I See You

Not unpleasant but somehow boring.

Third album by The xx (formerly The twittertwitter). Modern production fails to disguise a lack of quality songwriting. Rating: 1.5/5 Playlist track: A Violent Noise Date listened: 20/11/23

Modern indie is just Lite FM for people with full sleeve tattoos.

Remember when this dropped as the first post-"In Colour" xx release and it was immediately clear how Jamie was doing 90% of the heavy lifting for the band's musical output. The move toward greater sample usage meant the songs felt fresh, kinetic, and a bit more inspired than those of the band's previous output, and several of these tracks ended up in my heavy rotation. Looking back, however, it almost feels like this could've been "In Colour 2" and almost suffers for the other band members being there. Romy at least has some great solo moments that feel heartfelt and genuine, but Oliver feels kinda like he's just there to provide the obligatory male vocal and maybe play a cool bass line before going back to playing the root for every single bar. The project had clearly transcended both of them by this point and this one feels almost like an awkward goodbye in recognition of that, especially since everyone went their separate ways following its release. Regardless, it's by far the xx's best album and has some stellar standout tracks.

This was marginally better than their first two albums. The music utilized sampling very well and created a nice quasi club-like atmosphere. The musicianship was all fine but the album sounds like it should have been released about five years prior. The vocals are just dreadful though. The male voice was better on this album, but I just cannot stand the female voice. There's a fake soul-like quality to it that is just grating and thin sounding. The affection in general is just puzzling and there is an occasional awkwardness to syllabic placement. There are so many indie bands from this period who are more original and are much more deserving of a place on this list.

didnt expect to be that good. loved that kinda sweet trip touch and pop/electric genre. 9.5/10

Jamie's rhythms and beautiful sounds, Romy's and Sim's gorgious voices are once again an immense joy to hear.

Having known Jamie XX for a little bit I never made the connection that he would be from this band. Honestly this album blew me away in how much it vibes and flows into itself. An album that feels like it was made for late night driving. Not an album for every moment but when this album clicks it's exactly what you need.

I'm confused with this entry, as there's no reference in the 1001 book or even the ex-1001 list. So I'm unsure why it's on this website. 🤷 As for the album itself, I enjoyed it, it's subtly sublime. Though I preferred The xx's first album (which was previously listed in the book, now an ex-1001, or "xx-1001" for the dads in the room 🤦).

Love me some XX. 5 stars.

really good album

Another superb album by The xx, I have no words to describe how this band always impacts me.

loved!

Great stuff. Was a big fan, still am.

This was great! I especially loved the lyricism.

incroyable si on me demande

Un 5 et rien d'autre

So cool, some of my favorite songs, great production

So beautiful

Great beat lyrics and mix of instruments

Sounds a lot the first days of Florence. Great music

Wow! i think i like them! Crystalized is the one of those ive heard, but theyre all good so far. Ill give em a rare 5. Sometimes it just hits right.

Well holy cattle, batman. That was a sensational album. Loved it from beginning to end.

Amazing album. Jamie xx puts on a master class of production. Oli sim and Romy have perfect contrasting voice that puts your soul at easy

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Dangerous, Say something loving, Lips, A violent noise, Replica, Brave for you, On hold, I dare you

Beautiful, I loved it!!! Fave track: on hold

I liked xx by The xx (the previous album that came up on here) very much. While I’m always a little skeptical when a second album from a group I never heard of appears, this album is really terrific! I See You retains that kind of moodiness of xx but brightens things up without losing the feel. The album opens strong with Dangerous and after the first four songs I thought we were headed for another 4 rating. Then Performance played and the lyrics grabbed my collar and had my full attention. Who knew such a restrained song of heartbreak could be so devastating. After that Replica… “Your mistakes were only chemical. Do I chase the night or does the night chase me?” The moodiness isn’t completely dark on this album though. Brave has such strength and hope powering its sentiments. What can I say about On Hold? It’s phenomenal. As it started I thought we were in for another moody tune, but the beats fade in and Hall & Oats’ loop helps elevate this into a perfect late night dance floor tune. I can’t get enough of this song! I Dare You is so wonderfully joyous - these are the feelings that makes a relationship. And yet The xx’s trademark restraint is still quite present. What a compelling love song. Test Me closes the album leaves us with the quieter, restrained The xx style with those complicated feelings creeping back in. I See You is an incredible exploration of relationships and the complicated feelings one has while in them that had me spellbound. I’ve already listened to the album four times and I can’t get enough. So, so perfect.

