Music Review: xx by The xx

Who doesn’t love Post-Punk? The guitars of the genre feature layered rhythms that most rockers only wish they could achieve. However, I doubt that most of them would want to take on the melancholy attached to the genre. For some reason Post-Punk bands have always made the best use (In my opinion) of the ‘band concept’, or simply, all four-five members working together, resulting in terrific melody and general song-writing. On a little side tangent, this is the reason why Paul Banks’ new album blows, but anyway, back to the topic.

The xx (I hope it doesn’t have some weird symbolic pronunciation, like !!! does) are an Indie band from London, England : a band who felt that it was a great idea to mix 80’s Post-Punk rhythms with contemporary R&B. Wait, what? Yes, the truth is that The xx were probably influenced more by Aaliyah than they were late Joy Division records. So, does this atypical hybrid of genres work? I am happy to say that sometimes, it actually does.

 Now, I have listened to a lot of records that feature arbitrary intros, often titled, “Intro” to begin the album; these songs are usually throw-a-ways and rarely make a lasting impression other than, “OH OK, THE BAND WANTED TO RECORD AN ATMOSPHERIC INSTRUMENTAL TO START THE RECORD OFF!”, but “Intro”on The xx’s debut is actually quite good. It begins with some synth arrangements and a excruciatingly-catchy guitar lick that will be stuck in your head within seconds. Two pounding drums follow, eventually being replaced by a kick, and then a nice little whispering harmony by one of the male and one of the female members of the band. (NOTE: I have no idea who from the band is actually doing the singing on the record, so I’ll be using THE BOY and THE GIRL often to separate the two.)

Anyway, their unionized whispering sounds like they’re saying something like, “I will hurt you”, but the T doesn’t sound that much, so it could be something else. “VCR” follows: it’s a nice little relationship song, starts slow and pretty much stays that way throughout. It’s very smooth, if that helps to describe it. One of The xx’s motifs is the constant alternating of the vocals between the male and female singers. They’ll usually trade-off vocals in the verses, then combining as one vocal track for the choruses. It’s an interesting way of handling things, but sometimes it doesn’t quite work, such as on “Basic Space”. The aforementioned statement is actually a great way of describing the record as a whole, “Sometimes it doesn’t quite work.”: songs such as “Heart Skipped a Beat”are great, but the Once-style format (If you’ve ever seen that film, you’ll know what I’m talking about) can sometimes sound a little stale, especially with a band like this, with such a fantastic rhythm section that they seemingly can’t find a matching vocal melody for a third of their songs.

For example, the song“Stars”, which opens with a bass line that will make you think you accidently put on “Psycho Killer” by the Talking Heads, has a great sound to it, but The xx just don’t seem to have a knack yet for always picking the best words to go along with their music. This can sometimes create an awkward sound, almost as if the band took the acapellas from one song, and simply mashed them on top of another, only to have the two loosely fit together. I understand completely that some bands focus on the music, with lyrics being completely secondary, but it'd be nice if some of the vocals were stronger on the record. However, with all of that being said, there are a few great ones on here that are worth hearing. The record is an interesting take on two genres, and a creative album overall. If you can overcome the occasional filler/poorly constructed song, you’ll most likely enjoy two-thirds of what you’ll hear.

Who doesn’t love Post-Punk? The guitars of the genre feature layered rhythms that most rockers only wish they could achieve. However, I doubt that most of them would want to take on the melancholy attached to the genre. For some reason Post-Punk bands have always made the best use (In my opinion) of the ‘band concept’, or simply, all four-five members working together, resulting in terrific melody and general song-writing. On a little side tangent, this is the reason why Paul Banks’ new album blows, but anyway, back to the topic.

The xx (I hope it doesn’t have some weird symbolic pronunciation, like !!! does) are an Indie band from London, England : a band who felt that it was a great idea to mix 80’s Post-Punk rhythms with contemporary R&B. Wait, what? Yes, the truth is that The xx were probably influenced more by Aaliyah than they were late Joy Division records. So, does this atypical hybrid of genres work? I am happy to say that sometimes, it actually does.

