anyone else listening to them? probably the best new music i've heard all year. they describe their influences as everything from Aaliyah to Cocorosie, Rhianna to The Cure, Missy Elliott to The Chromatics and Mariah Carey to The Pixies which may sound a little pretentious but is pretty OTM.
first single "crystalised":
― groovemaaan, Sunday, 16 August 2009 12:52 (3 years ago) Permalink
full album streamhttp://www.we7.com/#/album/xx-Exclusive-album-preview-!albumId=367943
― piscesx, Sunday, 16 August 2009 13:58 (3 years ago) Permalink
New single:
― Barnaby, Hardly, Sunday, 16 August 2009 14:02 (3 years ago) Permalink
Don't get this band. They seem to have become this year's Token Indie Band for the dubstep crowd (exhibit A - The Lex likes them) but I thought the album was just blank and nothingy and a bit dull. Maybe I need to give it more time.
― Matt DC, Sunday, 16 August 2009 14:05 (3 years ago) Permalink
I'm really enjoying the record. I can hear some of the influences namechecked above for sure, but the minimalism reminds me of Young Marble Giants more than anything. Not musically, but in just how spare the arrangements are.
I also dig the way that their image seems completely incongruous with the music.
― Barnaby, Hardly, Sunday, 16 August 2009 14:09 (3 years ago) Permalink
this v good record am enjoying greatly
― Roberto Spiralli, Sunday, 16 August 2009 14:19 (3 years ago) Permalink
They sound like a slightly less dynamic Morcheeba. If I want moody poseurs playing emptily doomy music I'll stick with the new Horrors album I think.
― DavidM, Sunday, 16 August 2009 15:08 (3 years ago) Permalink
The male singer is a total snooze; he perks up when the girl joins in.
― Anatomy of a Morbius (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 16 August 2009 15:10 (3 years ago) Permalink
They're phenomenal live. They blew The Big Pink off stage in London a few months ago.
(Which, on reflection, isn't saying that much.)
― Doran, Sunday, 16 August 2009 15:38 (3 years ago) Permalink
the album's ok... gets old fast
― fauxmarc, Sunday, 16 August 2009 15:55 (3 years ago) Permalink
but the minimalism reminds me of Young Marble Giants more than anything
This is my favorite thing to use a reference as well.
That said, outside of "Crystalised" being one of my favorite songs of the year, I think the album is pretty boring.
― Johnny Fever, Sunday, 16 August 2009 19:25 (3 years ago) Permalink
are these guys actually ok? whenever indie bands run thru their list of influences + it has stuff like aaliyah, missy &c then i start rolling my eyes. it's like myspace pages w/ crunk
this might be unfair
― just sayin, Sunday, 16 August 2009 19:28 (3 years ago) Permalink
Yeah it's okay but where's the Aaliyah, Missy, and Mariah Carey? Maybe they should work on The Meters.
― Kevin John Bozelka, Sunday, 16 August 2009 19:41 (3 years ago) Permalink
Both of those singles sound incredibly boring to me. Certainly not hearing Missy or the Pixies
― claws of jungle red (Stevie D), Sunday, 16 August 2009 19:42 (3 years ago) Permalink
I can hear Pixies-lite...
― Kevin John Bozelka, Sunday, 16 August 2009 19:50 (3 years ago) Permalink
Listening to this just makes me want to listen to that live version of Gus Gus's "Believe" instead
― claws of jungle red (Stevie D), Sunday, 16 August 2009 19:59 (3 years ago) Permalink
Uh influences is just that, influences. Doesn't mean they will use the sound of mentioned band/artist. Which thank god they didn't do. I'd hate to hear Pixies mixed with Mariah. Love'em both but not at the same time.
― Nathalie (stevienixed), Sunday, 16 August 2009 20:11 (3 years ago) Permalink
"Uh" then how exactly are they influenced by them? And Strokes/Christina Aguilera worked so why not Pixies/Mariah?
― Kevin John Bozelka, Sunday, 16 August 2009 20:15 (3 years ago) Permalink
Personally I hear Xanax references
― Nathalie (stevienixed), Sunday, 16 August 2009 20:18 (3 years ago) Permalink
sounds like stripped down balearic tunes being packed in a form of soul ballad. 'shelter' is pretty great, till the moment one realise that it goes nowhere.
