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As a self confessed musician of sorts and a fan of that tuneful stuff that comes out of my headphones I must reluctantly make a shameful confession...I had never even heard of The XX prior to their Mercury Prize win. Maybe you share in my current shame or perhaps you are reading this review with a rather smug look on your face thinking how "cool" and as my Mum might say "with it" you are for having discovered the band pre Mercury hype. I can however claim to have called shotgun and jumped into the front seat of The XX bandwagon immediately following the band's intense post Mercury media coverage...so yeah...at least give me some street cred for that dude...Even if you have not listened to The XX's eponymous debut album, if you watch television then you have probably heard their music at some point over the past few months. The catchy sampler generated beats of 'Intro' (track 1) have been cropping up on numerous TV adverts in reply to the bands meteoric rise to fame. The crunchy sampler generated beats of 'Intro' (or as it could now be renamed 'As Seen on TV') kick the album off in style. This song is one of my favourites even though it has no lyrics and is mainly an instrumental track; I just love the rhythm. I really admire the simplicity of the individual band member's contribution to each track. Put simply, they don't overdo things. The XX take the bare bones of a musical concept and work with what they have. They don't try to complicate and muddle each song by adding too much instrumentation. This is most evident in the unadulterated beauty of 'Shelter'. Simple lines lead to an incredibly clean and pure sound with the crunch and precision of the sampler generated rhythms and beats contrasting beautifully with the dreamy electric and bass guitars. Moving through the album the simple musical lines are intertwined with the whispery, silky smooth dulcet tones of lead singers Oliver and Romy. The strength here lies in the natural contradiction between the male and female vocal lines, the duo producing a congruous ethereal quality with an interesting and euphonious contrast demonstrated most notably in 'Basic Space'. It is for good reason that the London trio's debut album has been met with such universal critical acclaim. It is a beautifully crafted, well balanced foray into an ethereal dream-like state of sleepy wonderment and every track's a keeper. Having found their sound The XX show a maturity and awareness belying their youth, confidently remaining true to this new and unique otherworldly clamour throughout the album's eleven tracks. The CD is now available at a bargain basement price, so add it to your shopping basket and proceed to checkout...you won't be disappointed.
The debut album from three schoolmates from London, this effort is full of wistful lyrics about love, ethereal guitar lines (reminiscent of first-or-second-album Kings of Leon), and catchy drumlines.Oliver and Romy's hushed voices entwine in a delightfully low-key layer, further adding to the dreamlike nature of this album.In summary, then, a thoroughly enjoyable, by turns both relaxing and energising, slightly psychedelic trip through electronica-tinged alternative rock. Just like a good dream, one hopes against hope that it won't end.Now thoughts turn towards how the band can improve for their next album. Perhaps splashing out on the artwork a little?