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The XX : XX
released on The Young Turks
reviewed by Genna Al Tai for GBH.tv

Being on a commercial doesn’t necessarily mean your band is crap. For London quartet, the xx, it means quite the opposite. Yep, they were featured on a commercial for Law & Order, but hey, good song! The xx is made up of four London scenesters, most of them aged 19 and a quintessential asset of the London music scene. They may be too young to know the world , but their somewhat precocious efforts have made a pretty awesome album.

Hailing from the same school as Hot Chip and Four Tet, the xx managed to reach number 6 on NME’s The Future 50 list. To say 2009 was an exciting year for the young band would be like saying Tiger Woods likes the ladies. It would be a severe understatement. Within the last year, the band got to tour with hot shots The Big Pink and Micachu and the Shapes. The xx played the Mercury Lounge during CMJ and the intimate setting the New York venue provided was perfect for the heavy hearted sound the band tends to strum out.

xx, the xx’s very first album (awww), made it’s debut on Young Turks Records last August and has been making waves ever since. Maybe surprisingly, the xx grew up around a decent amount of r and b and even covered Aaliyah’s “hot like fire” for the b-side of their single “crystallized”. Anyway, xx is a stunning first album for the young band and is filled with perfect tracks for the disillusioned out there. xx has both a delicate and a strong sound, with carefully constructed lyrics and angst filled duets. A lot of the time, they sound quite sad when they’re singing, but it just adds to what they’re shooting for and it’s fantastic. In fact, xx is such a beautiful creation, it’s being made into a sculpture. No joke, a “3D interpretation” is being made by artist Saam Farahmand (guy who made music videos for the Klaxons). This album reminds its listener that calm can be found in most places. Even though a lot of this album speaks of emotional extremities, primarily obsession and love, it tends to give you enough space to think in a world where you don’t have time to scratch yourself. Songs like “Islands” and “Crystallized” are beautifully hushed love songs that don’t border on overbearing.  Their lyrics are reminiscent of the hormone filled pangs you feel in your teens and maybe well into your thirties.

Unfortunately, Baria Qureshi, keyboardist, left the band last November, due to personal differences and a little bit of exhaustion. The xx are still touring Europe at the moment, with shows from London to Berlin. Expect bigger things to come!

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