― gwidon, Sunday, 16 August 2009 22:56 (3 years ago) Permalink
never mind the balearics
― damo tsu tsuki (r1o natsume), Sunday, 16 August 2009 22:58 (3 years ago) Permalink
here's the XX
― damo tsu tsuki (r1o natsume), Sunday, 16 August 2009 22:59 (3 years ago) Permalink
wow "basic space" is really really good
― geir ham, go (J0rdan S.), Monday, 17 August 2009 07:34 (3 years ago) Permalink
this is the sort of minimalis indie that i can handle - everything is v confidently & carefully arranged. basically the complete opposite of micachu.
― geir ham, go (J0rdan S.), Monday, 17 August 2009 07:35 (3 years ago) Permalink
as previously mentioned, though, I feel like it goes nowhere. I keep waiting for the song to begin.
― claws of jungle red (Stevie D), Monday, 17 August 2009 07:36 (3 years ago) Permalink
because of the RIHANNA! MISSY! AALIYAH! name dropping i was all ready to hate on this like crazy but it really won me over real quick. "basic space" is the only one i've listened to so far but i really think it has a great sense of build, and they add on hooks as the song progresses (even into the final minute). i keep coming back to micachu, but i feel like that stuff just takes one or two ideas and plays it out all smashed together for three minutes with no real regard or care for 'proper' arrangement. ('proper' in the sense that it was well thought out not in the sense that there is an objectively 'proper' way to arrange a song.) (and this is not to say that all music needs to be properly and artfully arranged & planned out like a mansion is being built [altho i would say that i probs lean towards music that is made like that more often than not] but that i think with twee-leaning stuff like micachu the sloppiness & bareness can get really grating where something like, idk, early green day would not)
― geir ham, go (J0rdan S.), Monday, 17 August 2009 07:47 (3 years ago) Permalink
otoh "basic space" just has this sense of professionalism and knack for structure that i think is most prevalent in stuff by people like - GASP - the-dream & that's where i could see some r&b influences and it's v impressive
― geir ham, go (J0rdan S.), Monday, 17 August 2009 07:49 (3 years ago) Permalink
i'm really glad i got into them before i read any of the bio/influences stuff, which have...not very much to do w/their music. i like the stillness, the carefulness, the clean production and bare-bones arrangements. disagree that the songs go nowhere - as i remember there are some really great builds on the album. it's "moody" in the best sense. 'basic space' is prob my least favourite on the album (tho).
― lex pretend, Monday, 17 August 2009 07:59 (3 years ago) Permalink
aw fuck there's a micachu remix of "basic space"
― geir ham, go (J0rdan S.), Monday, 17 August 2009 08:01 (3 years ago) Permalink
i think i'll be fine w/never hearing that
― lex pretend, Monday, 17 August 2009 08:02 (3 years ago) Permalink
ok listening to this now. i love the combination of shoegazey ethereal harmonies with the steady bare-bones arrangements - the vocals are blurry but everything else is in such sharp focus. am reminded somewhat of the kills in their attitude to repetition.
― lex pretend, Monday, 17 August 2009 08:06 (3 years ago) Permalink
OOH they are playing london this week.
― lex pretend, Monday, 17 August 2009 08:11 (3 years ago) Permalink
I thoroughly enjoyed this when I gave it a listen the other week, but I can't say that I've been inspired to listen to it since. It was pleasant but there was something a little sterile about it. Geir-friendly, perhaps.
― Sickamous (Scik Mouthy), Monday, 17 August 2009 08:12 (3 years ago) Permalink
the difference between really liking this and finding it "pleasant but sterile" is in the margins i think
― geir ham, go (J0rdan S.), Monday, 17 August 2009 08:15 (3 years ago) Permalink
Wouldn't this be a lot better with only the girl singing ? The guy's voice sounds really dull. Nice production and some cool songs though.
― J4mi3 H4rl3y (Snowballing), Monday, 17 August 2009 09:11 (3 years ago) Permalink
'basic space' is prob my least favourite on the album (tho).
