound very similar, although the drums added a lot of variety here I particularly liked: Islands, Basic Space, Night Time

Fantastic album, period! Something fresh at the time!

Overall: 7/10 Chill as hell album with breathy vocals and relaxing guitar work. I like the electronic drums for this type of music, it adds to the atmosphere in the best of ways. I don't have a lot of exposure to this band but I'm gonna check it more of their stuff if it's like this! Fav Song: Basic Space Least Fav Song: VCR

kinda boring. intro slaps tho!

I've meant to relisten to this album, I don't think I've heard it since maybe 2012. Intro is cool. VCR is cute and great. Crystalized is a really great song immediately followed by Islands which is just as strong. If it was just these four songs it would be a 4/5. The album starts to nosedive a little after Islands for me with each track progressively getting worse. The MIDI harp on Heart Skipped a Beat hurt me. Fantasy is a great idea but a bit of a snoozer, I'm sure it's stronger live. Shelter rights the ship slightly but there is only so much Direct In Reverb Guitar I can take and it never really reaches the climax it was building to. Basic space gave me false hope again that they were going to pick it up but nah. Infinity did bring an improvement finally, though those claps were infuriating. The melody is the same as Party All The Time by Eddie Murphy. Night Time is like a good attempt at making a band focussed Crystal Castles song, I liked that. Stars is another song that I want to like but the idea is so stretched out that it's difficult. I think if I listened to this album nonstop all day I would come around to like it, it definitely needs to grow on you. There is a lot to like about the songwriting on this. I often see people cite The XX as a gateway to Dreampop which I did not understand listening back to this. I don't think Cocteau Twins or Loveliescrushing is going to magically make sense to you after listening to this if it didn't before. I think the main appeal of Dreampop's lofi sound is that there is such strong intentionality and production behind those bands where this xx album feels like they just didn't know how to record and instead of learning to mix they called it lofi. I'm probably being too harsh, it can take this light 3 and we can move on.

When I saw this album on the list, I was like, yeah, sure. But having two XX albums on here is pretty crazy. I know this album was huge in the late 2000s and early 2010s, but it hasn't aged with me too well. This album definitely hit for me back then, but the lack of diversity across the project makes it kind of boring. The sound of this album is as if The Edge took his guitar effects and applied it across the entire band. Not saying that it's bad in that sense, just super reverb-y, delay-y, and monotone. Definitely an album that hits hard for depressed people. I think I'm giving this a strong 3, but this is a hard one for me to rate. PSA: probably giving the other XX album a 2 just because I don't think this band is deserving of two spots on the list.

Only knew islands and the intro song before coming into this, and after VCR I wasn’t sure about this record. I ended saving about half the songs. This album is a particular type of vibe and if you’re in the mood it’s great. I don’t think this is an absolute must listen though. Still good. Strong 3/5

Alright I know I'm an easy 5 but this is one of my favorite albums of all time. Yeah, I know this is like, top three defining albums of my high school years, but it still holds up as a sadboy masterpiece. Jamie XX's production is impossibly clean through every inch of this album, with songs sounding crisp and new and some, like Night Time, building to a climax that sounds incredible. This is one of those albums I both love and am confident belongs on this list, a masterpiece of sad indie that shaped the 2010s and propelled the career of one of the best producers of the 2010s. Also, I mean, this album has 0 skips. Not one skip on it, its incredible.

It was fine… I got really sick of hearing so many duets, and the best part were the instrumentals, riffs and all.

Me costó la primer mitad, pero luego empecé a apreciar las sutilezas y lo juguetón de las voces. Quizá deba recolectar un tema para poner en lista, pero me falto alguno que sea explosivo. Habrá que ver la evolución de estos artistas. Nota: 3.0

what do y'all know about being 13 and scrolling through tumblr, reblogging b&w aesthetic pictures with this album blasting in the background realistically a 3.5 but a 4 for the nostalgia

Decent background music.

