The XX

[stuartbert two hats]

1 hour ago, dentalplan said:

I like them it's just this album blows. They've made an unsubtle grab at In Colour's success and the installation of Romy and Oli doing their usual thing over it doesn't really work for me and has resulted in a very uninspired, monotonous slog of a record. I mean, the most memorable moments are parts where it's just Jamie's sampling and mixing - and I'm not even as big a fan of Jamie's stuff as I am The xx's previous stuff. But, the critics and fans seem to love it so I guess they'll continue down this route.

It was 'slow and moody' from my experience of the same set. Doesn't mean it was bad or not exciting.

IRT their placement on the bill, I still don't see them mastering a transition to the Pyramid with this record. It's still pretty downbeat and I think it'd lend itself better to a set in the dark on the Other Stage. It's true that they did that last time and deserve a step up but they only played for around an hour last time so I'm sure a return in a full 90 minute set would still be a step up.

That's a very cynical way of looking at it.  You could also come to the conclusion that Jamie is an musical artist currently exploring some ideas, which can be heard in both his solo album and latest xx record. 

[dentalplan]

5 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

That's a very cynical way of looking at it.  You could also come to the conclusion that Jamie is an musical artist currently exploring some ideas, which can be heard in both his solo album and latest xx record. 

Perhaps. Coexist didn't take any cues from We're New Here though.

[ghostdancer1]

debatable.

Reunion, Sunset and in particular Swept Away are pretty close to We're New Here/In Colour with the underpinning chugg-y beats.

they could as easily be seen as the direction the band wanted to go but felt they had to stick to the formula of the 1st album. In Colour allowed Jamie a bit more leeway to do what he wanted, and with this album they're allowing themselves more freedom to explore those sounds further.

there's still tracks like Performance, Brave For You and Test Me which are much closer to the first album and wouldn't have fitted on In Colour.

and just having a quick scan through In Colour, i'd forgotten how many garage-y/jungle-y type tracks are on there that certainly wouldn't fit on I See You.

really I just think it's an extension of a sound they were progressing towards all along...

Edited January 17, 2017 by ghostdancer1

[Tuna]

Definitely true for Sunset.

[dentalplan]

1 hour ago, ghostdancer1 said:

debatable.

Reunion, Sunset and in particular Swept Away are pretty close to We're New Here/In Colour with the underpinning chugg-y beats.

they could as easily be seen as the direction the band wanted to go but felt they had to stick to the formula of the 1st album. In Colour allowed Jamie a bit more leeway to do what he wanted, and with this album they're allowing themselves more freedom to explore those sounds further.

there's still tracks like Performance, Brave For You and Test Me which are much closer to the first album and wouldn't have fitted on In Colour.

and just having a quick scan through In Colour, i'd forgotten how many garage-y/jungle-y type tracks are on there that certainly wouldn't fit on I See You.

really I just think it's an extension of a sound they were progressing towards all along...

It isn't slobbered all over the album like this one but yeah it's undeniable that the seeds are there and it's a very fair argument that they could have been off down that avenue anyway but were apprehensive before.

It isn't really about merging the two acts or latest albums though as obviously Jamie xx's stuff is staunchly different and In Colour had the freedom to do the garage/jungle type things and have rappers on it. I'm really not sure any ICU tracks would be at home on In Colour because Romy and Oli are too omnipresent over it and do their duelling guitar/bass lines thing, and I think the mixture of the two styles is where it falls down for me because it can't really commit strongly in either direction.

Edited January 17, 2017 by dentalplan

[defrio29]

If they really were to sub Radiohead and play the Pyramid, here's how I would ideally prefer the set to go:

Start with Jamie by himself, doing 1. Good Times 

Then the rest of the band join in, smooth transition to 

2. Dangerous

3. Say Something Loving

4. VCR

5. Heart Skipped A Beat

6. Fiction

7. Angels

8. Crystalised

9. Basic Space

10. Intro

11. Sunset

12.  Islands

13. Loud Places

14. On Hold

15. I Dare You

[SwedgeAntilles]

Swap I Dare You for Loud Places and you've got a deal

[jparx]

I've not had chance to really get in to the new album, but I definitely like it after a few listens. I'd be more than happy to see them sub Radiohead. That would be a good spot for them. More exposure than headlining the Other again, and the crowd would be padded out even more with a decent number of receptive Radiohead fans already in the field. 