 Now, I have listened to a lot of records that feature arbitrary intros, often titled, “Intro” to begin the album; these songs are usually throw-a-ways and rarely make a lasting impression other than, “OH OK, THE BAND WANTED TO RECORD AN ATMOSPHERIC INSTRUMENTAL TO START THE RECORD OFF!”, but “Intro”on The xx’s debut is actually quite good. It begins with some synth arrangements and a excruciatingly-catchy guitar lick that will be stuck in your head within seconds. Two pounding drums follow, eventually being replaced by a kick, and then a nice little whispering harmony by one of the male and one of the female members of the band. (NOTE: I have no idea who from the band is actually doing the singing on the record, so I’ll be using THE BOY and THE GIRL often to separate the two.)

Anyway, their unionized whispering sounds like they’re saying something like, “I will hurt you”, but the T doesn’t sound that much, so it could be something else. “VCR” follows: it’s a nice little relationship song, starts slow and pretty much stays that way throughout. It’s very smooth, if that helps to describe it. One of The xx’s motifs is the constant alternating of the vocals between the male and female singers. They’ll usually trade-off vocals in the verses, then combining as one vocal track for the choruses. It’s an interesting way of handling things, but sometimes it doesn’t quite work, such as on “Basic Space”. The aforementioned statement is actually a great way of describing the record as a whole, “Sometimes it doesn’t quite work.”: songs such as “Heart Skipped a Beat”are great, but the Once-style format (If you’ve ever seen that film, you’ll know what I’m talking about) can sometimes sound a little stale, especially with a band like this, with such a fantastic rhythm section that they seemingly can’t find a matching vocal melody for a third of their songs.

For example, the song“Stars”, which opens with a bass line that will make you think you accidently put on “Psycho Killer” by the Talking Heads, has a great sound to it, but The xx just don’t seem to have a knack yet for always picking the best words to go along with their music. This can sometimes create an awkward sound, almost as if the band took the acapellas from one song, and simply mashed them on top of another, only to have the two loosely fit together. I understand completely that some bands focus on the music, with lyrics being completely secondary, but it'd be nice if some of the vocals were stronger on the record. However, with all of that being said, there are a few great ones on here that are worth hearing. The record is an interesting take on two genres, and a creative album overall. If you can overcome the occasional filler/poorly constructed song, you’ll most likely enjoy two-thirds of what you’ll hear.

"

Who doesn’t love Post-Punk?

You know, I actually just listened to the music from those 2 videos, actually pretty good I must say, reminds me of Gorillaz.

Interesting. I'm going to have to delve a little deeper into their stuff. Thanks for the heads-up Brucie. Alpha, baby!

I've been listening to that album quite a bit lately and I'm getting into it. Liking the mood and tone of it all quite a lot. It's good late night listening.

Think I shall skip this one. Thanks anyway Brucie, your efforts have been noted.

" @Bruce: Really? Sarcasm? I can't make heads or tales of it. Glad to be the first though, if I was. "

" @Gizmo:  That's Vinny?  And dude's got the shirt. Freaking awesome. IS THAT VINNY?!?!?!?!? "

" @Gizmo:  What are the odds a Vinny look-alike would be wearing the shirt. "

" @Gizmo: They rarely talk about what they watch, if anything at all. All I know is Ryan bought a house, and Jeff is a pimp that brings ladies by the office and has weekend pool parties. "

" @Gizmo: I actually giggled at that before i saw that you wrote snigger. Ya got me. "

Oh god.... Johnny Rotten.... what has your bastard child become!?!

I.... obtained this album after reading your blog, Bruce.  I'm slowly and surely getting into this genre, and I'm really enjoying this album.  It's great to listen to late at night while getting my work done.  Keep up the cool blogs; topics worth reading on this site slim pickings these days and I always appreciate your recommendations and reviews.