Reviews (page 9 of 15)
The opening track is a '5', and nothing else caught my ear.
Melodic, beautiful, haunting.
Ihan passelia taustamusiikkia, mutta ei tätä sen kummemmin kiinnostu kuuntelemaan.
A good album for night shifts - Intro and Islands are classics. Does get quite boring towards the end, Infinity especially just gets louder without much else going on. Overall good 3.75/5
Cracking album this, great background music
Wasn't at all familiar with this group, but I enjoyed it. Has a sound very reminiscent of a lot of early 2010s indie rock groups.
Nostalgía. Gott chill og vinnuplata. Minimalisminn nýtur sín vel og átti vel við early 10's. Má ekki taka þessu of alvarlega.
Frábær vinnuplata. Var aðeins betri í minningunni.
Enjoyed it
I knew one song going into this review, "Heart Skipped A Beat" and learned they have a few more popular songs with over 200M listens. I had no idea that they had any popularity, or a following, but clearly the least listened to track on this album has 40M listens, so I wasn't paying attention. Loved the "Intro" to set the tone and lay down the groove they have in mind for the record. I enjoyed the entire album but I'd never put this on a Top 1001 albums list. It's too one dimensional. People listen to this because it's chill and good background music, not because it's influential, cutting edge or amazing. It's a solid 3+ stars but if this album disappeared tomorrow I don't think anyone would really notice. Morcheeba did more compelling mellow trippy music with sexy vocals in their heyday.
This isn’t the most exciting album in the world, but it is very smooth and well-produced, and a little innovative to boot. You could throw this on almost any time for almost any mood. Still, its applicability to everything means it ends up not being specific to much of anything. Best song: Islands
Never heard of the band or the artist, and there was no link to listen to it
+++ crystalized, infinity --- heart skipped a beat, night time somewhat familiar with this one (thanks mom). every song i already knew i knew for a reason, they're some of the best of the album. intro is so instantly recognizable, and infinity was a sleeper for me in how much i loved it despite never hearing it before. the low points aren’t even that low, just feel more generically 2010 indie than the rest.
Suddenly im 14 again....
The definition of a vibe - lush but restrained, almost understated but so exacting in the message and its delivery. Wild to think this is from 2009 - the influences are clearly everywhere in pop and dance music, but this album still sounds so fresh. It's strange how this can be so fresh and be so nostalgic at the same time. I was not aware of this album in 2009, and really only discovered The xx following Jamie xx's solo project, so I don't even have true nostalgia associated with the music, it just curates that feeling so well. I don't know if there's a deep longing in the music or if there's a deep understanding of the simple aspects of love and longing.
This has some very pleasant sounds on it, but it's all rather mellow and sublimated for me - I prefer some grit, a little edge, but this is mice.
Somehow my first listen to this! Feels very of its time but also I can feel its fingerprints all over pop music since it came out. Enjoyed it more than i thought!
Somewhere between EDM and Chill. Great background music. 3.5/5
1.5 not very interesting airy background music. Favorite songs: none
Really liked a couple of the songs when this was out, but never listened to the entire album. I like it a lot. Will add to my playlist!
I probably wanted to like it more than I did, but sheesh, if beating a dead horse was an album.
Another timeless classic
Not quite sure where to put this one. I loved (and overplayed) this and their 2012 album quite a bit in college. 3.5 stars feels right but rounding down because it doesn’t reach a 4 for me
Tbh kind of boring to me but not the worst listen
Hmmm, okay for my taste. A little to mellow most of the time.
ha començat semblant no copyright songs per videos de youtube està millorant segueix sent una mica pal
Not sure how I feel about this upon first listening...it was interesting. It sounds ahead of its time with the lowkey, almost whispered vocals, but also very much of its time with many of those subtle late 2000s indie tropes in the actual music here. Many of these songs feel like lead-ups (or even intros) that never develop (heck the most popular song here is an intro that goes nowhere). I didn't hate it - the subdued nature of everything makes the occasional lack of a coherent song structure less noticeable. Aesthetically, it reminded me a lot of Portishead, especially with the female vocals on 'Shelter'. The music composition of this is much different though, with many songs consisting of these, often pleasant, reverb melodic guitar lines (akin to groups like Explosions in the Sky I'd say). The guitars were the best part of this album, my favorite being the ones driving the catchy 'VCR' and 'Night Time' which may be my favorite song here. It's a minimalistic album, which is cool, you don't often see an album this understated, brooding, and dark do this well in the mainstream, especially not in the bombastic-mainstream-year that was 2009. I appreciate this record, but it's not something I see myself revisiting very often.
very polished indie pop that doesn’t do anything crazy, but doesn’t do anything really bad. not fully my thing, i think jamie xx’s solo work is much better than this, but still, pretty damn good
3.4 stars rounded down. “Fantasy” and “Shelter” are the standout tracks. The rest is worth a listen.
Didn't like it.
Good album
This was kinda neat. Airy, dreamy, ethereal. I wonder why I haven't heard of these guys.
It was pretty good but not for my taste
One of the most beautiful albums of all time, my middle school soundtrack
4 stars. Surprisingly good. Lots of goodness here.
It was okay, but I’m not sure if I’ll listen to it again
Beetje saai af en toe. Paar leuke nummers
An album I was pretty intimately familiar with going in, though I hadent ever heard it in full. I very much enjoyed it- the vibes are enchanting and mystical, and the play between the dual vocal parts in the songs is fun and smart. The bangers were definite bangers- the Intro starts off strong and Crystalize is an amazing song. Overall- simple and effective.
Very nice, but it's unfortunately giving planet fitness playlist a little (especially towards the end). Still, love the spacey and laid back production, would fall asleep to this Fav Songs: Crystalised, Islands, Shelter
I love The xx. I knew it would be enjoyable
2 stars
The instruments on this album were beautifully paced and composed. Worth a dedicated slow listen through on this one.
cristallized ist cool und generell mag ich den Sound der Band. Hört sich n bisschen nach Florence and the Machine an. Gefiel mir 4 Sterne
Eines meiner Lieblingsalben, könnte ich durchgehend hören. vor allem Intro, crystalised, Islands, Heart skipped a beat.
Schwer zu beurteilen. Erinnerte mich an den Soundtrack von Disco Elysium. Kann verstehen wenn man es mag oder nicht mag. Songs der Playlist hinzugefügt: Keine
This is the first one that's been generated for me so far that I can say I didn't particularly enjoy. It wasn't bad but it felt a bit uninspired and bland to me. I may be a bit biased since I don't really like Pop music as a whole but I struggled to pick just 2 songs for the mega playlist I'm building around all of these albums. I'm currently relistening to the album a little while typing this and I'm still not feeling much from this one. There are some cool atmospheric sections to this album which makes headphones kinda essential on a listen-through.
