After a promising debut album, the sophomore album often becomes an obstacle. This is a common case that we can see from bands or artists nowadays.
The xx’s self-titled debut album which was released in 2009 was an album that redefined a genre by deconstructing it. The xx gave us a sweet indie-pop with a minimalistic concept. Gently picked guitar lines, whispering vocals from both Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim, and of course the beat and production from Jamie Smith.
As written in Pitchfork, there are only two options for a second album: Stepping into a brand new territory or refining what has been made before. Though it seems impossible to strip down a concept that is already naked, but that’s the path that the xx has chosen for their second album, the latter option. Guitar lines that seem like a faint drawn line, whispering and haunting vocals, and Jamie reduced his beats and production to as minimum as possible, thus creating a fully haunting album.
Take ‘Angels’ as an example. The lead single of this album gives us an example how a minimalistic composition can be so haunting and touch the heart of the listeners. Added with lyrics as deep as “Being in love with you as I am.” and it’s a perfect song. Maybe there are a lot of people who feel disappointed with this album, expecting the xx to be more experimental, especially knowing the projects that Jamie Smith had done before. However, this album is perfect as it is, and this is how the xx should be.
You can’t hate the xx for the decision they’ve made for this album. In general, they’ve grown a lot from before in terms of songwriting and composing.
I find myself enjoying ‘Coexist’ and being drawn into listening to this album over and over again. Do listen to it and find yourself hypnotized by the beauty of this album
Bincang Bintang 