In Colour
Young Turks
Producer and artist Jamie xx is best known for his soft
indie pop act The xx and their infamous debut album. All his work that has
followed that debut in 2009 has been compared to this highly praised first
record and nothing has been able to compare to the sincere and dark tracks that
made the project so special. The xx are such a pleasurable listen because of
the way Jamie’s production and the catchy bass lines of Oliver Sim created a
perfectly slow atmosphere for Jamie and fellow singer Romy Madley Croft to duet
on topics like intimate relationships and the pain that comes with loss. For
his solo debut titled “In Colour”, Jamie xx borrows some of these traits and
creates his first piece of work that can live up to the 2009 precedent.
Although the two records sound nothing alike, the Jamie xx DNA is at many of
these tracks’ core which leads to a group of catchy unique songs.
Although this is a solo project for Jamie xx the London producer
hardly leaves his bandmates behind. Oliver Sim features on one of the track
while Romy Madley Croft features on another two. These also end up being three
of the stronger tracks and show off how great these artists collaborate
together. Croft’s low almost whispering vocal style sounds perfect over the
minimal Jamie xx production. Croft is given space to function and shine in
between bombastic and lush layers of piano, drum machine, bass, and samples. Tracks
like “Loud Places” and “Stranger in a Room” should sound familiar and
comforting while at the same time feature unexpected twists.
The tracks that are only credited to Jamie xx are extremely
well done as well. Many of them such as “Gosh”, “Obvs”, and “Just Saying”
start with quirky instrumentals that stick to your brain. From there the tracks
build and brood as more instrumentation is implemented or the songs start to
shift and new piece of instrumentation or vocal sampling becomes the center of
attention. Many of these pieces almost seem to have suites that they are
transitioning through. A great example of this is the track “The Rest is Just
Noise”. Starting with just a few synth notes, the track builds into a monolith.
After about 20 seconds into the song, a simple clap beat is introduces that
slowly gets quicker and implements even more beats and rhythms. Soon even more
synths are slowly taking the place of the original one at the beginning of the
track while ethereal noise lingers in the background creating a profoundly beautiful arrangement.
This collection of songs by Jamie xx do an excellent job
proving why “In Colour” was such an appropriate title. The bright and vibrant
production creates a variety of emotions and feelings within the listener. The production
is just so lively and beautiful. It seems like every different color on the
albums’ cover is represented by an equally bright and unique soundscape that
Jamie xx weaves seamlessly into this album’s topography. The only wrinkle
within the album is created by “I Know there’s Gonna be Good Times” which
features Young Thug. The song is an excellent and catchy summer jam, however,
in the context of the album the rap verses are completely out of left field.
While the song is enjoyable it just does not nest comfortably within the album.
This album proved that Jamie xx can shine on his own without
the rest of his former band, but that he has not forgotten what their talents
bring to his own production. Other than the Young Thug track, the album works
very cohesively and brings its listener through the downs of the sober keys on
his piano to the ultimate heights of gorgeous production and sampling aided by
a grand gospel choir. “In Colour” is an electronic album that should please just
about any music fan. While Jamie xx does lean a bit on what he knows works on
this release that hardly detracts from the record or makes any less danceable or
enjoyable.
8/10
-
Tom K.
6/3/2015
Check out a nice video of Jamie xx performing "Loud Places" below.
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