Had never heard of this one or the musicians—very pleased with the listen. Actually playlisted it and would never heard of it without this experience. Just the right tempo and style to get this old girl off the couch and moving around. Really steams me to hear folks ‘my age’ complain about ‘music these days’ when no effort is made to crank the radio dial past the Oldies channels. Kill me now… I may not care for all of these albums, but listening to them is broadening my brain instead of grouching my disposition and I thank you for that.

Beautifully produced, great flow.

Well now I can't stop listening to this. Cool club-ish grooves, great vocals, original sound.

Awesome!

Rather typical 2010s movie/TV series BGM. Add a star for I Dare You

Solid album. I've never heard of this band before yesterday. The two vocalists do an excellent job.

the xx at their best. Best track: I Dare You

Very enjoyable. It sounds very different to their classic debut album, but not in a bad way. They're able to still sound like the same band but explore some more upbeat songs and ideas

8/10. Pleasantly surprised by a solid 2010s pick. I didn't realize "On Hold" had a good album to back it up, and in fact I liked some of the other songs a fair bit more.

Really enjoyable. I’ve listened to some of The XX before, but didn’t realize how mellow their other songs were. 7/10.

Yeah not bad, not normally my thing but I liked it. Favourite was that one I'd already heard, though; Dangerous

I do like this album and it's definitely got that XX style but it feels like the structure has become much more generic and sounds similar to a lot of other stuff. The vocals and lyrics are definitely them but feels like they lost a bit of what made the XX so original and good in places.

Delicate and Powerful, this has a more mature feel to it compared to their previous albums. Dangerous is an absolute banger.

yeah sure okay!!

Sterkt, men når ikke opp i katalogen.

One of the stronger 2010s albums on this list. Really nice unique sound. 8/10.

I really liked this album!

Another album that I wouldn’t pull first but for a day of listening, this should be on the stack.

Very chill

Rimelig lækker moderne elektronisk indie pop

Most of The xx sounds like two estranged lovers singing over the phone, their faces tear-stained, their choked sobs off-mike. This was a nice collection of that evocative sound.

I like this. It feels new and experimental and fun. Very cool. Shame they only have three albums, currently. 4/5

Nice chill music with male and female vocals. I like this a lot. Nice to play with a date 4

Love the instrumentals and vocals

2nd xx album, and now we'll have a moment of silence; for both have been removed by the latest edition, like everything by Adele & Kings of Leon :( After “Dangerous”, I was ready for things to get *funky* yet they stayed relatively xx-brand melancholic in subsequent songs. I’m not knocking I See You for that, I enjoyed it about as much as their last record. The samples here are pretty creative (who knew that was Hall & Oates in “Hold On”), and overall it’s a sunnier vibe than their wintery debut. The polished gleam coming off these songs (& the album cover) won’t be to everyone’s taste but what is? HL: “Dangerous”, “Say Something Loving”, “Replica”, “Brave for You”, “On Hold”

I’ve listened to The xx previously, but hadn’t heard I See You until now. This album was a chill start to my morning. My favorite tracks were “Dangerous” and “A Violent Noise.”