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
Okay I've never heard of this band before but I immediately recognize the intro. I like the chill vibe, it's great background music. Very airy and minimal. Worth giving it a second listen to find my fav songs and adding them to chill stoner playlists. Right up my alley. 4/5
Made me both antsy and sleepy. I definitely liked a few of the songs, the more tumblr2014 ones.
This was an easy listen. I quite enjoyed it.
Sparse and laid back indie rock. Good background music and a cool collection of sounds in additional to the usual indie rock elements.
xx by The xx just confirmed what I already kinda knew — indie rock’s not really my thing. The whole album has a super minimal, moody vibe that never really goes anywhere. Every song blends into the next, and after a while it just feels like one long, slow track on repeat. I don’t have a favorite or least favorite because, honestly, they all sound pretty much the same to me. Not terrible, just not interesting. It’s background music at best, and even then, I’m probably skipping it.
Enjoyable but I would have liked a few more energetic songs
Pretty laid back but not bad.
This album is fine, inoffensive late 2000s early 2010s atmospheric indie. I've never been a huge The xx fan, and this album was just serviceable. I totally get why it was included because bands like Alt-J, M83, and Phoenix were probably inspired by this album. Unfortunately, The xx is worse than any of those previously mentioned bands. Best Songs: Intro, Crystalised, Shelter Forgettable Songs: The rest
Ok background music.
34 days in, and I've finally hit my first 1 star. Good lord this is unlistenable. The first track, "Intro" (real clever name for an album that doesn't have a concept), doesn't have any singing. Which is a good thing, because holy shit does the album go downhill once the singing starts. The vocals, which are somehow both way too present, given the sparsity of other instrumentation, and entirely forgettable, sound like they are being sung by two people who are just barely awake. The female singer is louder and easier to hear, but it doesn't make it interesting. The male singer has no compression on his voice, so half of his singing gets buried in the mix. And the majority of the dual singing is just the two of them singing the same melodic line with no attempt at harmonizing, and they're voices don't blend well. And every song sounds like they tried to recall Chris Isaac's Wicked Game from memory having heard it only once. Moody guitars with a pseudo-surf rock sound, slow, plodding beats, total lack of dynamic change across the entire album...gawd this sucked.
HEAVILY fw this one. I like how it blends together many elements of many genres while still being a cohesive project. Would give it a 9/10 but theres only stars so its getting 4 of them. 👅
fairly short and concise, well put-together, and not exactly the type of music I'd ordinarily listen to. I had heard this one before and I do enjoy it, thought it was something I wouldn't want to come back to, but I was pleasantly surprised the second time around. There's not a moment on this album I didn't enjoy this time around.
The woman has a great voice and is nice to listen to, the guy I don't really like listening to at all. The instrumentation is sparse but the right instruments drop in at the right time, especially the guitar. I really liked the first few songs but it dropped of hard after that. The latter half was boring and didn't relaly have much enjoyable about it. Wanted to give it 4 stars but 3 is the most I can muster.
Very good for modern minimalist electronica 3/4, delivery and song writing tips it to 4.
I wanted to like this, and it did sound like a few artists I listen to but I also found myself bored for the first couple of songs. In the end I landed in the middle. Not the best but certainly not the worst. Would probably spin it again
Lyrics: 1/5 Music: 2/5 Production: 2/5 Cohesiveness: 3/5 Overall: 2/5 Stand out songs: Intro Crystallised Fits the moody teenager vibe that we all quickly grow out of Some very clean bass and guitar lines against some remotely interesting electronic drums. Lyrics weren’t great but I get that that’s not the main focus of the music. All stays at the same level for me, never gets great never gets terrible, never really picks up out of the lazy strolling (I get it’s supposed to be) and becomes, dare I say, boring after a while. Makes a change to hear some space in music these days and I’m all for that, but let’s fill in that space sometimes Not a massive fan of the singers voice. Again, I get it, but it doesn’t do it for me . I’m sure I’ll say this a lot with this generator but if this is in the top 1001 albums list I’d really have to ask why? It’s a very average album that deserves praise in some areas but it’s not pushing any boundaries, stays very safe throughout and doesn’t offer any real emotions
So bland. No idea why they were so lauded.
Decent album but didn't like it that much.
My love for this album is about 95% nostalgia bias, but I don't care. I remember hearing this for the first time about 3 years ago, it was late in the evening and I had heard of this band called The xx and had no idea what to expect. I wanted something new to listen to, so I thought why not. And as soon as I pressed play, the Intro song was one I was unknowingly familiar with, and it felt so comforting. The rest of the album was exactly what I was in the mood for in that moment, and now whenever I hear it I always think of that night.
Enjoyed it, chill.
Every song sounded exactly the same
Minimalista y tranquilo. Las voces hacen buen juego y la atmósfera está muy bien trabajada. Requiere algo de esfuerzo y un par de escuchas para tomarle gusto.
Minimalistisk, chillern, veldig 🥺👉🏻👈🏻 musikk. Noen ville kanskje kalt det kjedelig, men jeg tenker «less is more». Akkurat som en god matrett, så har den rene lyder (smaker) og lite støy. Veldig nice! Passer ekstremt til eksamenslesing, og mens man går hjem fra byen kanskje ? Jeg rater den 9/10 og 9-10 GT’s
Aldri hørt om disse før. Veldig minimalistisk og lett å høre på. Vokalene er ikke særlig interessante, noe som gjør hele opplevelsen litt døll og kjedelig. Funker nok som fin bakgrunnsmusikk når man er sliten og går non-verbal når man er ute med venner. Skjønner hvorfor noen kan like det, men var ikke interessant nok for min del. Skulle vært mer kick. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Great album! Definitely going into the rotation. It was very magical. Can't wait to listen to this album in the middle of summer on a camping trip staring at the stars
Just do a cover of Wicked Game, you cowards
I really enjoyed this album! It was different and a pretty great listen
unique, timeless record. 2009 i miss you
Loving the vibes in here. However, the album's very frontloaded, with the first four songs being the best. Whole thing's worth a listen though.
Was really bored to start off but turned into a pleasant listen. Nothing to write home about though.
Monotone, bland, boring. No thanks
Too bland for me ... the singers sounded shy and timid, the songs didn't have any spark.
I liked most of it. Initially i didnt think I would recognize any of the songs. But it turned out that I actually had listened to some of those before.
