I See You

The 3rd XX album is still recognisably them, but overall with a much more optimistic feel, and dance beats are included on some tracks, and it is far less melancholic than the previous 2 albums. The characteristic trademark that is still outstanding is the gorgeous vocal interplay between guitarist Romy Madley Croft and Bassist Oliver Sim. There singing on this album is stronger, more confident and assured, as they have matured and gained more live and studio experience, their vocal prowess has improved, and the duo singing here is probably their best to date, with some spine tingling moments. Jamie Smith is responsible for the synthesiser, drums and keyboards, adding musical colour and texture to make distinctive arrangements. After his solo album a couple of years ago that was more dance orientated, on this new album several of the tracks have a more upbeat dancing rhythm that drives them along more insistently. This is in evidence from the opening track Dangerous, with its opening salvo of synthesiser "brass", followed by an insistent dance beat, with the vocals then coming in, one of the albums infectious highlights . The previous album was recorded in a basement studio in London in an intense period, while on this album there have been a wide range of studios from Iceland to New York and Los Angeles over a much longer period, which seem to give a wider range of more open arrangements, some with a more sunny upbeat disposition . The unique sound that they launched with on their debut album and followed up on their 2nd album has been very influential on others, and incredibly successful. This latest album moves them forward , and is likely to be one of the most popular albums of 2017. There have already been a couple of hit singles released before the main album, and there has been a sense of anticipation about the "difficult 3rd album" which many groups suffer from. The stunning surprise with the unique originality of their debut album has gone, but their production and stagecraft has improved, and they obviously have far more resources at their disposal nowadays. Growing up in public under the spotlight, they have managed to maintain their unique selling proposition and still stand out from the masses. The one element that for me seems a bit of a gimmick that does not quite work is their sample of Hall and Oates used on On Hold . My other minor irritation is that the small print size and style on a strong blue background in the CD booklet make the lyrics and other information incredibly difficult to read, which is frustrating, and poor design, and renders the information unintelligible ,which seems a waste of time and effort . Overall this is a fine new album , and they have managed to improve their standing, it has been critically lauded, so well done for maintaining the momentum onwards and upwards .

Really glad to have this on vinyl now, listen to it regularly at home and use the accompanying CD in the car

Amazing album,amazing sound ! Many great songs ! Highlights are I dare you,Replica & A violent noise

Exquisite refined album with numerous standout tracks, which confirm The XX have really joined the big time. Great quality recording.

In some ways this has the best tracks the XX have yet done and is probably even more a dance record than earlier records. I like the XX best in their reflective moods so I don't know how this will grow over time but it is perhaps their most confident album to date.

I got the XX first album 12 years ago and forgot about them. Just found out they released 2 albums since and have no regrets getting this. If you like the unique sound of the XX it's a steal, still waiting for other to arrive.

I think its their best album. Sounds a good bit more like the solo Jamie XX album than their previous releases which is a good thing.

Absolutely magnificent album, Definate on my must listen to list. They were spectacular in concert and the album is brilliant.