Compact Disc/mp3 review no. 3: xx by the xx

This band is completely new to me but when I read that they regarded themselves as inside the post-punk revival genre I knew I had to investigate. What I found was an incredibly quiet, minimalist, alternative band unlike anything I've heard before. The xx received critical acclaim from Rolling Stone with their debut album and made it onto Pitchfork's Top 100 of 2009 with songs "Crystalized" and "Island".

There's a good amount of sincerity to their work and it doesn't seem to me like they're distorting they're sound or pulling any punches to make themselves more marketable. Normally on any given debut album you get the impression that there are two or three songs the band worked on in anticipation that these would bring them success while the other tracks are, even if the effect is only slightly noticeable, a bit lackadaisical in comparison. This phenomenon disrupts the listeners' ability to grow acclimated to the album's sound even if only for a little bit. There is not a bit of filler on this album and it feels like one long musical sentence rather than a series of abbreviated entries like most bands' debut albums seem to be as they find their sounds.

Despite the fact that none of these tracks seems like it was meant to be a "hit" in the conventional sense, the whole album plays with a deliberate and quiet beauty that I rarely get to hear, especially from new artists. It would be hard to select any of these tracks for a single or radio play because they're all so interwoven. I'm going to recommend that anyone who likes the tracks I've listed above simply take my word and hear the whole album all the way through because you won't be disappointed.

The songs play at a slow tempo and are filled with clean (without overdrive or distortion) guitars treated with delay. There is percussion too and the occasional keyboard but it's bit rarer than on conventional rock albums since the guitars and bass quietly provide most of the beat with drums as merely a fitting accompaniment. The vocals go back and forth between male, female, and a duet of the two. I'd describe the album as slightly melancholic and very contemplative. It's not kill yourself depressing but I can definitely hear some sadness in the overall sound.

In closing, this album is beautiful and I don't think anyone could hate it but if you're looking for a hard-driving rock album then you'll need to look elsewhere. If you're a mainstream rock listener then you might have a hard time getting into xx but if you can appreciate the beauty of calculated minimalism you'll love it like I do.