Chill, nostalgic

i like it actually

ну такой фончик

8/10. This is a great example of a group with a real distinct style. I love their ambient, sombre spin on pop, with fascinating unique vocals style shared between both singers. Their voices pair so well and the tunes really benefit from it. Also the instrumental tune 'Intro' is a masterpiece, some of the most emotion I've heard crammed into such a simple sound. I think maybe it got a tiny bit samey as it went on but overall a massively enjoyable project.

Nice enough, the songs blend together a bit. I remember the tumblr girlies being obsessed with this when it came out. 3/5

Slick moping from the arty kids at school. It's extremely well made and still sounds fresh. I love their use of space, primitive drum machine sounds and hushed vocals.

Lightweight techno pop. Okay for easy days

I remember hearing a lot about this one at the time, but never checked it out. (For one thing, I thought their band name was kind of dumb.) I like music like this and if I'd heard this when it came out it would probably be like a 5 for me. But as a latecomer I can't help but compare it to a lot of other stuff from that era that sounds similar, so there was less impact.

I like this kind of music - strange and emotional and vibey. But it did feel a little dated, imo. Islands was the standout for me; the others blurred together a bit.

It was fine.

5/5. A duo vocal arrangement over some minimalist and laid back beats is the album. And it works really well. It does have an undertone of generic folk pop duo but it skirts by and it is all due to Jamie XX great production and beats. He makes it sound less like indie pop and more electronic R&B. Romy is clearly the better collaborator but even still, each song is just so strong yet so quiet. The album doesn't overstay it's welcome and comes and goes like a meditative moment. Best Song: Crystalized, Islands, Shelter, Intro

It's ok. I remembered it being better somehow?

I liked the atmosphere created at the start, but it doesn't really go anywhere with it and I was surprised by the end. I felt like it was a lot of promise unrealised.

The production choice to bury the vocals on some of the songs was absolutely maddening. I was cranking up the volume trying to hear the vocals over the heavy bass and ambient noise and then guitars would come in and rip my head off and I had to turn it back down. And then more vocals but this time legible and boring. Almost every song is sung like they are bored and talking at their feet. Some of the music was fine but the singing ruined it.

It was good, just kept fading into the background on me

I bounced off The XX the first time around, but this album is great. The moodiness and tidal wave of delay pedals really heralded in a whole new wave of copycat bands at the time, but these guys really knocked it out of the park from the start. I listened to this album after playing a gig whilst driving on the motorway at midnight, which is probably the perfect environment for this.

The intro has to be one of the best of its kind. Most of the tracks after that are fine. "Crystallised" sounds like that one Bronski Beat song. Songs on the second half all sound like an ending track. To be honest, I liked it. 4 stars for "Self-Titled".

I have tried to listen to this album soooo many times but every time I get bored. This was probably my 10th listen. Islands and Intro are classics but then the rest gets a little samey. I’ll try it again soon but for now a 3.

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

Atmospheric and faded into the background. A couple of instantly recognizable tunes.

I feel bait-and-switched by Intro. I thought this would be an interesting album; instead I got XX.

Meh. Its cool. But boring. Its mellow. But not in an interesting way

Nice vibe.

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.

2,5

Good

Entirely different new genre of music that im getting into and this was the beautiful intro.

like being on romantic space drugs

Had never heard of them and immediately wanted to not like them because they were English, but I was pleasantly surprised. Has a chill vibe to it.

First two tracks are actually pretty good. The rest of the album is slow and repetitive; I was nearly convinced that they were all the same songs. Sounds like a crappy Coldplay cover band.

A good album. Simple but not too boring. The fact that the intro is now still widely used by TikTok/insta/youtube shows its enduring appeal.

