The XX are an indie rock band from London and in this post I'll be reviewing their first album also called XX. The XX won the Mercury Prize this year which catapulted this extremely unknown band into the sort of mainstream which is unusual as their music is completely different and gloomy yet still resonates with so many people. The defining things about this group are their bass which is one, if not the loudest, instrument which leads the songs, their processed drum beats which continually changes, the two distinct singers voices and the pace of each song. With The XX you don't get the normal rhythms, each song has a slightly distorted pace which coupled with the looping bass and high pitched riffs culminates to create an interesting and evolving album which instead of grabbing your attention hypnotises and mesmerises it. The singers voices also create a chilled out and slightly melancholy atmosphere as they sing softly and nostalgically often to each other then sometimes teaming up. Each voice sounds totally different from the other yet they work well together and give the record a tender feel. One last thing that I think really makes this band is that their not afraid of silence. With music there can be a tendency for artists to try and fill each gap with a note and to try and fit as many notes in as possible but as someone once said "music is not the note but the silence around it" and whilst I don't completely agree with that I see the point and The XX are a perfect example of a band that use the silence to let each note ring out.
Highlights of this album are 'Crystalised', 'Islands' and 'Infinity'.
I love this album for it's simplicity and individuality and I would recommend anyone who likes indie music to check it out as it makes an amazing addition to your music library.
So please check out the album below and I hope you like it.
'Intro'
'VCR'
'Crystalised'
'Islands'
'Heart Skipped A Beat'
'Fantasy'
'Shelter'
'Basic Space'
'Infinity'
'Night Time'
'Stars'
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