Mine too.
as previously mentioned, though, I feel like it goes nowhere.
That's the problem with a majority of the album. It sounds like they got bored with whatever idea they worked out and moved on to the next one. "Crystalised" is the only one, to me, that feels fully fleshed out (but I do love the instrumental "Intro" regardless).
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 17 August 2009 10:10 (3 years ago) Permalink
I only listened to the track on the Youtube video embedded above, having been enticed by the interesting set of quoted influences, but found it very tedious. I just don't want to hear songs with that kind of numbingly boring, uninspiring chord sequence or that tired-sounding vocal style. I never liked that style in the first place but it seems even worse now, being rehashed for the umpteenth time.
― dubmill, Monday, 17 August 2009 11:50 (3 years ago) Permalink
Relistening, "Basic Space" isn't terrible but still isn't my thing. Certainly doesn't "suck" though, and I give them mad props for doing something that really isn't being done atm. The sound quite mature for whatever age they look in these videos/pix.
― claws of jungle red (Stevie D), Monday, 17 August 2009 15:42 (3 years ago) Permalink
I am loving this. So nice and sparse, almost Young Marble Giants-ish in places.
― Simon H., Monday, 17 August 2009 16:36 (3 years ago) Permalink
Xpost
Saw them on Friday at a free show in NYC, purely by accident. Liked them more than School of Seven Bells, also on the bill, FWIW.
British, sparing, sometimes melancholic. I might have too much of this stuff already. But maybe not.
― Shh! It's NOT Me!, Monday, 17 August 2009 16:44 (3 years ago) Permalink
almost Young Marble Giants-ish in places.
Argh, stop saying this. This is nothing like YMG.
― DavidM, Monday, 17 August 2009 17:04 (3 years ago) Permalink
Some of it kinda is.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 17 August 2009 17:05 (3 years ago) Permalink
But not enough. Another friend says this sounds like the Vaselines, which is also not quite accurate.
― Anatomy of a Morbius (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 17 August 2009 17:07 (3 years ago) Permalink
Someone tell me why I keep coming back to this thread even though I only like two songs on the record! Maybe I feel like a mother hen or something because I've been gushing over "Crystalised" since months ago and, even though the album was disappointing, I still feel loyal.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 17 August 2009 17:12 (3 years ago) Permalink
the biggest problem with this album is that all the songs sounds the same, and as mentioned,going nowhere.
― Zeno, Monday, 17 August 2009 17:39 (3 years ago) Permalink
somehow most of the new hyped british bands in recent years are dissapointing.
― Zeno, Monday, 17 August 2009 17:48 (3 years ago) Permalink
TS: X vs The X vs The XX ....
― m0stlyClean, Monday, 17 August 2009 18:05 (3 years ago) Permalink
vs The Ex
― young depardieu looming out of void in hour of profound triumph (Le Bateau Ivre), Monday, 17 August 2009 18:44 (3 years ago) Permalink
It's not a perfect album by any stretch but in some respects there's nothing wrong with a band doing an album that all sounds the same. Loads of good albums sound pretty similar all the way through on the first few listens.
If anything I wish they hadn't included the slightly different sounding track. Not because I don't like it but because it's too much like 'Wicked Game' by Chris Isaak.
― Doran, Monday, 17 August 2009 20:01 (3 years ago) Permalink
because it's too much like 'Wicked Game' by Chris Isaak
Ha! I definitely heard that in there too.
Also, the first track, to me, sounds like a Foals 45 played at 33.
― Barnaby, Hardly, Monday, 17 August 2009 20:11 (3 years ago) Permalink
they should have just done an 'XL artists remix Gil Scott Heron!' album. you could have had adele doing power duets with gsh's vocals, jack white doing a blues version, vampire weekend making gsh sound preppy, dizzee rascal making gil grimey....
Except albums like this are never as good as the sum of their parts.
I quite like the one-remixer-one-artist approach actually, I'm enjoying this album quite a lot as well. Jamie XX has a very Duplo building-block approach to production (beats especially) but it works for him.