I liked this album and feel it is very emblematic of indie rock in the late ‘00s/early ‘10s. Trying to find new bands around that time was like walking through a forest of palm muted guitar riffs and whispered lyrics. That being said it is a good album. Melodic and haunting is a wonderful combo and while I noticed the singers sing like they’re falling asleep the whole time, it works for their sound. I particularly love two singers singing at each other/having a conversation/singing different lyrics at the same time and over each other and in between the other’s lyrics. They nail that. Leaving the album on a loop was a nice experience and I cannot say that about all of these albums or artists. I’ve got a few songs saved and I plan on listening to their other stuff.

this was a weird one. I knew the first track, but could not for the life of me tell you where I have heard it before. Past that, I found this album pretty underwhelming. I think I would give it more points if it came out in the 90's and, to me, felt like it had more of an impact on the music scene. But the fact that it came out in 2009 and just kinda sounds like Lo-Fi study beats... it doesn't leave much for me. It's by no means bad so it doesn't get a 1 star - but I can't go much higher than a 2

Another album that I actually was pleasantly surprised by. The vocals were good and mixed in well. It kinda reminded me of evanescence jumping on what otherwise would have been instrumental tracks, but adding to them instead of detracting from them. Glad to have heard it!

Short and sweet. Great for sitting back and relaxing after work with the hypnotic beats and chill vibes. The composition isn't anything special, but it was still enough to hold my attention. Will definitely be coming back to this one.

This was a nice little album. Every song felt like it would be played at the end of a movie where the main character is doing one last voice over before credits. I was a little worried for my subwoofer. That bass was intense for how chill the album is.

One of those rare "finds" from this list. Never heard of the XX and they were pretty good. Independent, alt rock, that mixes it up. Well worth litem.

meh

-i need to stop judging albums without listening to them honestly… came into this expecting bland coworker music but ended up enjoying it quite a bit. such pleasant and ethereal instrumentals -got kind of dull at moments and the vocals are more of an acquired taste, but i came to like them too. especially the female one. not bad at all -Favorites are Islands and Heart Skipped a Beat

Окей, на данный момент это уже классика. Лучшая песня - Crystalised.

Very breezy electronic and indie record. Has some hiccups production wise, but still pretty good

It's alright

wel chill, maar toch een beetje saai

Muah

Relaxed shit Fantasy is mijn favoriet

Kedvenc/Favourite: VCR Nagyon jó volt a hangulata, kicsit talán túl hasonlóak voltak a dalok. Voltak benne jó zenei ötletek, de túl sokszor használták fel ugyanazt, egy idő után vesztett a varázsából. Összességében élvezhető volt, néhány számot biztosan fogok hallgatni. It had a really good atmosphere, maybe the songs were a bit too similar. There were some good musical ideas, but they used them too many times, they lost their charm after a while. Overall it was enjoyable, some songs I will definitely listen to.

I've heard intro thousands of times - the rest of the album was sparser and more yell/stomp-y than I would have guessed.

xx by The xx is very comfy, it's something you put on and just want to bathe in. I have listened to it a couple of times now and it's all very nice. The only singular tracks that I can recall is Shelter, but that is because Birdy made a cover of it. That version is much more traditional in that it doesn't have that vibe of ambience surrounding it as the original does. Anyway I can only give it a 4 because I feel like it's missing an edge somewhere, that might make it better but it might also take away what makes it great.

Not sure what to think of this after the first three tracks. I can appreciate it but it isn't exactly captivating, might be owing to the fact that so many other artists have copied their vibe that it doesn't sound special anymore. Still pretty cool tracks, not a standout quality that makes them hit hard though. I honestly don't feel compelled to finish this album lol I think it's just an issue of being willing to accept the vibe/atmosphere of the album, bc if you can do that it's a smoother listen that you can just sit with, but otherwise it's mostly just boring

Great album. Enjoyed all the songs

xx is an album that is just squandered potential in my eyes. The first 5 songs were all great with them each having an otherworldly indie sound with beats that did the job well and just a general vibe that you could easily relax to and get lost inside your thoughts. However, tracks 6, 7 and 8 were all lacking due to music that was trying to hard to be ambient and vocals which sounded like Romy and Oliver were just getting bored of this and while tracks 9, 10 and 11 were good, they just weren't able to hit the heights of the first 5. This album is the embodiment of the saying (I don't know if this is a real saying or not but who cares) "You had it all but lost it somewhere along the way". Best Song: Intro Worst Song: Shelter Side note: I love the music video for Islands, I love how it tricks you into thinking that it is just going to be a simple visualizer but then everything goes awry and it was just a really cool subversion of my expectations

Some of the most recognizable tracks ever. Never knew the band!

