So, here I am
again – like it or not, I'm back with a new review. This time I start (or rather
resume) my epic journey from the comfortable insular world of alternative
guitar music towards the electronic horizon. First on the list is the debut
album of Jamie Smith, better known as Jamie xx, from the band The xx. I'll try
to take a look at his album, In Colour, out on May 29th via Young Turks. The
fact that the album bears a simple rainbow colouring instantly reminds me of
Radiohead's "In Rainbows" (that construction "In ..." as
well), but will it live up to such a comparison, even if only based on loose
associations?
"Gosh" – wonderful and amusing samples. Then comes the bassline that at times seems as
very dark, then- very bright and warm, then again – dark and frightening. As if
Jamie xx is playing with you- think what you want, but what to make of it
depends on the mood. The wonderful synth solo is impeccable. By the way, I have
to say, that despite being more favourable towards electronic music that
doesn't use vocal samples (Autechre, some of Aphex Twin), I start to think that
there is a certain interesting way of seeing a word or even a sound, taken
apart from context, where it originally meant something, this gives it new
colour, new context, new meaning. The way "Oh my Gosh" is pronounced
here is somehow interestingly amusing but how so – hard to describe.
"Sleep
Sound", hence the name, in fact is rather unnerving and sleepy, but
certainly not in a bad sense. Very delicate and yet pulsating with life under
the surface. The end is surprising. But it's not the only song to have this
sort of off-kilter ending. And I remember this song, originally released last
year, being the first song by Jamie I'd heard...
"SeeSaw"
sees (erm...) Jamie xx team up not only with the provider of original (in both
senses) vocals – his bandmate from The xx, Romy Madley Croft, but also with the
one and only Kieran Hebden better recognized as Four Tet. This song features a
very danceable and enchanting beat, along with vocals by Romy and some
minimalist production. The vocals work so wonderfully in conjunction with the
music. Something kind of nostalgic and at the same time modern. And the end-
again a recurring theme on this record- has this out of context sample, that is
on point, perhaps, like no other.
"Obvs"
find space for some guitar even. But first it is simple childish steel drum rhythm
that grows like a plant, as time flows. Somehow it sounds rather mellow. The
end of the song has the rhythm slow down and burst, as if it was a some sort
metaphor for life (or a day in your life) with its ups and downs and finally
slowing down and getting out of rhythm and ending...
"Just
Saying" ironically says nothing, but brings some ambience and depth into
the mix.
"Stranger
In The Room" features the other bandmate from The xx, Oliver Sim, who
sings over the minimalist interior with some buried deep beneath guitar strums.
However, I disliked the juxtaposition of "who?" and
"room"... As well, it seems
like this song never fully evolves and lacks a center.
"Hold
Tight" is yet another deep and ambiguous – dark or bright, optimistic or
depressive, take. The beat is buried somewhere deep beneath the surface of
synth. Only later does it get out. To me it feels like a very cold documentary
about partying. The end is marvellous.
"Loud
Places", once again, with help from Romy Madley Croft, is perhaps the best
song off the record. Well, maybe "perhaps" was not required here...
In this song both the lyrics and atmosphere, provided with a sound of someone
playing on a plate (well, that's what a person, who knows nothing about
samples, MPCs, laptops and so on, would say) and various deep synthesisers as
well as some piano, create a distinctive mood. The chorus brings this some sort
of utterly bittersweet feeling of when you are alone at a party and feel like
you've just realised that everything is temporal and we'll all die sooner or
later – all these cheering people included- and that things are both so
meaningless and so meaningful... All in all, these kinds of songs, even if at
times seeming happy, can make me cry. For some unpronounced reason.
Suddenly, after
such an emotional and rather dark take, we're thrown into the middle of the
world of hip-hop with a distinctive beat, and a promise of "good
times". The song, caled "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)" is completely different comparing to rest of the record, and it features guest vocals by American rapper Young Thug (oh really?) and Jamaican singer popcaan. There is still some ambiguity left, but this mood is far less
appealing to me. Rapping is pretty neat, but the lyrics are way too simplistic
and boring. However, the end, where someone says in such a distinctive fashion,
"It was good", makes me feel happy again, just like the "oh my
Gosh" thing.
"The Rest
Is Noise" is perhaps the deepest and most intricate song on the album.
Here Jamie xx unveils almost all of his tricks and brings a typically ambiguous,
layered and at times all swag, at times all gloom, atmosphere. From the calm in
the middle to the mean bassline afterwards, it's a gigantic track.
The last song,
"Girl" (It starts like: "The most beautiful girl in Hackney,
y'know..."), showcases some retro sound, some distinctive 80s kind of
bassline and a more club-friendly atmosphere, nevertheless it still find place
to add some experimental and unpredicted things. Something here sounds as if I
heard this in a dream. However, to end the album in such a fashion seems
strange to me.
Jamie xx:
http://www.jamiexx.com/
https://www.facebook.com/jamiexxofficial
https://twitter.com/jamie___xx
https://instagram.com/jamie___xx/
Buy "In Colour" here:
http://www.jamiexx.com/#order
http://theyoungturks.co.uk/store/view/in-colour
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/in-colour/id978362006
Video for "Loud Places":