This was a bit more boring than I remember but it's still great. It was a revelation when I was in uni.
Undeniably catchy songs. Like block party but without the intensity. Ruined by the guys mumbly and girls breathy vocals.
Most boring album so far out of almost 700. Not annoying enough for 1 star.
Good album, surprising add to the album list
Okay, not that bad but some tracks weren't my style. Overall 5/10
Direct goeie om te beginnen, de rest is rustiger dan verwacht maar wel goed
i would pay RateYourMusic a million dollars if they would let me post my I See You review again unchanged except for the standout tracks having been adjusted. my opinion hasn't changed. the exact sum of the band member's parts, just with one more person who they decided to kick out of the band afterwards because they were bored. xx sounds like a day that threatens to rain but never does, preferring to thunder in the distance and never shower you with any real vibrancy in the music. i am never excited to hear a The xx track; i am simply subjected to it. do you think the band finds it demoralizing that people consider a wordless, two minute intro their best song? or does all the money the group gets from car commercials help to assuage their cognitive dissonance?
Loved this when it was new and again now. Wonderful atmospheric album. Electronic beats, surf guitar, whispered vocals - I don't know why it works, but it does.
Great guitarist. I’m not fond of breathy singers. Seems like a lack of vocal ability. He talk/sings too. Seems like depression music. Still they’re not screaming or rapping so an automatic pass from me (in a good way). 3/5
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%
Enjoyable but didn’t stand out
The first half of this album is fantastic, has a satisfying collaboration of sound and song. The second half of the album begins to merge and not particularly stand out to me as much. Very good album to listen to while working on a train
I've known this album for a long time and have listened to it quite a few times over the years, and even own it on LP. With "Intro" and "Crystalised" at the beginning, xx immediately starts off promisingly. I have always liked "VCR" as well. It is a somewhat languid song, but that is their style. That style is precisely the biggest flaw of this band: Their music is often a bit lifeless and (too) dreamy for my taste. But hey: Enjoy it in moderation, then it is perfectly acceptable. "Islands" and "Heart Skipped A Beat" are still good songs, but still, I understand very well why this album has been forgotten. I can't find any element that makes many of the songs unforgettable, which would tempt me to put it on again. From "Shelter" onwards the album definitely collapses. The music becomes even dreamier and slower, the melody is increasingly hard to find and the somewhat whiny vocals of both Romy and Oliver are starting to stand out more and more. The album meanders on and my attention wanes. 3* for this modern classic with a small 'c'. Not a grand prize, but a pass.
Þetta var skrítið. Mér fannst ég þekkja mörg stefin í lögunum án þess að þekkja lögin. Ætli þetta sé ekki ein af útvarpshljómsveitunum sem ég heyri í en hlusta ekki á. Lögin voru mjög fín en ég mun líklegast ekki muna eftir þessari plötu. Ekkert að henni samt
Very enjoyable
Some of the best writing and study and chilling music out there.
Great album. Such a cornerstone of the 2010s and big influence on a lot of the vibey music i listen to today (khruangbin etc).
Decently mellow, but not overly memorable.
Liked many parts of this album, although stylistically it will always become background music. Not terribly complicated and somewhat predictable. First time with this band but I’d listen again. 4/5
cool
Great chill wine and hookah music. Artsy and light!
This album sort of sounds like what a college freshman who just bought a guitar, synths, and some software would make in his basement with his girlfriend. That doesn't necessarily mean it's bad, it's just plain. Nothing inspiring about it at all. It gets boring and repetitive after hearing the same song over and over. I mean I can't for the life of me figure out why this album is on this list. Even with the bad albums I've come across or those I just don't like I can usually see why they would be included. But there is nothing special about this one way or another - it wasn't groundbreaking, it’s not profound, it's not novel in any way. 2/5
mumble mumble mumble
a very influential indie pop record that i find hard to dislike. now an established sound of the whole era of indie pop, the minimalistic instrumentation, paired with graceful vocal performances, makes this record feel like a soft touch, a warm hug, a tender moment in a dimly lit room during nighttime.
Minimalist Indie-Pop, probably takes a few listens to appreciate. Didn't blow me away, they have an interesting sound but no song really stood out bar the intro. Not bad, just not brilliant either for me.
As some peers mentioned, the first track (Intro) is really promising. After that, the ride felt flat and bored. I gave it a second try and fell asleep. Literally! This album is not bad and it’s not annoying, but it feels bland to me. I appreciate sparse music, but this is not evocative enough. With these uninspired lyrics and raspy voices, the xx output does very little for me. I’d give it a 5/10 if it was possible. Since it’s not, it will be a 2/5.
Good background music, but not much else. 2/5
I enjoyed this album. Vocals are pretty cutesy, and some songs get a bit dark and meandering for my taste, but it's a really good sound overall. I think it's most effective when they aren't leaning to hard into the cutesy or the moody and find a really nice poppy middle.
Never really listenened to the guys,but i was surprised that i like it,melancholy electronica,like a sad daft punk.
5/5 A masterpiece album, almost unique in its genre. Intro is an iconic song
Actually really good
great album and im listening to the whole discography now
This album was sooo calming. Honestly I'd work to this for sure (I was working when I listened to most of this album). The vocals are so well done, the instrumentation sounds so clean and clear. I really like it. I need to be in a mood to listen to music like this but I can see listening during a night walk/drive for sure Liked Songs: "Crystalised" , "Islands" , "Basic Space" , "Shelter"
liked songs: Crystalised, Fantasy, Infinity Very good album, very cohesive, and just about exactly what it should be. I do wish that a couple of the songs would have built up just a little more, but I really enjoyed this. 4.25
I like an atmospheric album now and then. This was a chill vibe, but not so chill that I was completely uninterested or disengaged from it.
Turns little to lots, With simply slick beats and coos Sung sweetly, sadly
Ha mi nie so richtig mit the xx befasst aber immer denkt dass denn das irgendwenn no passiere wird. Und jetzt isches passiert. Grundsätzlich chammer scho säge das mer das im gsamte sehr zueseit. Isch mer aber mer aber ab und zue scho gad chli gär plain und troche von sound her. I bi nöd so en fan vom gsang vo de frau, find aber super dass es e wiblichi und e männlichi stimm het. Aber alles i allem gfallt mer das eigentli scho.
Ganz geils Album!!!! Es vo de wenige wohni wirklech scho s ganze Album glost han. The XX hed mech jetzt au scho über en längeri Ziit musikalisch begleitet und immer wieder überzügt. Daher kristalisierte sich die erste 5 Sterlini use!
