Ronan O'BrienIn Colour celebrated its tenth anniversary this May. It’s easily one of my favourite electronic albums out of the UK, and here’s why.
Jamie xx
James Thomas Smith, more widely known as Jamie xx, is a wizard with a synthesiser. His music career began with some friends from school, starting a band called The xx. The band’s debut, xx, gained critical acclaim and is a masterpiece in its own right. The album was produced by Jamie xx himself, which showcases the depth of the man’s talents. The big break for the band came with the release of “Crystalised“ as the first single from this album. Although the song exhibits The xx members Romy and Oliver Sim’s fantastic vocals, the real star of the show is Jamie on the drum machine. The vocalists display this emotional exchange in the verses but the soul of the song definitely comes from the beat. Even in the outro, with the vocalists repeating “Go slow”, the tempo slows with it. To me, this shows how involved Jamie is with these songs. He’s not just a producer – he’s the heartbeat.
Going Solo
Following the success of The xx, Jamie’s talents as a producer was evident to many. This contributed to his involvement with producing songs for many big artists. Such examples of this are Drake’s “Take Care”, the drums for Florence + The Machine on “Big God” and “When It’s All Over” for Alicia Keys. Countless shows with The xx and constantly lending beats to other artists allowed Jamie to accumulate a trove of half finished ideas.
Following a period of homesickness, he decided to work on In Colour which instantly became a hit. The album makes use of snippets from British TV & radio shows, firmly cementing its geographic identity. The album also features contributions from The xx members Romy and Oliver Sims, as well as Young Thug, Four Tet and Popcaan.
Loud Places
What appears to be the biggest hit from the album, this track opens with an ethereal synth, kicks and a clinking bell. The kicks are mixed in a way that it sounds like a crowd of people stomping on a basement floor at a house party. Romy from The xx provides the vocals, which instantly cause the background noise to cut out. Accompanied by muffled kicks and a bassline, she sings of going to loud places to find someone. The contrast between the lyrical content and what the instruments are doing is striking. It feels like you are listening to the singer’s internal monologue as she stands in the middle of a dancefloor. The sample use of “Could Heaven Ever Be Like This” works so poignantly when the instrumentals fade back in. It’s a sad song, but it makes you want to dance.
As the song evolves, there’s a guitar line with some of the sweetest tone I have ever heard. The rising of the song, accompanied with the claps, gives it that club feel. The lyrical painting in this song is fantastic with the instrumental production. Even in the outro, the song becomes so stripped back and slowed down that the lyrics accompany it perfectly; “You’re in ecstasy without me / When you come down / I won’t be around”. This is the kind of song you can shake it to with tears in your eyes, and to me that’s really cool.
Obvs
This is probably my favourite track on the album. He uses steel pans to create a beautiful melody that I can feel in my soul. The melody itself is melancholic, but the instrument itself make me feel like I’m on a tropical island, Piña colada in hand. There are so many layers to this track with the kicks, bass, shakers and synths. It could be synths or vocal samples but whatever it is, the sounds here are other-worldly.
There isn’t much to this song compared to others on the album, but there’s ingenuity in that. The beat itself is simple, but the layers allow the song to rise and fall in such a nice way. It doesn’t necessarily feel like an interlude track, it’s more of a hidden gem. To me this is evidence of how good the downtempo beats on the album are. You don’t even need to listen to it that attentively. Just lie back and let it scratch your brain in the right place.
Hold Tight
This is another instrumental track that hits the spot so well. The synths are so ominous and give this rising effect that something big is coming. The break is introduced by a BBC radio sample from a 90’s drum-and-bass show. The “Hold tight Cardiff crew, Bristol crew, Birmingham crew, London crew” gives that UK house feel. The drop sees an introduction of strong kicks and new synth melodies accompanying the main instrumentals. It’s another showcase of Jamie‘s use of instrumental layers and it’s damn good. The song comes to a head, with all the instrumentals fading away. All that’s left is the sound of the city – traffic, sirens and car horns. The song has its roots in London, and displays this brilliantly.
In Co(lour)nclusion
“Never judge a book by its cover”, they say. But the album cover for In Colour is such a good reflection of the music itself. It’s a kaleidoscope of colours much like the music itself. This album is not just electronic, it’s a blend of so much more. There are elements of jungle, downbeat, UK garage and rave. The variety in it is so wide but executed to absolute perfection. Many albums don’t stand the test of time, but 10 years later, In Colour feels as innovative as it did in 2015.
