The XX

kind of?

they are good songwriters -- whats surprising about them being 19 is more their restraint & the smoother reference pts ppl are making ... its not so much 'skill' that surprises, its that sophisticated sultry mentality i think ... but again im not, like, SHOCKED by this

I was so prepared to hate this, but it's pretty inoffensive, and whoever has mentioned that the production has a really nice spatial feel is right -- it's a pretty cozy sound. That said: I don't totally dig these affectless, almost-drugged vocals. I guess they do the job w/r/t the sound, but they make each song basically indecipherable from the next, and it's kinda hard to care since it sounds like the vocalists barely care (the entire thing doesn't sound totally different than Bright Eyes circa 2005 on like "Lua," that tired, world-weary cosmopolitanism, and that kind of thing gets dated really quickly).

(Though this "shelter" song is pretty gorgeous in some super-brief moments.)

Eh, well the early songs on the disc remind me of The Cure. I like it (a lot).

I never liked the Cure much.

Yeah it's okay but where's the Aaliyah, Missy, and Mariah Carey? Maybe they should work on The Meters.

― Kevin John Bozelka, Sunday, August 16, 2009 8:41 PM (2 weeks ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

OTM, btw. There's nothing bouncy or joyous or alive about this music at all -- not that there's anything wrong with that but... Rihanna??

I didn't dress or look the part, but I was a big Cure fan, back in the day. I kinda sadly felt like 80s revivalism was in it's "dying throes," but it's shown some surprising staying power even as 90s revivalism rumbles on the horizon. Long may 80s revivalism live.

(xp)

its not so much 'skill' that surprises, its that sophisticated sultry mentality i think

yeah i can see that. alot of people who i know that are 19 are brilliant musicians, and a handful are even great songwriters. i think what this band has in abundance is not maturity or sophistocation but patience and precision, in the way they've crafted such a specific style and play it in such a controlled way.

as 90s revivalism rumbles on the horizon

i am afraid of this.

thats totally already started d00ds

examples?

You wouldn't believe how many press releases I'm seeing with lines like "A band that's not afraid to dig out their flannel" and the like. And the bands pretty much all suck.

I'm reminded a bit of the Everything But the Girl records that were more minimal, like their version of "Night and Day" and "The Paris Match". Not a bad thing. Hear the Cure ref too, esp. the stripped down "17 Seconds" era.

I like this. I like that it's not weighed down by its influences, either. The fact that we're struggling to pin down exactly what it sounds like is a good thing, I think.

If the no-nonsense t-shirts and jeans rock of the 90s came back (GBV, Grifters, Pavement) I'd welcome it with open arms over the theatrics and heavy style-over-substance vibe of the 80s that seems to have been going on lately.

This band sounds very good though from what I've heard, regardless of what era they take most of their influence from.

Hi Evan. Do you want that Life Without Buildings album?

Uh... yes I do! Was going to buy it soon.

Dude's voice reminds me of Tricky at points.

E-mail me (thru webmail), I'll hook you up.

That Everything But The Girl thing is spot on. I've been trying to put my finger on that particular itch for the last week.

I'm not familiar with EBTG beyond their '90s stuff but the songs upthread definitely reminded me of the Marine Girls in a way so, yeah.

I don't know if I'd like a whole album of this but those two singles are nice, I agree that the arrangements are great.

This record would be perfect if the guy knew how to stfu.

I like this a lot but clearly everyone in the universe has forgotten about COLDER.

This is so much better than Colder, dude.

So finally listening to this in full and it's great, what's to hate? (All the complaints about the guy's voice upthread are baffling me! This isn't frickin' Wayne Hussey or anything, be thankful for what you got.)

YMG comparisons are a total red herring, the bass is too loud for that. The EBTG comparison does make more sense (the start of "Shelter") but I actually hear a lot of Jesus and Mary Chain circa Darklands in the initial tracks and I'm surprised they haven't been mentioned yet! (Then again the fact that we're throwing around a ton of references is to their credit, I figure.) "Fantasy" might be my favorite in terms of arrangement on first blush.

Really digging this, what they most remind me of is early 90's shoegazer/dream pop band Breathless. But there's plenty of other stuff in the mix, Mezzanine era Massive Attack, Tricky, Felt, even a bit B&S with the interplay between the vocalists. I like the fact that people can't quite put their finger on a sole overriding precursor even if it does sound slightly familiar.

Obviously the vocalist sounds nothing like Dominic Appleton.

Oh and the Womack and Womack cover rules kthxbye.

It's not that the guy has a bad voice or is a bad singer, it's just that whenever he starts singing, he strangely banalizes the whole thing. Still a very good record, though.

I dunno, rather than that the combination of his voice and hers reminds me -- more conceptually than in specific resemblance -- of things like Serge Gainsbourg's calmer duets, something about understated textures. It suits the songs and performances, it doesn't jar.

Does anyone know when this is being released in the US?

It's currently $30 import on Amazon, which is insane.

No idea if you mean the physical disc. But, fwiw, the XX is now on eMusic in the U.S. market.

Thanks, Daniel. I'm on the lookout for the physical disc, but I might just have to go for Amazonmp3 or something.

Does anyone know when this is being released in the US?

xxis scheduled to be released on October 20th in North America.

i posted that up thread.

I don't get it. Interesting sound but probably not for me. Should I keep trying? Maybe Spotify streams aren't doing it justice..

Stream here for those w/o Spotify access:
http://3voor12.vpro.nl/speler/luisterpaal/42404084#luisterpaal.42404084

Thanks, Bee OK.

"This is so much better than Colder, dude."

yeah I think I agree, but my point is why are people grasping at outlandish comparisons when there is a prior band/artist who did exactly the same thing.

Did they? (Not trying to be flippant but from what I remember of Colder I only sense a general resemblance. Post some compare/contrast links by all means!)

moody post-punk minimalism, electro beats, general breath fogging up the windscreen feel.

Perhaps Colder crossed with Insides to be really precise about it.

Colder were a fair bit broodier and electronic i thought

Hmmm, I like the Insides comparison but...a different kind of lyrical focus, less carefully constructed storytelling and more fragmentary perception.

i don't see the colder comparison really. this is like bubblegum teen music.

and i love the guy's voice. it reminds me of someone else but i can't place it yet. i hear the tricky, but it's something else too. something american?

Guy's voice reminded me a bit of M. Ward.

that's it!

it sounds a little like fugiya and miyagi imo, in places.

Anyone heard their cover of Womack & Womack's "Teardrops"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrVgCCUQ3fQ

ctrl f teardrops