Da bini grad chli nervös worde wo das Album azeigt worde isch. Nervös als würd mer sin Teenie-crush nach 10 Jahr wiedermal gseh und mer frögt sich, öb mer grad wider die ahziehig gspühre wird? The XX isch definitiv eini vo dene Bands woni ahgfange han Musig gnüsse, und The XX am Züri Openair 2013 no immer s best Konzert woni erlebt han. Let's go! Und so fühlt sich the XX no ah für mich: chli 10er Jahr-Indie, chli pupentierend, chli unsicher, chli übertrieben melancholisch und chli gspührsch mi fühlsch mi. Es duet mer leid The XX, aber mir hend eus doch eifach biz usenandglebt. Es liht au gar ned ah dir, dinere truurige Stimme und dine doch sehr nice Gitarre-riffs. Ich han mich eifach wiiter entwickelt und bin kein truurige Teenie meh... Sondern jetzt en truurige Erwachsne. Goodbye. Ps. Was defür Spass gmacht het isch de Radio wo nach em Album gloffe isch: Alt-J, Moderat, Apperat, Röyksopp: all die crushes woni no immer biz en crush druf han. PPS. Sorry für de wiedermal überlangi text, han eifach zviel Ziit grad.
Schöne guete Fritig liebe Album Klöpp ToBu Zerst mal herzlichi gratulation a the xx fürs beste intro i de gschicht vo de intros. Thömbs öp, für das meisterwerk vom ne track. Abgseh devo isch album solid, aber halt au nöd meh. Weiss nöd öb mir es klars 3er-album uf nes 4i chan lüpfe wege eim track, hans gfühl nööd. Offnigi frage wo bliebed: Wieso heissed sie und s album xx und hend nur immer eis x im cover?
damals, wos no kei youtube premium geh hett undmer sich video ah video hett chöne inezieh, hett sich klein basil wölle bibringe wiemer im pool am lengste dluft chan ahhalte als ältischte sohn vo de familie mayer/ruckstuhl isch das natürlich essentiell dasmer sich da vo sine chline nerfige brüdere chan abhebe und als nr.1 badenixe etabliere drum isch de KB denn über es video gstolperet vom tüfschte swimmingpool uf de welt – de nemo 33 (absolute traum döte mal chli go schwümmerle gah) und ufem einte video wo sich de KB inezoge hett isch natürich im hintergrund es sehr tolls lied gloffe, und zwar isches VCR vo the XX gsi und somit isch de link zwüschet dere band und em KB hergstellt gsi es witers treffe wo mir mit dere band im chopf blibe isch, isch natürlich ihren uftritt ah eusem 2. melt gsi damals frisch mit de soma zeme hend mir beide und dkarin eus ah dem konzert vergnüegt, bis en liecht ahtrunkene basil sich denkt hett; ah das isch doch sonen ruhige romantische moment, de werded dsoma und ich eus sicher no lang drah erinnere drum hetter sich ih sinnere jugendliche liechtsinnigkeit zu de karin übereglehnt und hett gmeint; chum karin gang doch mal weg, denn chani da en romantische moment mit de soma ha lustigerwiis ischmer vom ganze konzert nüt im chopf blibe, nume dasi fies zu de karuse gsi bin ah dere stell namal as dickes sorry ad karin, das isch ganz blöd gsi, hoffentlich bischmer nüme bös danke fürs lese XOXO
guete morge, wow basil riese review leistig gsi gester <3 mit gmüesreferenze umegrüehrt als wäre mer ufm farmers market zu the xx: han mi gfreut das album ganz z'lose, nachdems denn aber fertig gsi isch, isch mer das woni vermuetet han no meh bewusst worde: die beschte lieder vom album hani scho gspeicheret und es sind kei bahnbrechendi neuentdeckige gmacht worde… 1 lied woni mal grossartig gfunde han (the intro obviously) und 3 lieder woni mal sehr guet gfunde han , rest okay… mittlerwiile findi 1 grossartig (the intro obviously), 1 sehr guet und 2 guet zu dem ziitpunkt wo's usecho isch hani s'gfühl heds sich sehr ziitlos und futuristisch ahgfühlt aber irgendwie lahd mi s'gfühl nöd los das das album eifach zu fescht nach early 2010s tönt und fast chli stuck in time isch… und das nöd zwingend uf en schöni nostalgischi art sondern fast chli nervig -> probably eher tagesformabhängig, aber gseh mi jetzt nöd sick s‘ganze album ineballere ih naher zuekunft trotz dere aktuelle kritische ihstellig hani aber doch schöni ziite mit dene lieder verbracht also gids doch 4 chnuschtis id friteuse
Hooky and yet also very minimalist. I’m not sure why I slept on this so long. There are some really nice songs on here and tons of space. I’ll be revisiting this again
11/5 never heard this one but I’ve heard good things! I love it! So groovy so catchy
I remember liking this album when it came out, but it’s definitely a product of its time. I can’t say that that this had any cultural impact beyond its initial release.
Loved this album when it first came out. Holds up, I guess, but doing the close-listening thing reveals it to be pretty insipid. I mean, these lyrics are trash. 5 star background music album, but what makes it good for that makes it bad for, y'know, listening. Splitting the difference with a 3. Either way, I don't think this is an album you have to hear before you die.
Cringe lyrics but good music and good vibes Still kinda mid overall I have 5/7 songs ig
I think this is what the kids call "shoegaze" or "bedroom pop." Nice to work to. "Infinity" recalled to mind Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" and "Smalltown Boy" by Bronski Beat. I listened to this album 2x, and then their latest release from 2022; I preferred this self-titled album over their new album.
Quite nice.
2 stars if it wasn’t for island and intro. Intro by itself is 5 star
kind of boring
++: Intro, Crystallised, Infinity +: VCR, Islands, Heart Skipped a Beat, Fantasy, Shelter, Basic Space, Night Time +-: Stars 7,3/10
All killer no filler. First two tracks are nostalgic to me growing up in the UK. Love the blend of pop, indie and electronic, it all works so well. Romy’s guitar sounds very summery so works well with those genres.
Really nice, chill indie album. It's basically my definition of a 3 star album—pleasant enough for a re-listen, but not interesting enough to think about it again. Best song: Shelter Other highlights: Intro 3.5 stars
Favorite Track: Islands
VCR has remained one of my favorite songs since middle school. In all honesty, I appreciate this album as the cultural monolith it was at the time, practically a bible for American Apparel wearing Tumblr try-hards. I am not sure if nostalgia is clouding my perception but it soundtracks such a specific section of Gen Z online experience... ugh. I'm re-blogging black and white gifs of Alex turner again. A little surprised this album is on this list.