Chill

killer first half and then it becomes a little too slow and drawn out for its own good. still a very interesting and clearly influential project!

Soundtrack to being a tumblr indie white girl in 2009 but in the best possible way. Flawless record.

moody mid 10's indie pop, i like it and enjoyed but also sometimes it felt like it was trying too hard :/ 3/5

Intro gave me so much hope.

I’m familiar with this album and while it’s not my favorite style, it’s a great listen

Quintessential album of the genre retrospectively named Indie Sleeze. Really loved the singles off this album, ‘Crystalised’ and ‘Night Time’ when it first came out, but honestly got kind of bored halfway through on this re-listen. Still, I guess it makes a part of me want to smudge my eyeliner and light up a Parliament in some hipsters shitty basement.

Good start. Boring.

If you want your kid to end up in a successful indie-electro outfit, you could do worse than enrolling them at the Elliott School in London. This unassuming institution has produced Hot Chip, Burial, and, crucially for this review, The xx. When xx dropped in 2009, I had just experienced the unexpected—yet entirely predictable—breakup of my long-standing relationship. Fitting, then, that this album’s hushed, spacious aesthetic was everywhere, soundtracking introspection in dimly lit bedrooms and late-night bus rides. xx is defined by its stark, deliberate use of silence, creating an atmosphere where every note, every breath, feels weighty. Jamie xx was just 19 when he produced it, his style subtle but essential—blending R&B rhythms, post-punk guitars, and electronic textures into something deeply intimate and nocturnal. The magic lies in the interplay between Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim. Their hushed, almost whispered delivery feels less like a performance and more like a conversation—like they’re singing to each other as much as to the listener. That intimacy carries through on tracks like Crystalised, with its sharp, interlocking melodies, or Islands, a deceptively simple track that spirals into obsession. VCR feels almost lo-fi in its nostalgia, while Infinity stretches heartbreak across an aching, reverberating riff. And then there’s Intro—so omnipresent in film, TV, and sports montages that it’s become a cultural touchstone. More than just a snapshot of 2009, xx laid the groundwork for a wave of artists blending indie, electronica, and R&B minimalism—James Blake, London Grammar, even mainstream acts adopting its quiet-loud dynamics. While many indie albums of that era have faded, xx still holds up. It’s a mood, a moment, and, for me, a memory.

Surprisingly, I kinda prefer I See You. 2 xx albums is far too much though tbh. Better have some solo Jamie here

vibey but not grabby

This album was alright. If I was going on a late night drive, or studying for a test, some of these songs would be good for that. No songs stood out though. Solid album Favorite Song: Crystallized Least Favorite: Night Time

Very enjoyable music that had me bobbing quite often. However the music felt like it did fade into the background quite often.

Kom till samma slutsats i varje låt: ”denna låter fet… vad är det för fel på deras röster?” Krampaktiga. Så pass att jag hellre lyssnar på en instrumental-version av albumet. ”Heart Skipped a Beat” är en bra summering. Sångarna låter döende men det finns ändå något i produktionen. Jamie får 3/5 i betyg men de andra två får Yung Lean att framstå som Whitney Houston. De blir bättre nästa två album.

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.

The beauty of this album lies in its simplicity and its effortlessness. What is present on this album that is lacking in the follow-up albums is the sense of no expectations and freedom to create without the knowledge that this would become one of the most important albums to come out at the end of the Naughts. The album has a sense of nostalgia (see - VCR) whilst all the same sounding new and fresh. Not a simple feat.

