The xx - xx

Having formed in 2005, The xx didn't take long to emerge on the British music scene and not just as 'another' band, but with something to offer. Hailing from West London and the entire band consisting of twenty years of age. Originally a four piece but keyboardist Baria Qureshi left the band in November due to exhaustion. Their debut album hones in on dreamy guitar lines that rush of in a twirling pace and thick bass lines that dominates the music which is dark and subtle.

The xx's debut starts out with a mellow and chilly guitar intro, and then transcends into 'VCR' which suggests themes like romance and friendship. 'VCR' is supplied with a recurrent guitar line that progresses itself through-out the entire track, it's hollow and touching, touching in a way because the lyrics fits itself around the guitar line introduced by Oliver Sim who also contributes lead vocals along with Romy Madley Croft. Vocally, 'VCR' sounds like David Bowie's 'Heroes', but again it's the guitar line and the beats produced by Oliver Sim that sums up the song to it's beauty. The xx have drawn many influences, mainly from dark electronica from the 1980's which is moody and murky in sound and chilling vocally. 'Crystalised' starts out with another twirling guitar line that winds up and down in tempo before the vocals kick in from Croft and Sim which are eerie and cold, plus the screeching keyboards in the background emphasize this effect in cool and melodramatic fashion.

Through The xx's entire debut album, they display very emotive sounds and emotional vocals. In 'Islands' which has a bongo drum beat to it and twitchy guitar notes flicking around now and then which stick to their original and eerie sound. 'Islands' also highlights their heartfelt lyrics, like 'Where would I be, if this were to go under, it's a risk I'd take, as if a choice I'd make' which demonstrates their feelings of isolation and love, the love they lost they'd be more than prepared to take that 'risk' to bring it all back. Moving on to the fourth track 'Heart Skipped A Beat' continues the strong start to the album they have made, sticking to their twirling guitar lines, this one sticks out more with a cleaner sound that's almost crisp. The track further demonstrates the use of a sampler which fills in the rhythm of the song along with the keyboards and the introduction of hand-clapping which goes along with the chorus beautifully.

After the emotional start to The xx's debut, it gets darker when we enter 'Fantasy' which sounds like an ambient fantasy, something Brian Eno would nod to in appreciation, but what makes 'Fantasy' brilliant is Qureshi's keyboards and the odd fill in from Sim's guitar which sounds like a wolf cry in the cold winter. After 'Fantasy' which amazingly flows straight into 'Shelter' which is another tale of loneliness and isolation but finding 'Shelter' from the world around them.

The xx do take their feet of the pedal in terms of the beautiful ambience they created in the first half of the album. The second half lacks the onslaught of emotion and drive in the first half, but isn't entirely wasteful. In 'Stars' the closing track to the album, evokes the same emotion demonstrated in 'VCR'. It's hollow once more and almost romantic and the bass line intro is bouncy and vibrant. Unlike 'VCR', 'Stars' is slower and vocally it's more like 'Islands' but sticking to true xx fashion, it's nostalgic and dreamy.

For one of the most hyped artists of the year, along with Florence + The Machine and The Big Pink, The xx show more originality compared to the former artists. They display a darker tone to their music, more vibrant and equally enjoyable to listen to. The xx have a bright future ahead of them and deserve every success with their moody lyrics and cold sound.

4/5


Linus Broadbent.