[Mezhyp1]

They'll definitely play Stranger in a Room and Gosh from In Colour 

[SwedgeAntilles]

36 minutes ago, Mezhyp1 said:

They'll definitely play Stranger in a Room and Gosh from In Colour 

Fucking hell, how did I forget they've been playing those in their sets? 

No more posting before my morning coffee. 

[Winslow Leach]

They've been doing this in their sets:

 

[mjsell]

2 minutes ago, Winslow Leach said:

They've been doing this in their sets:

 

Posted that last week. I'm not a fan of the shelter/gosh mix. Hoping they change this before too long.

[FloorFiller]

14 minutes ago, mjsell said:

Posted that last week. I'm not a fan of the shelter/gosh mix. Hoping they change this before too long.

Yeah I'm all for those three Jamie songs being interpolated in to the set, but that doesn't really work for me either

[DropBeat]

Ahh the thought of Gosh and Loud Places on the pyramid!!

[addicted2noise]

20 hours ago, dentalplan said:

I'm really not sure any ICU tracks would be at home on In Colour because Romy and Oli are too omnipresent over it and do their duelling guitar/bass lines thing, and I think the mixture of the two styles is where it falls down for me because it can't really commit strongly in either direction.

I still like the album but that would be my issue with it too, a song like I Dare You is fine but I think the relaxed vocals high in the mix just doesn't suit the more upbeat backing track.   

[st dan]

Don't people see the new album as a clear progression, using the influences of Jamie's solo stuff infused with the dreary vocals and woozyness of their earlier stuff which made them popular? 

Surely you wouldn't want either extreme - and to I See You album brings it all together superbly. As a fan of theirs from the beginning, it is the album I was hoping they would make.

Edited January 18, 2017 by st dan

[SwedgeAntilles]

22 minutes ago, st dan said:

Don't people see the new album as a clear progression, using the influences of Jamie's solo stuff infused with the dreary vocals and woozyness of their earlier stuff which made them popular? 

Surely you wouldn't want either extreme - and to I See You album brings it all together superbly. As a fan of theirs from the beginning, it is the album I was hoping they would make.

[dentalplan]

52 minutes ago, st dan said:

Don't people see the new album as a clear progression, using the influences of Jamie's solo stuff infused with the dreary vocals and woozyness of their earlier stuff which made them popular? 

I think most people do and that's why it's received widespread acclaim and is heading to no. 1.

And even if the few naysayers stick in your craw, the whole album will be forgotten come May so it's nothing to worry about.

[siweltrebor]

I quite like the suggested idea of Jamie starting solo with good times before the full band gets going and hearing gosh and loud places in the main set, loud places easily one of my favourite tracks of that year.

[siweltrebor]

On 13/01/2017 at 4:47 PM, Zacko said:

Their slot before Florence at Bestival back in 2012 was absolutely incredible, wish they were headlining the whole of Glasto - really feel like they could smash it!

I was there for this one, they were great, I was in my own little world wondering around in my luminous hoody but it was a really nice evening.

[Mash011]

Yeah Loud Places is the key that'll really take that Pyramid set up a notch, easily better than anything The XX have done as a band. And I wouldn't really think being 'slow and moody' would be a problem even if it were true considering the vibe of the band I'm assuming they'd play before. There's enough big pop songs in their catalogue now to pull that off, balanced of course alongside the more downbeat stuff.

[evannn]

3 hours ago, st dan said:

Don't people see the new album as a clear progression, using the influences of Jamie's solo stuff infused with the dreary vocals and woozyness of their earlier stuff which made them popular? 

Surely you wouldn't want either extreme - and to I See You album brings it all together superbly. As a fan of theirs from the beginning, it is the album I was hoping they would make.

It's the album I was hoping they'd make when they did Coexist. I completely agree with you

[gmb1992]

6 hours ago, defrio29 said:

If they really were to sub Radiohead and play the Pyramid, here's how I would ideally prefer the set to go:

Start with Jamie by himself, doing 1. Good Times 

Then the rest of the band join in, smooth transition to 

2. Dangerous

3. Say Something Loving

4. VCR

5. Heart Skipped A Beat

6. Fiction

7. Angels

8. Crystalised

9. Basic Space

10. Intro

11. Sunset

12.  Islands

13. Loud Places

14. On Hold

15. I Dare You

I love this hypothetical set  

[Richi1988]

Wow! Just listened to it in full for the 1st time and it must be 10 years or more since an album hit me like that. 

Love the variety of songs, very much what coexist lacked. Dangerous is phenomenal!

[RedBalloon]

hello!!

just wondering if someone could give me a summed up version of this thread? 

cheers.