Make sure to download the newest episode of the pmaCAST: Looking Better, Shining Brighter Than You Do, featuring Four Tet, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The xx, Yeasayer, Department of Eagles, Hot Chip and more.
Follow-up review will be posted soon.
![The xx – XX, Album Review [RETRACTED] album reviews reviews 2](http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/90/l_c71184a0fd8848f5a5a6e79cb9bd344e.jpg "The xx – XX, Album Review [RETRACTED]")
The xx
XX
Young Turks
out August 17th (UK)
59/100
[Rating Scale]
[rating:59/100]
Upon first listen, the xx’s debut album – helpfully entitled XX – seems like a breath of fresh air. The London four-piece’s modest and unassuming sound comes as a welcome change from the narcissistic posturing of other artists, while their blend of understated, ethereal pop-rock lacks the brazen, ‘in-your-face’ attitude that almost seems to be par for the course with up-and-coming bands. However, it soon becomes obvious that the xx are rather a one-trick pony: although first single ‘Crystalised’ is beguiling, the album’s ten other tracks seem like nothing so much as alternative takes on it – and what’s more, inferior versions that are more or less indistinguishable from one another. What originally seemed atmospheric and moody comes across as something closer resembling apathy: ironically, XX would be vastly improved by some of that pizzazz and swagger that can be so wearisome in other musicians.
The xx – Crystalised | mp3
Less than a minute into the instrumental opening track, ‘Intro’ (the xx don’t waste their collective imagination on naming their songs, that’s for sure), the listener is introduced to the two main musical elements that constitute the band’s sound: a clean, reverberating electric guitar arpeggio, and a focus on percussion. In track two, ‘VCR’, the last weapon in the xx’s arsenal is revealed: the back-and-forth, conversational motion between the two vocalists, Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim. This is charming at first: the two sing to each in their breathy, gentle voices as though they were lovers, alternating verses and coming together in choruses, but this loses its appeal after three or four songs that follow the same formula. Only ‘Islands’ and ‘Basic Space’ seem to break the mould, and even then, only marginally so – indeed, the Jamie T ‘Space Bass’ remix of the latter is infinitely more engaging than the original.
The xx – VCR | mp3
Disappointingly, XX is a dead-end street of an album that persistently hints at a climax that never comes. This is especially obvious on ‘Shelter’, which, after four and a half minutes of subtle (and by ‘subtle’, I mean ‘almost imperceptible’) increases in texture and energy, tails off in a listless fadeout, as though the xx lacked the energy to come up with a convincing conclusion to the song. In a way, though, it’s hard to end something that never really got started in the first place, and that sentiment applies to the album as a whole.
59 – Good. This was an enjoyable listen but ultimately forgettable.
Tags: The XX
Don’t wish death upon yer but we love The XX
Well well lil missy, seems like you stirred up a real hornet’s nest with this one but hey, it got you a few moments of blogdom spotlight. For what its worth I think you have confused “apathy” with restraint, (a are thing in music these days).
god this album is bloody boring. album of the year? crystalized is good but the other songs are just basically lesser versions of it.
good review!
i love this album. for more oin this vein check out the free album “E Z Listening For Suicides” at darkjet.com
you really need to listen to this album more than once. Its a growing one.
Take a look at the pitchfork review.
wow, it’s interesting how polarizing this band seems to be. that alone shouuld attest to something, eh?
no, of course none of us lowly commenters can convince you to fall in love. but with such a heated discussion, one can still hope you give them another chance, at the least.
this is one of the best albums i’ve heard in years. i cannot stop listening.