The XX

The XX
The XX
9 out of 10

Sometimes hype is just that, hype. It overwhelms and creates such unreal expectations that once a first album is released it can crush even the most steely of resolves. There are long lists of bands that failed under the hype machines, never to be heard from again. Rarely a band warrants the hype and even transcends it. The XX are such a band. For such a young band, all are barely of drinking age, they are supremely confident and fully realized. Forming in high school, band members Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim, Baria Qureshi, and Jamie Smith cite influences as disparate as Aliyiah, Pixies, and the Cure. Singers Croft and Sim echo and pull between each other like lovers involved in an intimate, private conversation. Their voices barely rise above a whisper and it feels like the listener has stumbled upon secrets not meant to be overheard.

Signature song "Basic Space" highlights the strengths of this brilliant band. The beats are subtle and enveloping, the guitars delicate and haunting. The voices, a conversation between two lovers, too frightened by the intense physicality of their relationship:

"I'll take you in pieces
We can take it all apart
I've suffered shipwrecks right from the start
I've been underwater, breathing out and in
I think I'm losing where you end and I begin"



The songs are so personal, it is almost painful to listen to. "Crystalized" depicts a relationship where one lover feels they are treated too much as a sexual object and not a real person:

"You've applied the pressure
to have me crystalised
And you've got the faith
That I could bring paradise

I'll forgive and forget
Before I'm paralyzed
Do I have to keep up the pace
To keep you satisfied"



The cd is masterfully paced with the two ends of duets bridged by solo vocal performances from the two singers. Each focusing on internal thoughts and feelings:





"Shelter" is probably my favorite song on the cd. Croft's voice conveys such wounded emotion.

"I find shelter, in this way
Under cover, hide away
Can you hear, when I say?
I have never felt this way

Maybe I had said, something that was wrong
Can I make it better, with the lights turned on"

Most of the songs are minimal and hushed, but every so often, the band ups the beat quotient. I can easy see a song like "Heart Skipped A Beat" given a wicked remix treatment:



The XX do not create music that hits you over the head or stands out in a crowded room. It takes repeated listens to understand what they are doing, but they have so much control for such a young band, it is transcendent. The XX is definitely worth the effort to get to know. A top ten cd of the year.