It was ok, might take a few listens but not particularly up-beat or to my own taste. In 2025 it actually feels a bit dated.

I feel the ocean, the wind. Makes me feel ethereal.

xx’s self-titled album is an attempt at a minimalist project. I’d say that i’m usually a fan of the genre, but this album was just extremely boring. The singing is pretty mediocre from both vocalists and the male vocalist sounds like he’s doing a bad Måneskin impersonation. The production is surprisingly really good, which just makes me so much more disappointed that it was wasted on such a lowkey attempt. If I’m being fair, there’s nothing incredibly offensive about this project, it’s just so boring. Every song is trying too hard to create a minimal scene, but failing horribly and just creating what could easily be mistaken for as “lazy” music. The one song I did thoroughly enjoy was “Basic Space”, as it finally adds the extra piece to the atmosphere this project attempts to foster, genuinely resembling a complete song.

非常好听，intro这个曲子，应该2018年就听过呢诶。 具有氛围感的独立摇滚和流行风格

No need for the date anymore. I really liked this album, the softness and calm melodies really add to the nice background feel that it has. I really liked the feelings that it produced, something nice and relaxing. Although it did like some substance, it felt slightly boring. I particularly liked "Shelter" and "Stars". Overall, I would rate this album a 4/5, not perfect but pretty good in terms of vocals and production. Maybe it does need more intricate pieces though? Still I liked it.

I reckon this is probably the coolest album that I owned when it was cool. I’ve not listened to it for ages, but it’s still pretty good and I’ll certainly listen again and again I imagine. Not quite a five star album, but pretty close.

So, so good. Hard to believe it was their first album. Totally new stuff. Not 100% sure it will still be relevant 25yrs from now though.

Cool, kinda mellow indi pop/rock. I'm always looking for more female voices in music, and this is a good addition.

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

Minimalist is the watchword, I guess. Beats, guitar, lyrics. Otherwise it's all fairly straightforward pop. The songs sort of work but I can only summon minimal(ist) praise. I don't quite understand why they seem to be lauded in some quarters.

Wispy forgettable lo-fi indie nonsense

On a lazy Saturday morning I really appreciate this album. Liked it more than I expected

TBH, I forgot about this album. My bad. It was a major hit and on most every playlist to this day. Not amazing, but worth noting.

Kinda boring.

Interesting- haven't heard something like this before. Kinda folky. Kind of dancy. Almost feels like a 90s thing, proto emo, before emo stunk. Maybe shades of Bright Eyes.

Nice listen

Infinity sounds a lot like Wicked Games by Chris Isaac. Otherwise just a relaxing groove background music album.

The hits are still bangers, but all-in-all more subdued than I remember. It did strike up nostalgia. I remember seeing them at Lollapalooza 2010 with my girlfriend (now wife). Great memories. Glad to revisit for those memories.

Yeah, lovely. Very spare but very cool and still in the rotation since 2009.

this album preceded by massive attack—it’s sexy album week!

Subdued indie pop

I enjoyed it enough the first time that I listened to it a second time later in the day.

If there ever was an album I'd want to rate higher because of just one song, this would probably be it for Intro. I've heard it so many different places and it serves so well as an intro to build up hype. Luckily this album has quite a few other good tracks so it gets a pretty good rating anyway. When I listen to this album I want to be alone in a dark warehouse with blue lighting and wind blowing, but still warm enough to be comfortable in shorts. Not sure why that environment comes to my head, but not many albums transport me to places quite like this one does. A few of these songs seem like they may have been an influence for Billie, and others as well. I don't think I've heard most of these yet they all still sound familiar, and chronologically these tracks would have been before most of what I think of as a comparison. Great album, probably should go to a 5 but I'll use a fraction to note to myself to give it another listen. Favorite track "Intro" 4.4/5

Takes me right back to when I was 15 - I remember everyone being obsessed with this, which was maybe one of the reasons I don't think I ever listened to the whole album because it was 'too mainstream'. The latter half of this album trailed off a bit, but the vibe is still so special and feels so unique even more than 10 years later

I never have heard of this band before this list. This is my second album from The xx that I have had. I like this album better than, "I See You" but, I am going to go back to that one again and see if my impression improves. I like the miniamalist approch with the dreamy quality of the vocals.