How'd I miss this one? All around a great album
Not bad. Parts of it kind of reminded me of New Order
Ultra og hipster
Shit day, got let go. I gotta be honest, it's not going to be easy to shake that association, but overall it's pretty alright. There are some iconic songs and I love Jamie XX, but this album also felt a bit too monotonous to really love it deeply.
Cool sounds but a bit sleepy
The Original Era Tumblr Girl™️ in me adores this record because it reminds me of being a moody, brooding teenage queer (who was very, very, very in the closet) who chain-smoked unfiltered cigarettes in the parking lot of the combination Taco Bell/Kentucky Fried Chicken in her hometown and romanticized everything she touched. The adult in me also adores this record, but I think that's because it's just a fucking amazing record.
Beautiful album that I already loved before now, but listening closely it rose from being a 4 in my memory to a 5 - no real faults I could give.
Boring boring boring, nothing particularly wrong with the performance. Music just feels like it was made for Millennial commercials
Intro always gets me in the feels. I absolutely love the vibe of the full album. Such an indolent sound.
Discovered this album in 2009 but never made it past the first 4 tracks. Glad I give it a full listen.
Bit boring. I’m a big fan of Jamies solo stuff and quite like Romys, but I just couldn’t get into this album.
4/5
Not something I'd choose to listen but pleasant
Vocals are a bit strange and lacking, but the overall chill vibe of the record makes it captivating. Solid.
This ended up being a decent little listen. Didn’t blow my socks off, but I’m not mad at it
Alright here we go. And the 2009's Barista's Choice Album of the Year goes to.... The XX! From 2009 to 2015 I couldn't get an almond milk dirty chai without hearing this stuff. SUPER disaffected, well-made, minimalistic hipster music that will offend NOBODY. I liked this when it came out too, but by 2010 I was over it hard, it was wildly overplayed. The appeal of feeling "cool" without the burden of having an "actual edge" is so appealing that this album seemed to do gangbusters and I had enough quickly. I still never mind hearing this out in the wild but honestly this is the only time since 2009 that I've listened to this on purpose. When it comes to music like this I can count on encountering it enough times without needing to seek it out for myself. There's nothing in this album I need to return to, but I'll be damned if it's not tastefully done. These minimalistic arrangements allow the tone of each instrument to really get a moment. All the amp tones, snare sounds, breathy vox, it all gets its time in the moonlight. This plays like more of a vibey mood-setting record than anything. Songwriting-wise, this works in a vague "I'm feeling disconnected but not sure why" kind of narrative throughout. The strength in this is in its minimalism. We've all heard music about feeling a bit ambiguously alienated that tries too hard. Gigantic anthemic overtones blow out the drama to 11 and it feels like much too much. I get it you had a disagreement with your partner or your dad doesn't get you but calm down.. Well that's where XX come in clutch, got feelings to sort out and figure out what to do with? Want to feel deep but don't know why? They'll get you there.. real calmly. Let's land this plane nice & easy. It's a funny thing, out of all the cafes I heard this playing in, I never remembered hearing it in a bar.. best not to mix too many downers I suppose..
Vaak viel ik in m'n reviews over het gebrek aan variatie en ogenschijnlijk simplisme. Dit album loopt daar van over, maar het stoort me geen moment. Ik denk zelfs dat het de sleutel is tot z'n succes, en waarom het vandaag de dag nog steeds 'fresh' zou klinken. Het is uiterst effectief met z'n echoënde gitaren en subtiele synths, en de piano die precies doet wat je brein verwacht. Het zou eigenlijk saai moeten zijn, maar los van een zwak middenstukje weet hij me wel echt te boeien. Nog steeds, na al die jaren. Het oor voor melodie, en hoe die te verpakken in een eenvoudig - en vooral tijdloos - concept, maakt van Jamie XX wel echt één van de meest befaamde pioniers in de indie pop van deze eeuw. Ik snap echter wel waarom de discografie van het duo als een nachtkaars uit leek te gaan, want waar je bij deze plaat nog wel geniet van de effectieve eenvoud was al hun kruit al wel aardig verschoten. 8/10 Highlights: Intro Crystalised Islands Heart Skipped A Beat
Het sfeertje dat wordt neergezet op xx is erg lekker. Intro zet dit echt fenomenaal neer. Wat een sterke plaatopener en echt een cult-nummer geworden door fifa en festivals. De trage dromerige sfeer wordt heerlijk doorgezet, maar the xx klinkt toch anders dan veel andere dreamy indie bands. Volgens mij komt dat twee dingen; 1. Jamie xx - hij is de drijvende kracht achter de band, en iemand die werkt als een producer van elektronische muziek. Dat maakt de muziek van een indie band ritmischer en dansbaarder. In alle nummers zit een soort opbouw en drop, ook zonder harde beat. Jamie xx heeft zelf veel van de nummers van the xx geremixed. 2. Romy & Oliver - de stemmen van Romy en Oliver Sim zijn - in tegenstelling tot veel dreampop bands - kraakhelder. De samenzang van uniek en zeker de stem van Oliver Sim is super helder en fragiel. En ik hou erg van de stem van Romy, die slaat altijd aan bij mij, merk ik. xx van the xx is prachtig mooi en heeft een uniek plekje in de 00's/10's indie-wereld. Ook naar de solo-albums van de drie luister ik graag. Voor een 5 sterren is deze plaat net iets te traag, maar heb er van genoten! 8/10 Highlights Intro Crystalised Basis Space
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
Ok, I like the intro tube and I like some of the sounds they get but don’t love it as a whole xx
ehhrh si
pleasant but a bit backgroundy
Not bad, but kinda washed out after a bit.
Its a grower I have passively listened to tracks of this for a few years now and this is my first visit to the full album since my initial listen. It works beautifully together with great production
I was very curious at the beginning. Waited for a dramatic development from song to song.. but nothing happened.
Sehr schön. Sehr eingängig. Recht viel aus den wenigen Einfällen herausgeholt.
I think this is an important album to have on the list- that being said I really don't like it. This is a hallmark style from a lot of art in my generation - not even just in music but all over. This sort of minimalist, too cool to make anything truly expressive style that, in my opinion, plagues a lot of what got made when I was kid. On one hand it's cool, it's echoed soundscapes are interesting and unique, but on the other hand, too much of this genre is frankly lazy and thinks its better than you. I don't want to shit too hard on my own generation because a lot of really good music was made during this era, but this ain't it. Even if you wanted the trance, minimalist style, you're much better suited with a My Morning Jacket or a Chrome Sparks.
