It’s been clear for a good while now that Jamie xx possesses a jaw-dropping talent of merging disparate sounds together from the restrained hush of his band The xx’s material to his impressive reworking of Gil Scott-Heron’s I’m New Here record and his masterful juxtaposition of electronic genres in the restless solo singles that he’s released since. ‘Loud Places’ however – the first taste of his imminent debut solo album In Colour along with ‘Gosh’ – is perhaps the most gorgeous piece of music that he has lent his name to yet.
Bandmate Romy Madley Croft lends her gentle vocals but never rises above a whisper, rather letting a perfectly placed Idris Muhammad sample steal the show. The song builds and builds as Jamie piles on the layers until it erupts in a wonderfully controlled burst of sound that makes you feel as if coloured confetti is raining down from the sky as you skateboard around the empty streets of London. Maybe the video may have had something to do with that image too actually.
Originally published 28th March at: http://audioaddictmag.com/2015/03/28/hey-listen-28th-march-2015/
BASS ODDITY 