I close my eyes and it takes me back to a 2015 esque promo for a music festival

4/5

I had never heard of these guys before. The first 2 tracks were interesting, but it soon became apparent after that that this band is a one trick pony. I am not saying it's bad, there's just not enough here to hold my attention.

Really like this a lot!

Very cool sound

Ughhhhhh. The type of songs to sell a MacBook Pro. The type of songs they would play at a new coffee chain that’s has “locally sourced beans”. The type of songs that would be in the background of an Obama 2012 campaign ad. The type of songs I would hear in the car while my dad was listening to alt radio and I would think “this is boring. when are they gonna play the one about the pumped up kicks?” Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh.

4.5

i was doing math while i listened it was unobtrusive i like the soundscape

Never heard of them, but I quite liked this album. Interesting how one band can go moody guitar rock that catches you, where ten others didn’t. They have the magic sauce.

Actually really like this album- I’ve been listening to it off and on since it was released. When I feel like listening to something but I don’t know what, it’s usually the xx.

floaty, emo vibes with breathy singing and guitars

boring + gay, intro is a banger

Superb.

Not for me

Some tracks are great and incomparable, but others are lame

Musically so good, but I HATE the vocals.

Pretty minimal and almost whispery at times. They sound like they’re trying to be the Velvet Underground but just don’t have the emotional depth to really follow through. 3.4/5

It's a cute album, though it felt as if the songs went by so fast I could hardly sink into them and enjoy the sound of them. But I mean, for like dreamy pop this had more going on than the vast majority of its kind so that's great imo.

This is a refreshingly unique album. The almost minimalistic music and low-key voices add up to a pure experience, as there is not much distraction. However, it becomes a bit the same after a while.

Прикольно на фон поставить, хороший альбом для прогулок по ночному городу

I really really liked this album!

Too little variation

I'm afraid I'm not in my sad or melancholic mood and that's why it doesn't impact me, or I just didn't like it. I found the vocals bland, the instrumentation could have been better but all in all it wasn't too bad. “Basic Space” feels good, I have empathy for that song. Same as well for "Heart Skipped a Beat", in this one the voices are better matched than in the rest of the songs. PS: Within indie pop, I prefer Oh Wonder considering they are a duo as well and seriously, much better.

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

I remember seeing these guys in a tiny tent at Reading festival in 2009, just before this album came out. The overriding memory was then chucking out x shaped frisbees into the crowd. Album is very good in retrospect. Some quality songs, and some obvious filler.

xx is undeniably a beautiful album, if a bit indicative of the sound of that era. Hard to argue with the idea that if you have the best ingredients, even a simple recipe can become something magical. xx exemplifies that concept in so many ways.

It's okay but everything kind of sounds the same? There's only so much you can do with this specific sound texture.

Never listened to this band apart from a few random songs here and there. This album is pretty chill. I probably would've really enjoyed it back in high school but its not something I would choose to listen to now. Favorite track: Crystalised

A low key, late night vibe classic.

1* Not for me!

There are some nice tracks on this, but it's quite flat in affect. It feels like an albums of preamble / build up without any release. It's not bad, it just feels restrained, like it's too cool to ever really kick out the jams. The xx is too cool for its own good - after 2 albums that's my official diagnosis.

This album was OK but a little dull. I enjoyed having it on whilst chipping away at work.

I enjoyed this as some calming background music to work to - I needed it today!

Jaime: "Al adolescente le hubiera gustado puede ser, pero ha envejecido muy mal, no me ha gustado nada". Nuria: "Para trabajar de fondo, bien".

This album has been stripped back to its simplest sound in the best way possible. Every note and beat feels like its inclusion was considered in depth. The resulting sound is spacey and eerie and the vocals are amazing.