I like what he did to the Adele song but after a couple of months I'm not sure I actually like the original song itself enough to keep going back to the remix.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 8 March 2011 10:14 (2 years ago) Permalink
Gil Scott-Heron vs Vampire Weekend - Whitey on the Campus
― Pop is superior to all other genres (DL), Tuesday, 8 March 2011 10:20 (2 years ago) Permalink
whitey on the campus is something i would genuinely like to hear.
― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Tuesday, 8 March 2011 10:24 (2 years ago) Permalink
or cred-in, here, but similar reasoning
Not sure either act needs more cred than they already have but if it does both artists a favour commercially then who cares? Not like they don't deserve it.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 8 March 2011 10:36 (2 years ago) Permalink
So when they came to combine, on “We’re New Here”, perhaps Jamie XX and Gil Scott Heron were not truly strangers, instead linked by musical heritagerecord label
i lolled twice
― Tim F, Tuesday, 8 March 2011 10:37 (2 years ago) Permalink
i do still think the florence and the machine remix is genuinely good and smart
― plax (ico), Tuesday, 8 March 2011 10:38 (2 years ago) Permalink
for truth though this is a pretty clever match-up from a marketing perspective, I feel like the fans of each are the kind of people who would feel favourably disposed to the idea of the other artist (or even just the idea of liking the other artist) once they're forced to form an opinion.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 8 March 2011 10:39 (2 years ago) Permalink
Six Degrees of Jamie XX (xpost)
yes considering i previously didnt mind the xx and found their quiveringly delicate indie schmindie quite nicely melancholy if also irritatingly tentative, i now quite dislike mr xx.
― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Tuesday, 8 March 2011 10:41 (2 years ago) Permalink
Oh yeah totally, it works as a way of selling the same (or similar) album to a different-but-complementary audience. Given the trend for bet-hedging across the industry right now (Guetta rnb I'm looking at you) I'd be interested to see if anyone else cottons onto this approach. Basically what I'm getting at is I want to see Ill Blu remix an entire Roll Deep album.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 8 March 2011 10:43 (2 years ago) Permalink
nice idea but it would never happen (though it should - id be happy just with more ill blu remixes of grime mcs)
― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Tuesday, 8 March 2011 10:47 (2 years ago) Permalink
Basically what I'm getting at is I want to see Ill Blu remix an entire Roll Deep album.
Man can you imagine, it would be like the second coming of The Real McCoy in the best possible way.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 8 March 2011 10:48 (2 years ago) Permalink
i like this album a lot. thoughts here. anyway, i don't get the impression jamie is "pretending it's some sort of huge ~artistic enterprise~" -- nor does this sound like a "common-or-garden record label cash-in" -- basically just sounds like jamie remixing a record he really likes while bored on the xx tour bus (not a bad thing at all). also iirc he's come across as v humble about the whole thing in the couple interviews i've seen
― Damn this thread seems so....different without ilxor (ilxor), Tuesday, 8 March 2011 15:15 (2 years ago) Permalink
actually, i quite like the remix of home. he keeps it quite simple. though its warmer than anything hes done, it sort of makes me wonder what tricky (back in the late 90s) would have done with remixing this album. richard xl's production on the original gsh album strikes me as a very 90s sounding thing anyway.
― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Tuesday, 8 March 2011 15:44 (2 years ago) Permalink
http://www.jetsetrecords.net/en/XX-SHELTER-NIGHT-TIME/product/213004042722
i hope this becomes more available than just in Japan.
― du mein bestie (micarl), Tuesday, 8 March 2011 19:52 (2 years ago) Permalink
huh
this GSH/Jamie XX album is almost good, but I can't pin down what it is that is keeping me from embracing it
― ancient, but very sexy (DJP), Friday, 11 March 2011 15:01 (2 years ago) Permalink
I agree. Even I'll Take Care of You, which is my favourite track, doesn't quite achieve greatness.
― Number None, Friday, 11 March 2011 15:05 (2 years ago) Permalink
a small portion of it is a lingering sentiment of "I expect to hear this only over the PA in The Gap", which is semi-surprising to me because I usually don't care about that type of thing
― ancient, but very sexy (DJP), Friday, 11 March 2011 15:07 (2 years ago) Permalink
"Running" has started to work for me now.
