The xx
"I See You"
(Young Turks (ASTERISK)(ASTERISK)(ASTERISK){)
The xx's tricks are two. Singers Romy Madley-Croft and Oliver Sim talk to each other in song, carrying on a musical conversation like a post-modern Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner or anxiety-ridden Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. And ever since their self-titled debut album in 2009, they've made the most of minimalism, getting maximum emotional impact out of restrained arrangements that communicate unease while almost always opting to hold back rather than cut loose. However, it's the third wheel _ keyboard player and producer Jamie xx (real last name: Smith) _ who's the difference-maker on the British band's third album. Smith stepped out as a solo artist with 2015's "In Colour," and on "I See You," he fills out the band's sound in inventive ways throughout, starting with the pitch-shifted sample of Hall & Oates' "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" that takes the album's superb lead single "On Hold" by surprise. Madley-Craft and Sim have always been skilled at conveying unresolved sexual tension that's best suited to the dark corners of the chill-out room. Here, they brighten up and get moving to the dance floor.
_Dan DeLuca