This is a fantastic album. The tone of guitars across the album incredible, simple, effective 5 stars

Guilty pleasure music. I know exactly what it’s gonna sound like and what the lyrics will be because it’s 00’s indie pop, but I can’t help it. I liked it. It’s not actually a 5, but I enjoyed too much of it. Standouts: Intro, VCR, Crystallised, Islands, Heart Skipped A Beat, Shelter, and Nighttime.

Fav track — Crystalised I’ve been loving this track for years and only now have listened to the full album. Just cute and tender at times, probably felt cosmic back in 2009

Crystallized is on my regular playlist, and it’s a great song. But a whole album of the same thing reminds me of the Royal Guardsman doing variations on Snoopy vs the Red Baron for an entire flipping album. It’s the same two people taking turns drowsily conveying their shroom induced imagery. The whole damned album.

Catapults me back to when I was 17 and living in Brooklyn and used to listen to this all the time on my old iPod, alongside Florence & the Machine and MGMT’s early albums. Very floaty, vibey, chill. Somehow makes me feel a bit cold temperature-wise. I like his voice better than hers, but they do work well together.

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.

Eh. Wasn't really for me but wasn't actively irritating either. 2.5 rounded up

It was okay, decent background music while I was working. Probably not something I’ll come back for more of, but it was interesting enough that I didn’t skip around.

So, so mid. Music isn't bad, but it's not interesting to me. Vocals aren't bad, but they don't capture my attention. I don't hate this, but even if this band came up on a play list I'd probably tune it out. Just super bland music.

This was fine..

Atmospheric English indie pop group. Very chill, not too much that resonates, but certain parts are very familiar somehow. I swear I've heard "Intro" before, but then... probably not. "Fantasy" is pretty trippy.

snorkkkkkkkkk mimimimimi

Good album. Chill, simple vibes but with some nice little grooves and catchy tunes. For me very reminiscent of Angus & Julia Stone.

They should call this genre of music borecore. Not much interesting going on here, and even the singers sound bored. Guess I just don't get it.

Would definitely turn on during work again; very nostalgic and ambient for me; Intro alone could take this all the way home, but I also like most of the other tracks just fine.

Very mellow. Minimalistic. Slightly haunting and depressing.

I like this

I'd never heard of this band before today, and that's one of the reasons I'm thankful I've been doing this listening party. If I hadn't, I've had missed a real gem of an album. I love male/female vocal duets. I loved the electro-pop. It's not something that I'd normally put on for myself, but it's something I'd definitely listen to again

I've definitely heard Intro before on some instrumental playlist. It sounded way too familiar. And it's weird when a song called Intro is the most played song, but in this case, it's really good! It totally sets the tone for the rest of the album. The intro riff for Islands is incredible. Caught my attention right away and loved it throughout. I think my favourite song from the album. This album was a really fresh listen. The vocals remind me of Of Monsters and Men (guilty pleasure of mine). The instrumentals don't try to do too much but compliment the vocals nicely. It's one of those albums that I can put on in any mood, and I'd happily listen to it cover-to-cover. Did it blow me away, no. Did I enjoy the heck out of it, yes.

#86 - Great album, love the intro particularly. Amazing for a vibey session. Not five star because I cannot find a foothold in it.

Fell off a cliff after the first two minutes

Perfect

Well produced and well performed. Songs lacked oomph however.

Listened to this album at work. What a start to our day. Just what we needed.

Surprisingly good.

5 stars

nostalgie

A nice voice and some good beats in the background. I thought I heard some cover songs in there, but maybe they were just inspired.

This is definitely my favorite of theirs. Even then, it is incredibly front-loaded. Those first four tracks are so good and then the rest are meh to me. Rating: 3.4

Not the most exciting but it's very pleasant

I kind of liked this music, but I thought a lot of the songs sounded a lot alike.