Didn’t realize that I knew half of these songs. Kind of replaceable late aughts indie pop. Not a bad listen, just very 2009.
its funny that the intro is the most famous song, already heard that track before and also crystalised, good album!
Bit of a grower here. At first I was put off by the weak vocals, but music took over and it gets better with every listen. Nice synth sounds in particular.
This album was released right before I started my first year of university. Picture this: I'm 17, confused, directionless, and deeply, deeply uncool. This album was released and its iconic "x" was all over Tumblr. Listening to this album made me feel extremely cool, because the xx and this album have always felt extremely cool to me. (As if that's how it works.) I'm a millennial who grew up listening to music through the radio and then by buying singles from iTunes (lol), so at the time I mainly consumed my music through my own playlists, rather than through albums. (This is still mostly the case outside of listening to albums for this project.) xx was one of the first albums that I listened to as an *album* because it's such a slick, cohesive set of tracks. I hadn't listened to this album in a while, but I still love it. It's dreamy, atmospheric, melancholic, minimalist indie pop-rock that I've always thought is perfection. Yeah, it's a bit dull at times and sometimes Romy and Oliver are just kinda singing in a bored and disinterested way *at* each other rather than together, but I don't care. It's one of the albums that got me into seeking out more indie pop/rock and expanding my music tastes - I don't think I would've gotten into The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire, etc. without it. Favourite tracks: Intro, VCR, Night Time
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.
This album makes me as unsure as Englishman. You see, I happen to really enjoy this music. Fun bass-heavy ‘ear candy’ that has those playful progressive mildly trippy cuddly warm beats. You hear a "but" coming don't you? That Shakespearean vacillation... Well... its also a bit of ‘guilty pleasure’ - I wonder if it's like highly refined food. So perfectly produced & polished so it goes down so easily. Is this musical snobbery/its mass appeal/lack of ‘edge’? ...or that their albums sound so ‘same’ and numbing - so that can get a bit “missionary” or .... hmm.. How do I say this? Soon a need for refreshment creeps in. Why do we doubt what's good? We’re spoilt, and entitled and so easily bored. Confession: I do own a copy. Not on heavy rotation. Of this I am neither proud nor ashamed. "What is infirm from your sound parts shall fly" (All's well that ends well, Shakespeare). It just does feel worthy of a 5
The Guardian named xx as the year's best record in their annual critics poll and hailed it as "the sound of 2009, a distinctive musical statement of the like we may never get to hear again". God help us, music was rubbish in the 2000s, wasn't it? I notice Dimery struggling to provide albums in the 2000s, and he often lazily relies on just listing the Mercury Prize winner. The Mercury Prize is often a signifier of over-rated rubbish (with a few notable exceptions). If you bought all of the Mercury Prize winners, you'd have the worst record collection in the world (apologies to Cameron Crowe). And, as exhibit number one, I present The xx. That said, I admire their marketing team. they pulled out all the stops on the early 2000s hype playbook; hitting up the blogs, placing on soundtracks and TV ads, working the awards circuit, hitting the festivals, and working every social media angle they could. I mean, look at the wikipedia page for this record; you can't tell me that isn't shoehorned full of press release filler until it nearly splits at the seams. Boring, over-rated wallpaper. Update December 2025: I stand vindicated! See this review of the reissue of The xx in the AV Club 'Has The xx’s debut album always sounded this limp and dull?' (https://www.avclub.com/the-xx-debut-album-reissue-review): "Read any coverage of The xx around their debut and you’ll quickly learn that critics, media, and fans alike truly believed the soft-spoken then-four-piece to be Britain’s greatest export since penicillin and the Beatles. ... The album, now reissued on a deluxe version with a handful of scattered bonus tracks, has often been framed as a sacred text throughout these past 15-odd years of indie and pop music. ... But the music I heard on that reissue has problems that go beyond the mere passage of time. To put it bluntly: has xx always sounded this limp and dull? ... the substance is nonetheless lacking, a truth too baldfaced for even the aesthetic polish to hide. ... by the end of the record, you’re almost begging for them to merge away from the slow lane they’ve spent 40 minutes driving in." The review is a harsh but fair take down of the record, and worth a read for anyone who surreptitiously thought this album was wildly over-rated.
Played this with the expectation of trashing it in review and moving on (like many others have), and ended up playing it over and over. Beautiful, ethereal, mesmerising, it's probably been the most surprising album of this project so far for me. It's getting five stars and going in my tidal library.
That intro is timeless and just amazing. I forgot I knew crystalized but what a great song that is. Rest of the album didn't really catch my attention unfortunately.
Quite a sleepy album. Pleasant enough background music but pretty dull. Might just be my headphones but the prominence of some beats didn’t feel quite right in places. Experience maybe not helped by me somehow confusing them with The Gossip and wondering when ‘Standing in the Way of Control’ was going to liven things up.
I'd not heard of this band (I wonder why!). I found it pretty dull really. Nothing to write home about.
Dream pop without the pop. I kept waiting for something to happen. Purgatory pop? Not for me. On a side note I would have bet the house on them being Scandinavian with the dual lead singers, possibly
Zzzzzzzzzzzz
To this day, The XX have a unique sound - a great album.
Snore. I thought this would be a good album. The intro is great but I found it dreary. Her voice was good. He was dull.
Never really listened to this at the time as it was released in my new music wilderness years (2009-2012) and I was always a bit put off by the cool posh kid vibe. Reflections now: Intro, VCR and Crystalised are among the best songs of the past 20 years. Not sure my interest is held over an entire album though, especially when it's this front-loaded. Still, most songs are great additions to any 'quiet times' playlist.
Doesn’t do a whole lot for me. Sound production is impressive though.
Fine piece of work, down tempo, moody atmospheric album. The Intro is now an iconic piece of music. Launched a great musical career for both Jamie Xx & Romy. Deservedly winning the Mercury in 2010.
This is making me feel a lot of good things. What a joy to listen to, it's simple, but so effective. So rich and sparse at the same time. A fantastically simple album with so many hits. It makes so much sense to me now. However, it starts off incredible, but then it becomes a little bit samey - a little bit of variety couldn't have hurt. Hence not the 5* This made less sense to me when it came out.. In the late naughties I was listening to very different music, and catching up with rock and metal from the 90s. So this would have passed me by.
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.
I knew the XX from the radio and was pretty sure I didn't like them, but actually thought this was a really decent album
Just not my favorite honestly. Nice voices but meh.
This music could be the soundtrack to a very good indie movie. It’s not earthshattering, and didn’t have a ton of energy to grab full attention. But it does set a very pleasant vibe! I’m not mad at spending some time with this. Kinda dreamy.
it was fine. Did not match the mood I was in though
Forgot how good this album was. Flows so well.