― ancient, but very sexy (DJP), Friday, 18 March 2011 19:19 (2 years ago) Permalink
the quietus review of this is way too emo.
― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Friday, 18 March 2011 21:19 (2 years ago) Permalink
of were new here i mean.
― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Friday, 18 March 2011 21:20 (2 years ago) Permalink
damn, 2009 -- this is what i'm listening to @ 2:25 am est in september 2011
― markers, Friday, 2 September 2011 06:26 (1 year ago) Permalink
this album is still the shit
― J0rdan S., Friday, 2 September 2011 06:32 (1 year ago) Permalink
it is!
― flopson, Friday, 2 September 2011 06:41 (1 year ago) Permalink
this album will never not remind me of 2009
― markers, Friday, 2 September 2011 06:44 (1 year ago) Permalink
2009 is the best year for music since at least 2009
― flopson, Friday, 2 September 2011 06:47 (1 year ago) Permalink
i listen to this album just two days ago, loved it immensely.
― Bee OK, Friday, 2 September 2011 07:16 (1 year ago) Permalink
listened
― Bee OK, Friday, 2 September 2011 07:17 (1 year ago) Permalink
btw, i'm not really getting those highs from music anymore = sad. especially after all these years...
― Bee OK, Friday, 2 September 2011 07:26 (1 year ago) Permalink
yeah i have mixed feelings abt music atm i guess
― markers, Friday, 2 September 2011 07:32 (1 year ago) Permalink
idk
maybe
lots of great stuff this year
― J0rdan S., Friday, 2 September 2011 07:45 (1 year ago) Permalink
like every year imo
i doubt it's the music
― markers, Friday, 2 September 2011 07:50 (1 year ago) Permalink
lol i don't even know what that means
― J0rdan S., Friday, 2 September 2011 07:51 (1 year ago) Permalink
btw, i'm not really getting those highs from music anymore = sad. especially after all these years...― Bee OK, Friday, September 2, 2011 3:26 AMyeah i have mixed feelings abt music atm i guess― markers, Friday, September 2, 2011 3:32 AM
― Bee OK, Friday, September 2, 2011 3:26 AM
― markers, Friday, September 2, 2011 3:32 AM
there probably is "lots of great stuff this year," and if i'm not super into any of it "i doubt it's the music," it's probably me
― markers, Friday, 2 September 2011 07:56 (1 year ago) Permalink
oh
― J0rdan S., Friday, 2 September 2011 07:59 (1 year ago) Permalink
It's time for a new album, you xx people.
― Mark G, Friday, 2 September 2011 09:21 (1 year ago) Permalink
otm
― jon /via/ chi 2.0, Friday, 2 September 2011 13:20 (1 year ago) Permalink
The xx to record deep house album?
― Lars and the Lulu Girl (NickB), Tuesday, 8 November 2011 10:50 (1 year ago) Permalink
well played the xx
― Crackle Box, Tuesday, 8 November 2011 11:11 (1 year ago) Permalink
New album "Coexist" in Septermber.
http://pitchfork.com/news/46397-the-xx-announce-new-album/
― monster_xero, Friday, 1 June 2012 18:09 (11 months ago) Permalink
Do they have any other instrumentals beside "Intro?"
― calstars, Wednesday, 22 August 2012 18:11 (9 months ago) Permalink
speaking of "Intro", here it is edited to be 10 hours long:
― The Owls of Ja Rule (DJP), Wednesday, 17 October 2012 18:22 (7 months ago) Permalink
A+
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 17 October 2012 18:24 (7 months ago) Permalink
New song from The Great Gatsby soundtrack
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 20:58 (1 month ago) Permalink
you know what, the xx should collaborate with the dude from These New Puritans
― Call me at **BITCOIN (DJP), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 21:03 (1 month ago) Permalink
nice but lol at the gratuitous movie soundtrack strings, especially when the 808 cowbell comes back in.
― shit tie (Jordan), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 21:10 (1 month ago) Permalink
feels like they've really lost their ear for phrasing
― 乒乓, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:56 (1 month ago) Permalink
It's definitely a song by The XX
― illegalblues, Friday, 26 April 2013 01:44 (1 month ago) Permalink