Listened Before? N Very mellow. Good chilling/background music. Very minimalistic and I like the approach of the layered male and female vocals. Beyond that, there is no standout track here and the album overall is just not memorable. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Crystalised

Only heard “Islands” this is a distinct vibe… good album

Never heard of these guys. There was something compelling about the music. I liked it.

There is very little to this album. It's subtle, quiet, chill, intimate. It has White Stripes vibes, if The White Stripes had a stripped-down sound. It comes really easy, and feel so comfortable, but at the same time is serious, like teenagers telling each other secrets at 2 am during a sleepover. I really like it. I think that the bass and guitar work is what makes it so good. If the style was even slightly different, it would have ended up being a much different (and probably worse) album. It'd be cool if the album were a little bit longer, but I'm not going to complain about a shorter listen. Favorite Song(s): Crystalised

Legitimately never heard of this group so was hoping to discover some new music. Not sure what type of music I would say this is, kind of chill-wavy. All the songs sounded the same to me, kind of bland and nondescript. Apparently this was a pretty highly acclaimed album, but I didn't care for it.

intro- iMovie stock music sounding/ no lyrics/not for me/ 3/10 VCR- laid back/study music/ simple but effective/ 6/10 Crystallised- frustratingly slow yet fast (???)/ 4/10 I stopped listening here. for me this album Is boring and repetitive after skimming through the rest of the songs VCR was the best one 2/5

An album from my mid to late teenage years. Was certainly an "in" style for a while. Reminds me of the like of City of the Sun and London Grammar. "Intro", although heavily used in many different media, is an almost epic song to start the album. The rest of the album mostly delivers on the promise of this song. Islands, Heart Skipped A Beat, Fantasy and Night Time as my favourite of the rest. Gets a bit tired by the end, so 4* seems to be the fairest. Good ol' Jamie XX on the production and electronic stuff. Nice!

It's giving cozy dark indie rock and I love it!

8/10

In a word, yawn.

Ok sound

I know this one - it's not bad

A little dark, a little weary but not bad.

Classic - still think of it as a recent album and one of the few current artists that I follow - turns out it came out in 2009...

xx This passed me by a bit when it came out, although I do know some of it as I remember it being played a lot in my old office. They do have one trick, but it’s a superbly enjoyable trick, the atmosphere they create with relatively minimal instrumentation is very appealing. Elements of indie, new wave and electronica all tied up with a reverb bow and sung over with almost sheepish, melancholic vocals, kind of directed at each other but also seemingly not quite communicating very well. It never veers too far from that template, but I don’t think it needs to when the overall feel is so immersive, it’s a great headphone listen, a great work listen and, I imagine, a great darkened room listen or a great motorway at 3am as headlights flash by listen. I’m guessing Intro or Stars are ones for Paul’s trains at dusk playlist? Not sure it quite gets to 5 but its easily a high 4 ✖️✖️✖️✖️ Playlist submission: VCR

For a sad day, a lonely train journey, a break-up, when you find out your newborn is ginger, this is quite the soundtrack, albeit highly formulaic. The formula features heavily reverbed guitar picking out a melody and downbeat delivery. The vocal duets work excellently. It's actually rather surprising how many of these tracks have seeped into my consciousness, without going out of my way to listen to them or ever to listen to this album. Maybe because the BBC has probably used every one of these for advertising various bleak dramas over the years, probably written by Jimmy McGovern. The album does dip as it goes on, never quite matches the opening run of 4 or 5 songs.

I like this, but I find it quite monotonous. The exaggerated vocals begin to grate after a while.

This has been a favourite of mine since it's release. I love the sparse nature of the album, and Romi's voice is a thing of beauty.

A whole vibe - transcendent car ride

Too much on the twee end of indie for my liking

Not good. Basic synthesized beats and generic chords with mumbled lyrics

First song chill. Wish they didnt sing that much afterwards. But still kinda vibey. But nothing more than that. 3/5

I don't mind that the songs kinda sound the same. Really chill stuff.

I would put on something like this in the background while I read in the evening.