Distinct sound. Great listen, loved the lead singer. Soft sexy voice.
3/5
No me gustó en absoluto. Es un álbum muy incipiente en la propuesta, demasiado plano y sin argumentos que muevan al oyente hacia sensaciones novedosas. Al parecer no es mi tipo de música, pero trataré de oir más de este grupo del cual nunca tuve referencia.
No
An excellent album, reminded me of London Grammar's debut album, although I think this album was released before LG's
One I've listened to loads so probably a bit unfair to judge against albums I've only listened to once but a belter non the less.
I have realized after starting this project that I am not a fan of minimalist songs / albums. This entire album feels boring and repetitive. I can barely hear what the artist are singing which is supposed to be one of the most powerful parts of these kind of albums. Some cool beats but I also felt disappointed because I would hear some cool sounds that felt like they were going somewhere with a pay off but then would fall flat. The music isn’t bad per se but just not for me.
Brutal
My new favourite chill time album. Honestly the vibes here are unmatched! Favourite track: Night Time
What uninspired drivel this album is. Beyond hated it. What a dreary decade. Can I give it zero
I wish I could unhear this.
Not for me
The intro was the best song. After that it was just mediocre 00’s fare.
Meh. Unlike most Indie efforts I managed to actually get through this one, so that’s gotta count for something.
i didnt really get it then i realized it sounded like half of all pop music from the 2010s onward and im just desensitized so clearly it's influential if i didnt know this album was prestigious and on the 1001 list i might not have passed the wisdom-check to properly appreciate it
6/10
I imagine the CD being blindfolded and placed against the wall. Ready..... Aim ..... FIRE!! Mickey Mouse": "Right, who's next, Coldplay?" Goofy "Say, wasn't dere (sic) last album ok." Mickey: "Ed Sheeran then?" Donald Duck "Mutter, mutter ..." The music is pleasant enough indie electonica, with a low key vibe, quasi deep lyrics and so-so vocals. Something doesn't quite work for me, but it's ok.
Yeah man they tried but they put enougth gas in the tank. Also their outfits sucked.
I liked the new (at the time) laid back and stripped back vibe but got a bit fed up with it being massively overplayed. Good to revisit it, doesn't quite live up to the promise of the great opening track but pretty good nonetheless
Mild background music.
Quite like this album, minimalistic, low-key beats, subdued duets, it's a chill vibe. The downside is that it's largely forgettable. The Intro is such a solid opener!
Lazy voices! Love it. I love this album for what it was for me. Perfect for the hipster college student at the time. This is a funny one to me because I can totally see why someone with no connection to this album would give it a 1.
It's a staple album that I think many people know from the hits, myself included. Diving in while a lot of the sound stayed the same throughout the album i never got bored of it like similar albums I have listened to already. Female vocals are executed well, and the instrumental backing makes the song pleasurable for the ears. Basic space was a cool change-up in pacing compared to the songs that got us to this point.
Classic and solid album, strong start that begins to fizzle a bit toward the end but overall a solid listen if the mood calls for mellow Favorite Song: VCR
Kind of bland and samey, which is a shame because the album opens SO strong and then just fizzles out. Fav Track: Intro
i like their style with the two singers.
Ibtemember really liking this when it came out. Not as much this time, but still good.
peak indie tumblr album
I did listen to this as a kid remember Tim had a copy. Appreciate it a lot more now. Beautiful vocals and instrumentation. Possibly one of the best opening songs on an album?
I really like the intro, too bad the rest of the album didn't follow that style as lyrically its kind of meh. The beathy vocals were a bit over done.
If anyone was stupid enough to read my reviews they would see a small number of recurring patterns, and this album falls in the "I wasn't expecting much, but it was better than I expected, although still not particularly good" pattern. It probably lies somewhere between 2 and 3 stars, I'm feeling generous so will give it 3.
Just grove and vibes with good texture, but some of it just rolls by
A moody listen, could be nice in the right environment. Very minimalist
Far too slow, not one song stood out🤔
I wanted to like this, but dear lord, the awful soppy singing. Combined with a bit too much plinky guitar, my teeth were on edge and I couldn't get into what I'm sure some people find a moving and affecting album. I wanted to crank everything about this band up by several notches, because I feel sure their musical hearts are actually in the right place.
Pleasant but I did find it a bit same and, sorry to say, insipid.
Nice lil indie pop.
I really like the first song, but otherwise it’s pretty plain.
It was fine.
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?
Soft, simple, beautiful.
Tempted to go higher on this, I do think it’s very influential and I love its internal world, that very minimalist sound makes this an indie classic, and I love how Jamie xx in particular took that sound to make the much better In Color… much respect to this and I could go higher after more listens, it holds up better than I remembered. Plus that Intro track is sooo good
Cool sounds but I much prefer Jamie xx’s fun solo stuff. Kinda thought this was a bummer.
Hmm really loved this 1 at the time but have kinda come around to thinking it was boring and i do generally like romy and jamie’s solo stuff a lot more!
meh
Good walking-on-a-cold-morning music.
too short but gucci damage
- Meine Güte hab ich das Album (bis auf ein paar Ausnahmen) lange nicht mehr gehört!! - Ich bin das erste Mal (wie warscheinlich Lasse auch) auf The xx über Jonah Fischer aufmerksam geworden - der hat uns nämlich das Cover zu Crystalised von Gorillaz Sänger Damon Albarn gezeigt, was es damals auf musigh.com zu hören gab. (Ein unfassbar geiler Muikblog, auf dem man die Mukke auch runterladen konnte). - Das Album hat so einen eigenen Vibe, den ich so auch von keiner anderen Band kenne. - Irgendwie sind die eine Mischung aus The Whitest Boy Alive, Of Monsters And Men in minimalistisch und mit elektronischen Einflüssen. Find ich alles super! - Extrem entspannt zum anhören und seeeeehr viele Erinnerungen, die ich damit verbinde - Habe bisher noch keine 10 Punkte außerhalb meiner eigenen Alben vergeben, aber es wäre verlogen von mir, an dieser Stelle keine 10 Punkte zu geben. Dafür verbinde ich mit dem Album zu viel und liebe bis auf 2 etwas "schwächere" Tracks eigentlich jeden Song. Ich finde auf dem Album sind mind. 6 Songs, die eine 10 oder zumindest eine 9,5 verdient haben. - Danke für den geilen Flashback
- In letzter Zeit irgendwie viel the xx gehört - Bleibe bei meiner Meinung. Tolles Album, ikonischer Sound, in dem man viel entdecken kann, aber für die letzten 10-20%, dass es mich richtig mitnimmt, reicht es leider aus rein subjektiven gründen nicht 4,25/5
- 4,25 / 5
I am just so indifferent on their moody one-dimensionality so intent on capturing only the faintest of musical ideas, quietly empty and emptyingly quiet. Poor vocals, questionable production, non-existent progression. That "Intro" is about as loud and curious as the record really gets.
