The XX

I wish more of the album was in the vein of "Intro"

Just bought tix for the xx/Friendly Fires show in a few weeks.

The album is growing on me exponentially - "Islands" is lovely, would be curious to hear it remixed in either a dubstep or electro treatment.

yeah, there's def a couple tracks on here that seem like they've been primed for remix

also got tix for mpls show

am i the only one who likes "VCR" the best?

i really like VCR!

Love VCR, yeah.

VCR = awesome, although I don't know if it's the best. Need to contemplate.

dan i agree with you about "intro"--feels bigger and even roomier than some of the other songs.

also got tix for mpls show

― rad bandit (gbx), Monday, October 19, 2009 7:00 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark

sheeit need to get on this!!

i finally own this on CD tonight. i kept from listening to the MP3 because i knew this day would come.

i think the last debut album that gave this overwhelming feeling was Funeral. this is truly a special record for this particular moment in time...

to clarify, i did listen to the leak a couple of time. i wanted to wait to fully absorb the power of this record. i, for instance, loved the way "Islands" was able to breath and so on and so forth.

thanks for the clarification!

i really like them, theyre really original sounding

I <3 Bee OK.

this here is one damn elegant debut lp.

Nice they did an extra track 'Hot Like Fire' on the LP too.

btw everyone who i have turned on to this band has become insanely addicted to them too. Islands still kinda kills me.

They played as a three piece for the first time last night.

If you have tickets to see them in the next week or so, the gigs may have been cancelled due to Baria leaving/having some time off.

The show was amazing - the did the album and 'Teardrops' but they were visibly gutted that one of them was missing.

Just saw them open for Friendly Fires. The set was fucking incredible, pretty much all I could wish for in terms of commanding the SOLD OUT crowd. Somehow they played everything off the album EXCEPT for Crystalized and Heart Skips a Beat (granted they started ten or fifteen minutes late, so maybe that's why). Nothing off the Bonus EP either, although as the left the stage, Jamie threw their remix of Florence over the speaker system.

It looked as though a decent number of people were only there for the xx and cleared out after, but it was still pretty packed for Friendly Fires whose set was completely next level compared to their album - horn section and discofunk. Possibly the most disparate bill of bands I've seen stylistically but a great show.

They'd substantially reworked one or two tracks with new beat and different arrangements that were interesting and maybe better? Also had an extended instrumental jam in the middle of a song or two. They're fucking with their standard m.o. and it's paying off.

It looked as though a decent number of people were only there for the xx and cleared out after,

Same was true of the Chicago show.

Tbh, the acoustics at the venue here were pretty horrible and made the xx sound muddy and distant, which is a shame. But Friendly Fires definitely brought it.

this lot did tit-all in a tent at a festival but then i don't think that's really their stage

How did I manage to miss this show? I walk by the venue everyday and I never noticed they were comming :-(

downloaded this a while ago, but went to a store about a week and a half ago to buy a copy of the lp. as i walked into the store, i saw them signing stuff at a table in the back, roadies and store folks breaking down their gear. i'd apparently missed them playing there by about 15 minutes. no idea. :'(

sounds like chris isaak

Yeah, Montreal show was wonderful. Adding little things to the songs, but showing the same discipline and care.

Can't get a fix on the male singer, though - he's this really singular "type".

She sort of reminded me of Tracy Thorn a bit:
http://i48.tinypic.com/a0uyh0.jpghttp://www.kalamu.com/bol/wp-content/content/images/everything%20but%20the%20girl.jpg

"Can't get a fix on the male singer, though - he's this really singular "type"."

How so? His vocal style? His appearance? Confused by this statement.

That said, his big necklace of keys-as-bling was wonderful in a post-apocalyptic sort of way.

Christgau loves the new record.

this threadis tl;dr- what would you guys recommend to me for liking this?

She sort of reminded me of Tracy Thorn a bit

Just a bit?

I love this record. Unique sound and unique songs.

riding this album on a bus through south london A+

"Can't get a fix on the male singer, though - he's this really singular "type"."

How so? His vocal style? His appearance? Confused by this statement.

both I think? his vocal style is really idiosyncratic and his personal style seems to be goth chav, which is a new one on me

what would you guys recommend to me for liking this?

if you like it, pat yourself on the back

lol badly wording things

Just a bit?

She was partially hidden by a speaker from my vantage point, so I couldn't see her too well.

Their remix of Florence and the Machine's "You've Got The Love" is astonishing, one of my favourite things of this year.

It truly truly is. That they blasted it from the speakers at the end of their set almost made up for the lack of "Crystalized".

As much as I adore the album and their aesthetic as a band, there's a kineticism in Jamie's remixxes that isn't present in most of their music - I'd love to hear him become a regular mixer on the singles circuit while they tour and write new material.

He has a wonderful ear for anticipation - it's not the sparseness per se, but knowing when to pull everything back for a moment, or insert a long xylophone build, or delay the chorus by an extra bar or two. Also, the tweaking of Florence's "You know it's real" is this delightful ping-ponged present to my ears.

Yes. Also you only realise how slamming the beat is when he allows an extended beat outro at the end.

i am listening to the youtubes on this thread again and still can't quite get it...does remind me of the band scrawl in a weird way. like an 00s r&b scrawl.

xp The low end, especially. When I first downloaded it and heard it on my computer speakers, it didn't hit me. On headphones, it's massive.

jamie xx rmx of "basic space" >>>>>>> original "basic space"

popjustice's hatred of the "you got the love" rmx = proof if it were needed that no one should ever click on popjustice again

Here's a nifty post about the evolution of that remix from Candi Staton/Frankie Knuckles (with mp3s):

http://www.stanford.edu/~gdegroat/NT/oldreviews/lady.htm

LOL Ooops!!! Talking to Pashmina while posting music links is a no-no. Here's the link:

http://music-addiction.com/2009/10/you-got-the-love-digital-archeology/

ha, just got back from a night time mile run listening to their florence and the machine remix. it's like the perfect song to do a mile to, got the right peaks and ascensions, and i finish about 10-15 seconds before the mix drums at the end start. so i get basically the whole song.
it's so rad

This record is what I hoped the Young Marble Giants would sound like. When I finally got around to hearing that "classic" it left me cold. This is far better.

NME voted the album its no2 album of 2009.