Jamie xx
In Colour
It is a rare thing indeed, when an electronica album, written by a member of an indie-pop band, makes you sit up and pay attention--and not for it's bombastic drops or earwigging hooks. No, In Colour, Jamie xx's full-length debut, catches you off-guard with it's overly simplistic beauty.
From it's pleasant yet jaw-dropping album art, to the upbeat rhythms and major-chord samples, it becomes obvious that In Colour's major theme is "life is beautiful." Even the Young Thug helmed "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)" is less Pitbull-esque raver and more Drifters soul relaxation.
Jamie Smith (the real, less interesting name) uses a full compliment of recording tricks to keep the album fresh: loops are often created with live percussion and piano. similar to Caribou, or even early Moby; electronic beats are kept quiet and unobtrusive, just audible enough to let you know they're there; when the tempo changes it is done in an interesting way, not the unsusal drum pattern punch-up/pitch shift.
Each song on In Colour has it's own identity. There is not gentle melding of tracks into one 42-minute session, but instead there is a near-constant upheaval from house, to dubstep, to trip-hop, and back.
Finally standing out from the shadow of The xx, and his many remixes and producer credits (obviously his work with the incomparable Gil Scott-Heron was fantastic, as were his contributions with Drake and record producer "40"), In Colour is a fantastic spotlight.
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