The xx justifies its hype with XX

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      The xx
      XX (Young Turks)

      Spotty white English yoof has been wrestling with black music since the beginning of time, or “the ’60s”, as we like to call it. Punk grappling with reggae in the ’70s and the revolutionary clash of guitars and dance beats in late-’80s Manchester are related mutations. The result is never less than weird and thrilling, always throwing up a new form that feels like nothing you’ve ever heard before. Enter the xx—a super-young London four-piece with a “thing” for Rihanna and big-money American R&B, but really just indie kids with the same guitar tone as New Order’s Bernard Sumner.

      That’s not fair; the lively opening track “Intro” is like a dream-pop collision of Massive Attack and Interpol, while everything that follows is characterized by supple and tidy Zenlike arrangements, electronic beats, and blindingly clean mixes. A sultry, he-she love war ensues, with guitarist Romy Madley Croft and bassist Oliver Sim either trading vocals or duetting against this sparse backdrop. It only takes the queasy bump of guitar against a synth in “Fantasy” to make its point, and the way it slips into “Shelter”—a song that feels warm and alienated all at the same time—is indeed spine-tingling.

      The xx are so adept at retreating into negative space on XX that a breakout of noisy guitar at the end of “Basic Space” seems like an act of high decadence. Same goes for the clatter of percussion in “Infinity”. It’s austere by any other standards, but in this context feels like the fall of Rome. Every critic on earth, meanwhile, is losing their shit over XX, and rightly so.

      Download This: "Islands"

      Comments

      3 Comments

      Unsatisfied with XX

      Nov 4, 2009 at 4:14pm

      XX does not live up to the packaging- which, by my standards, is really cool. The CD package stands out in my mind... where as the orchestration, beats and vibe of the album sounds like minimalist indie art dance rock, with an emphasis on MINIMALIST. not much to chew on in terms of the vocal performances, although the pair of vocalists do know how to play off each other nicely.

      Final Verdict: 2 out of 5 X's. (go buy a beck album instead)

      Mack

      Nov 5, 2009 at 8:32am

      I was impressed with the sounds and arrangements before the songs got under my skin. Maybe five or six listens. ie. it's a grower. No argument on the packaging.

      therzo

      Nov 18, 2009 at 5:21pm

      This is a great new band and the second review of their album I've read. It's a lame review, because as well as the other one I read, it simply tries to compare the band to other bands.

      This is an excellent new album by a new artist. We'll always be able to compare similarities between bands and time, but I think this only takes away appreciation of what we've been given from any given artist at any given time.

      If you want to hear some really good, obviously "from the heart", new music pick up X by The xx.