The xx, on this their third album, continue to do a lot with a little. By that I mean that they don’t do a lot of over-producing or fooling around with their sound; it is rather simple by today’s standards. They are an indie band (hailing from the U.K.) that flits in between acoustic pop, R&B and dance music. All this wrapped up in a rather stripped down and stark package. On I See You they have upped what they previously did in that things are more dancey and the ballads are bigger. The sonic clarity remains, however. Where the depth comes from are the lyrics and resulting emotions. Instead of being tossed aside as mopey or eerie the human element shines through making it all rather relatable. They successfully negotiate the line between belief and damaged. Part of that has to be attributed to Romy Madley Croft’s vocals which come from a long line of female Brits along the lines of Alison Moyet and Tracey Thorn. Making every heart wrenching word seem like a call to action. Mesmerizing while at the same time being sexy.
The xx – I See You