The xx have some of the best-produced albums in indie music today. Just immaculate. By this album, The xx had well-established their melancholy, sexy, bedroom-lights-dimmed-low style but I love how "I See You" also feels colorful, particularly in the opening tracks. They use samples and mix in elements of dance music for some incredible, addictive songs. I love when the vocal sample comes in on "On Hold." I can't get enough of that. "Say Something Loving" is another great song that uses a vocal sample in an interesting way. I'm not sure I've heard another band slip in a sample like this to enrich the emotions of the song. And the lyrics about allowing yourself to be vulnerable enough to accept love are heartbreaking and beautiful. The vocals on this song (and every other song on the album) are fantastic. I love the male-female back-and-forth between Oliver Sim and Romy. It's part of The xx's signature sound and it makes every song feel so intimate and sexy. I particularly like Romy's vocals. She's got a solo album that came out recently that I've been obsessed with. "A Violent Noise" is a fascinating track. It's a sad song about going out with friends and dancing in the club but still feeling a lingering sadness (presumably from a breakup). The music captures the feeling perfectly. It sounds like it takes place within a club but doesn't actually feel like club music. It's the sound of being lonely in a crowd. Excellent album. I had it on repeat all weekend. 4.5

Did not like it when it came out. Good songwriting and excellent production. Romy’s vocals is it’s weakest point, at points tarnishing the product quite a lot.

Awesome.

Very different from other xx albums but super good with awesome vocals. 4-4.5

Liked it enough to add it to my albums! Good stuff!

This is one of those albums that I didn't care for at first but as I listened more, it grew on me. A very chill electronic indie, rock anthem with glimpses of drone at times. This is possibly one of the youngest albums on this list, as it was released less than 10 years ago, yet I feel like it's inclusion in this list is well warranted. The mixing of the album really makes it good studying and working music. Not necessarily the best in all occasions, but no song, and no album is applicable to all of life's situations. Yet this is a well crafted album, emblematic of its genre and pleasing to the ears. Fave songs: Dangerous Brave For you Performance

I’ve never heard a duet album before. It’s pretty good. It feels like they are singing about each other. It works. The beats are all really good. It didn’t give me chills or anything but it was enjoyable. The first song of the album is still my favorite.

Better then I thought it would be. There are some really cool tracks that I would almost call hits.

Not heard of these before. Very nice album. Really well produced and arranged. The vocals and the pacing are very good too. At times it like a more indie version of Blue States

I like the xx, and I like this album, but it's another case of being a little confused to see this on the list. The xx's music has always been gentle, sweet and pleasant, and it's been nice to put on when I'm in a soft indie mood, but I've never thought of it as groundbreaking or particularly noteworthy. In fact, it could be borderline boring to the wrong ears. I'm still going to rate it highly enough, because it's one of their better albums, and as mentioned, I like the xx. But with the paltry number of recent albums on this list...why this one?

Was unfamiliar but like a lot

I love nearly every song from The XX

Occasionally veers into safe car-commercial pop music, but the dance beats and bass save it at those times. I liked it!

Similar to the other album of theirs on the list, yeah, I dig it, and should probably spend more time with it. I think I like "xx" slightly more? It had more of a hushed tone... Fave track - hmmmm, tricky - ideally need more spins before picking. I dug the sample/sound effect on "Naive" though that's apparently a bonus track. "On Hold" from the main disc, maybe?

I like the atmosphere on this one and certainly am becoming a fan of The xx. I haven't listened to the other album as part of this list so looking forward to that coming around. Faves: Dangerous, Performance, and On Hold.

I've only listened to the first two albums from The XX. I absolutely flogged them. This started out a bit more upbeat and then really settled in to what I remember from them. The vocal work is dreamy and reminded me why I was so into their first albums.

Canciones con un estilo muy ambiental, relajado, con buenas voces y ritmos tranquilos. Me ha gustado el estilo

This was almost a 5-star album for me. So close. It's great. Legitimately great. It's just a smidge too dated to earn full marks, though. For an album released in 2017, so many of the songs feel like they were released in the mid-aughts. That's enough to dock it a star. But only barely. It's a great album that I'll be revisiting.

It grew on me. I thought it was another middling English record but Jamie XX created something more interesting by the end. Another sound scape to float thought this season of my life to.

