Album of the Week: The xx walk the line between groove and silence on I See You

The xx arguably have little left to prove. Three albums in, the London trio have long discarded the "pretenders to the Young Marble Giants" throne' label their 2009 debut made them out to be, mostly thanks to its multifaceted 2012 follow-up Coexist, the patronage of celebrity fans such as Beyoncé and Jay Z, and their ability to sell out arenas. These days, the Londoners are about as close to "cult heroes" as X Factor disaster Honey G.

Still, for many music fans they remain merchants of gloom-pop, and I See You is unlikely to change that opinion. Despite the success of beatmaker and co-producer Jamie xx's solo album, his influence isn't exerted as brutishly here as fans may have expected. Instead, moments on tracks such as Dangerous and the immersive, sultry clatter of Lips (which samples a song by composer David Lang) provide more subtle club and electronica-oriented moments, leaving plenty of room for moments of swampy, groove-based reflection.

Indeed, The xx's greatest strength has, somewhat perversely, always been their awareness of the power of silence. As always, care is taken not to rush to fill the gaps with meaningless sound, which makes the lyrics of their love-addled (Say Something Loving, Lips), heartache-saturated (Performance, Test Me) and self-examining (Replica, A Violent Noise) songs easier to process.

It's not all frown-inducing fare. The slick pop thrum of the Hall & Oates-sampling On Hold is a highlight as Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim's vocal interplay remains crucial to their sound. Likewise, Brave for You's intricate guitar play and the lithe bounce of I Dare You offer moments of brief exhilaration.

Mostly, though, it’s business as usual for The xx – rather than a career-defining collection.

[ thexx.info ]