I See You

Very weird to hear the xx with vocals! Two vocalists, even! They're both competent; the lyrics are kinda grade schooly, but they're clear! and the music is good. Nice album. Very chill electropop; maybe a bit too chill, but I suppose it has its place.

Highlights: 'On Hold', 'I Dare You' (apparently they sang these both on SNL, which I have exactly 0 memory of. November 2016... what a time)

Lowlights: 'Performance', 'Test Me' (zzz)

I kind of hated the singing on this. It sounds like they're trying a lot harder than the first album and it rubs me up the wrong way.

Production really good in places, like the drums on track 1.

I wasn’t familiar with The xx, and although I’d seen their album *I See You* before, I hadn’t actually listened to it.
In terms of their basic sound and vibe, The xx remind me a bit of the Eurythmics - in other words, *I See You* isn’t half bad for an electronica album. The “trick” here, as there, is the use of real instruments, which simply make everything sound more alive. Add to that Romy, a singer who strikes a good balance between emotion and control (and in this respect, too, reminds me of Annie Lennox).
Did I actually like an electronica album? I have to admit that after the rather weak start with “Dangerous,” there’s quite a lot of good stuff to follow. It’s not exactly my new favorite album (it’s too quiet for that, and the concept doesn’t work with more drive - see “Dangerous”), but it’s a very pleasant surprise.

Jamais écouté avant.

Quelques morceaux assez accrocheurs, ambiance dance mélancolique, ne suffisent pas à effacer l'impression d'un album mesuré au millimètre, calibré et lissé à l'extrême, où chaque beat, chaque ligne de basse, chaque nappe de synthé, chaque harmonie vocale, est exactement là où il doit être, dans les cases prévues à cet effet. Résultat : toutes les émotions sont stérilisées et on s'ennuie ferme. Franchement dommage, d'autant que la production impeccable et les quelques fulgurances pop laissent penser qu'en prenant plus de risques, en lâchant les rênes, il y aurait des choses à faire...

Top : Lips
Flop : Brave for You

"I See You" has many many lyrics, but absolutely nothing to say - a descent into generic indie pop shit.
While the xx's first record was not earth shattering, it at least played with the electronics a bit more and didn't sound entirely like lovesick duets. As mentioned, this album (outside of Performance and the sampled bits of On Hold) reeks of copy/paste late 00s, early 10s indie pop - look no further than the horrible track I Dare You which sounds like kings of leon (the most talentless shitstain of a band on gods green earth). Really grating on the ears and pandering. 1/5

Some albums that came out within a year of "I See You" by The xx that were not included on this list, and are much more deserving:

22, A Million - Bon Iver
Lemonade - Beyonce
Blonde - Frank Ocean
Damn - Kendrick Lamar
Flower Boy - Tyler, the Creator

Obviously, it's hard to get a sense of what music is important or worthwhile in the moment, but this album sounds dated now, and it hasn't even been 10 years since its release. I believe music like "I See You" will be the "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" of the 2010s—doomed to be remembered as an apt representative of the tackiest of its era.

I had never heard of The XX. From the name I somehow got the impression of something all doom and gloom and maybe metal.

Completely wrong. It was light, bright, poppy stuff that sounded enjoyable. The two voices thing was a nice surprise and the playing was pretty good.

Having said that, after listening to it, I am having trouble remembering anything specific about it.

So, light bright poppy stuff that went in one ear and straight out the other.

I really loved this - taking a more electronic turn seemed to have revitalised them a bit and this is way less somber than the (also very good) first and second albums

Only good thing to come out of texas

This is excellent. Instead of listening to the other album I have for the day, I listened to this three times and then let the algorithm play. It's feeding me a bunch of Frank Ocean, Massive Attack, James Blake, The Acid, and Radiohead. Overall an excellent morning, thanks to this album.

It's an easy 4, maybe even 4.5 if we had half stars. I think the guy's vocals don't mesh with me as well as the woman's, but musically this is really well done.

I didn’t mind the first track but that was about it. Very dull album overall. Definitely will not live long in the memory.

'Say something loving / I need a reminder, the feeling's escaped me'; 'Now you've set the scene / High on intimacy / Drawing me a bath.' Tho the xx's third release is not especially interesting or memorable, it's better than the debut b/c it's less sleepy, less dreamy, more embodied, more about bodies & love & the necessities of intimacy, no matter how potentially dangerous or violent. 'Every beat is a violent noise.' Romy & Oliver have some soul to express on this one - it at least feels as if it comes from something real - & I find my ears perking up to hear what's next. It's no soulful masterwork, & at less than forty mins, it yet drags & variegates little, but for what it is, I do not disapprove. 'I will be brave / I know you want me to.' Sure, why not?

Enjoyable. I know some of their other songs better, but I still would be happy to put this on anytime.

Pop was truly running on empty in 2017. Worst possible combination of whiny indie, soulless electronic production, and vapid RnB pop vocalizing. Retail music for a run down shopping mall barely clinging on.

Better than the debut at least!

I gave the last xx album a three, which looking back was perhaps generous. I found this to be inoffensively bland.

Me gusta más su anterior disco, pero este también tiene sus momentos. Me guardo «Dangerous», «Say Something Loving», «A Violent Noise» y sobre todo «On Hold» que está a otro nivel.

This is some very forgettable pop music. It’s perfectly inoffensive, I don’t mind giving it a middle of the road score, but I certainly could have lived without hearing it.

Solid pop and compared to the previous albums I had the past few days, it wasn't too grating on the ears. Mostly relaxing vibes.

eh, medíocre. não foi inescutável, mas foi chato, viu. dancei de leve umas 2 vezes só e eh isso.