I enjoyed listening to this. The pacing / beat is slower than I typically prefer, but the ethereal nature of the music kept me interested and engaged. I struggled between 3 and 4 on this one, but ended up going with 4. If half stars were an option, 3.5

In the best possible way, all The xx songs sounds like openers or closers. It's grandiose, moody and atmospheric to boot. It also leaves me longing for the actual body or essence of the record which all of the tracks seem to be nicely wrapped around. Like a well-wrapped gift with nothing inside. But damn it's well-wrapped.

Not what I expected and that's a good thing. I want to check out their other albums.

Zeer aangename sfeer op dit album. Ik hou van hun dromerige stijl

Dream pop, alternative dance. Me ha gustado. Un 4.

Good listen! First new album I’ve really liked

Dance rhythms. Horns. Keyboards.

First album that I had never heard of the musicians, but I actually really liked it. I think that’s what this entire thing is about. Yea!!

The XX are very good at creating atmosphere and vibe. The album sits very consistently in that atmosphere. I always like the contrast of male/female vocals together. Definitely enjoyed it. I also appreciate its not too long.

It's paradoxical. Their voices are amazing, the vibe is cool, the beat/instruments is lean and ethereal. This so much feels like my jam, but the hits aren't too strong here. It's perfect vibe background music, but there's not a ton that is forever memorable. I like Dangerous and On Hold the best, but it needs a bit more of a hook to get me to the next level. Still, because everything else is so well balanced for me, i'm excited about what comes next.

Lovely album. Great sonics and powerful lyricism.

This is my first time listening to The XX and I really enjoyed this album.

I dig it! An electronic pop album with very solid songs. A nice suprise given the release date and the style

Wow, does this album sound different than their first. I'm pleasantly surprised!

full review on ig: @musicwithnessa

Jaimie XX carries.

I really connected with this album.

A very easy listening album

First listen for me. Lush-sounding album: the duo's vocals are great. I particularly liked "On Hold", which has the catchiest tune.

I enjoyed this one. I didn’t think every track was strong, but on the whole I liked the sound and would probably listen to it again if I was in the mood. It turns out I have listened to The xx before without realising it (on the Great Gatsby sound track - which is great btw) Nice to listen to something more recent - so far the challenged has been 30% 70s!

No deep thoughts or analysis, I didn’t recognise the band or album but with a blind listen through was pleasantly surprised. Enjoyed this and kept on repeat for much of the day.

Based on the first track, I was really worried that this was going to be an EDM/House/Dance album, which I would have not enjoyed. BUT it was just a fakeout. A real emotional album, excellent lyrics, and instrumentation that supports it. A really wonderful surprise (as I've never listened to the xx before).

Not bad. A kit of reverb, synth and clean guitar and good chord progressions. Where are the drums though?

Forgot about this band. Vividly recall them performing "On Hold" on Saturday Night Live, which was a blast. Great overall album. Glad to be exposed their other material.

Remind me a lot of a band i really love, Oh Wonder. Xx’s vocals a more present than ethereal than Oh Wonder with the occasional use of 808 drums.

this is the kind of album I love being exposed to if only because it will impress my wife. This was a fun chill listen and I it will become part of the rotation.

7 years earlier, these guys changed the face of indie pop for everyone to follow. This record doesn't have that innovation or consistency, instead favoring for something more commercial, loud and proud. It's a short string of summery pop bops, with a crisp indietronica production led almost exclusively by the works of Jamie xx. There are some great hits on here. Several of the tracks, however, are pretty forgettable and derivative of their other work, highlighting the minimalist electronica which can come off as boring, lifeless, and repetitive. Their debut incorporated dreaminess and ambient much better than here. It still sounds tight, but boring. That being said, half the tracks are amazing. Appropriate opener and closer (although "Test Me" could be improved). Nothing drags on too long. It's a really solid album, just cut 3 tracks and fix up the closer. Favorites: Say Something Loving, On Hold

I found it captivating for its simplicity It really drew me in Didn’t know what to expect but enjoyed it very much !