It's good but very short!
geen idee... na enkele noten verdween dit album volledig op de achtergrond
This music is so achingly trendy it makes every muscle in my body tense
started off well for me but then i got to the point where i didn’t really want to listen to the rest at all
10 years ago I would have been really impressed by this but I think it was just kind of good.
I didn't have high expectations for this one but it was engaging enough that I listened to the whole record. Not terrible
3/5 Would listen to didn't have a fav song
A bit too mellow for me.
had high hopes from the intro but then it got a lot less interesting to me. very chill.
Not much here musically. The voices are “ok”. Nothing here that makes me want to listen to it again - But at no point did I feel the need to skip a song. I guess that’s a small victory.
Good background music while troubleshooting and then rolling into some creative marketing brainstorming—pleasant enough, and it feels like it might keep growing on me.
A little too laid back minimalist for me. Kept waiting for the energy to come but stayed pretty stripped back. There’s some accomplishment in that but sure makes for a boring album overall.
Chill, but maybe a little flat
good alt album nin would like it
A decent vibey album. There are more than a few moments where it becomes too sparse in sound though. 3/5
No combination of words strike more fear into the heart of a man than "English Indie Pop".
Fairly uninspired indie. Reminds me alot of being 14.
Enjoyed this album. It’s made my brain tickle in a good way.
Booooooooooooooooooooooo
Intro is great, don't care for the rest. I hate the breathy late 2000s/early 2010s vocals.
Buena música, tranquila,
this unfortunately was just a little boring, the Oh Wonder effect the 2010s had on us was ridiculous. Couldn't distinguish songs very well, and therefore I added not one of them to the playlist.
Words that came to mind while listening to this album: melancholy, emo, minimalist, moody, tortured, sparse. It feels like the music that gets played in very hipster coffee shops and trendy, overpriced goth clothing stores. Which is not to say that I didn’t like it. The interplay of the male and female duet vocals is engaging, especially on Stars, Basic Space and VCR. The instruments are muted and create a sonic fabric, layered over each other in a way that washes over the listener. Cool ambient mood music to put on in the background. 3⭐️
This album didn't click at first, but after repeated listens, I've really grown to appreciate it. 4.5 stars, rounding up to 5.
I don't think I could fuck to Intro so I do find it very surprising it is the song on most playlists containing the word Sex. I had not paid much attention to The xx before this. It isn't my normal wheelhouse for music. But I have to say the minimal compositions and lyrics hooked me. I enjoyed most of the album with only a few songs leaving me a bit bored or disinterested. This album goes to show that you don't have to complicate your sound in order for it to be relatable or interesting.
good harmonies and songs backed by interesting electonic beats
7.5/10 I’m a fan of the XX, and think that each album improves on the previous, so this is their least good album. But still very good. It sounds like a group finding their feet and almost getting there: excellent production from Jamie XX, but somewhat bound by a specific sound rather than the expansive one they’ll get to; good vocals that sometimes sound more tentative than they do in later stuff. Having said that the sound is sticking in its own lane, it’s a very good sound. The album sounds slick, the songs are well written. The opening track is iconic Best: Intro
I love the song islands. There are definitely other great songs, with nice guitar and rhythm but there are also songs where I kind don’t vibe with the forced angstiness of the voices and slightly basic lyrics
Pretty cool and chill listen
This is fine. Neutral background music. Expertly done, minimally challenging.
Pleasant enough, but why are we listening to it? 2.5.
This was a big deal when it was released. Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 4/5
some cool stuff but really nothing special
Meh
you can tell that a ton of music producers heard this and went “ohhhhhh shit, we’ve gotta do this sound now”
Good
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.
Had heard the intro before but nothing else - definitely my type of music! Could become five stars on further listens.
Had some fun parts in it but not really into it at same time. It was ok but idk.
This was absolutly new to me. Great vibe -
pretty good, a little dated at this point though
It started off quite well, I enjoyed the first track then everything started to sound the same. Same rhythm, same songs, same ‘just above a whisper’ male/female vocals. Only reason it didn’t get a 1 was because it was pleasant to listen to
82
The intro song is amazing. The rest is hit or miss.
Boring.
Прослушал на работе 3-4 трека. Пойдёт для фона или в кафе. Приятная музыка, зачёт. Но в коллекцию не скачиваю.
Ihanaa
So…! This album is good. However! The first song … originally named Intro… is, for me, a high that the other tracks don’t reach and a tease that the album doesn’t deliver on. It’s all crescendo and no pay off. Fantasy and infinity are both tracks I really liked but nothing culminated in anything, just as a lot of tracks promised to. All this being said… this is a new band I’d never heard before somehow. I like their vibe and they feel real. 6/10
Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background A bit mellow for my tastes, but I will give it this...the music is constantly changing/evolving throughout a song. It's never dull, but it doesn't reach any high highs either. Enjoy the songs were the singer's voices blend.
I really enjoyed the groove of these songs. And having the two different vocals was very effective. It was quite meditative for me. I was surprised when it ended. I was expecting a song with finality: “Here’s the end.” You know? Enjoyable. Top tracks: “Islands,” “My Heart Skipped A Beat”
Still not swayed that these guys are any more than average. Probably a better album than the other one on this list but I feel a bit miffed they got two albums when there's plenty of great artists and albums who didn't get one. I'd prefer if only Romy Croft sang and I didn't have to hear Oliver Sim so much. Last time I compared them to Bastille and the 1975 but now I feel like comparing them to Matt and Kim or Of Monsters and Men - given the duet style they consistently employ. You could do a lot worse than this album, but you could do better too.
I found this a bit vanilla to be honest. It does feel a bit like somebody panicked and thought shit we need some stuff that's less than 20 years old on this list.
The xx, curing insomnia since 2009.
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.
Top band!!!
Yep it's a favorite
Hahahahah nee joh All rise for the YouTube anthem Voor de rest geen gek album
It was fine, the first song was the best one. Didn’t like the singing
can hear why i was obsessed with this as a teen, was a defining album of its moment but feels slightly uninspired now
Meh
Listened before the generator. Lofi rock synth. Makes me think of shows like the Sopranos.