The XX – The XX
Continuing with the trend of being unusually mean about emerging artists this week, now it’s the turn of the XX to signally fail to impress during their turn on the stereo. These guys have been touted as next year’s Mercury Prize winners and been on the receiving end of some really quite outstanding verbal fellatio from the music press over the last month or so. True to my generally contrarian nature, of course, I was therefore not expecting to like the album very much and I really hope that the fact that I don’t is not due to my determinedly pessimistic expectations. I wouldn’t rule it out, though.
Anyhow, far from being the next anything, these guys are just a run of the mill, indie-schmindie band, as Jamie from Broken Records is fond of saying. There are some nice, slow, chimey guitars from time to time, and they’ve lifted a couple of reasonable Echo & the Bunnymen riffs, but that’s about it. What I really don’t understand is what there is in this stuff to feel strongly about one way or another. They sound like a band mimicking those Scandinavian bands who have been mimicking vintage British indie for the last five years, the vocals have a slightly mid-90s surfeit of earnestness and that’s about all I can manage to say about this album one way or another. It’s just… medium.
I can imagine the media getting excessively excited about something a little new sounding, or at least something which is a bit of a break from the norm. Even the Klaxxons were at least a bit of change from what was going on at the time, no matter how shit they were. This, on the other hand, is just fucking dull and somewhat dated. It’s not even dated in a retro cool sort of way, just in the sense that it sounds like something someone’s Dad might think was cool.
If I were the predicting sort then I would be confidently stating that this album will not come within a mile of any end of year list – it will be forgotten in weeks. I suppose the end of year list season is just close enough that I might be wrong on that one, but not by much, I’d wager. Give it a year and no-one, absolutely no-one, will remember this album.
I just do not understand.
dont forget the fleet foxes – they wound up on tons of end of year lists when they should have been forgotten about long before.
Have to be disagreeable here Mr Toad, but I actually quite like this one. It’s not amazing, but it has a really nice, late night feel. It certainly isn’t designed for the daylight hours. I agree it has been massively over hyped, but I guess the band just put out the best record they can, and everyone else does the damage. It’s certainly not a blockbuster album, but for a debut from a young band, I think it’s pretty good, atmospheric record.
P.S. you don’t want to be quoting that guy….
I went to see them during my haircutty Leeds Festival outing and Matthew has just about given a perfect description of the live experience too. It was just sort of OK, trouble is if you are the music press you have to have a next big thing. Could be worse it could be ‘The Big Pink’ thing and they were really dull.
In their defence though The XX have really cool T-Shirts.
Stick with it Matthew, one day there will be another really good indie band. Can’t think of a really good UK one that’s emerged in the last 5 years so we must be due one.
Pfft.
I just can’t see/hear the difference between this & the fuckload of other 3rd rate unimaginative dirge-punk songbook wielding oiks that I’ve listened to over the past 3 or 4 months. There’s fucking loads of them, mostly drowning the product with piss awful static feedback in an attempt to give it a Garage authenticity.
XX? More like XlaX.
Your average WOXY listener loves them, by the way.
Sorry Matthew, I respect you’re opinion greatly but you’re full of shit. This record is actually great and could turn out to be one of the most special records released this year if not in the last few.
Actually you’re not full of shit, because you listened to it and made some valid points………. but I still can’t help feeling like you’re wrong about it. I can see myself remembering this record for some time, I don’t often get squiffy over new pop music but this has got me pretty excited.
Gav – I honestly have no idea where you’re coming from on this one. Jim I can understand because this album is perfectly pleasant, so I can imagine people casually enjoying it, but I am really struggling to hear anything exceptional about it all. It’s just, as DC says, one more amongst thousands of unremarkable indie with no distinguishing features whatsoever, as far as I hear it anyway.
Then again, people don’t like things for ‘reasons’, they just like things so it’s hardly something I can argue against.
Listened to it once and have not been desperate to listen again. Definitely one for a late night, chilled out, red wine.
Hello! Dad here!
I love this album. It’s a great walking to work record, and like it has already been said, a great late night chilling out record. It has the feel of latter day JAMC (which was my introduction to the Glasgow boys) and traces of the Echo and the Bunnymen.
The songs are beautifully put together, heartbreaking tales of love and want. With two amazing singers delivering the tales, with an acoustic/electronic backing that is sublime.
In all this is a cracking début and the above review should be ignored.
Yup Matthew is right with this one, this is pretty much indie by numbers – and why has nobody mentioned the fact Twilight Sad is probably the worst name for a band ever.
Has anyone figured out how to say it yet?
Yup: bobbins.
I had a listen to their MySpace, and I’m sure you’ll agree it really is unlike me to dismiss something so readily, I thought it was all rather plodding and dismal.
Seriously though, how do you say it? Is it The double-ex, the two exes? Ex-ex?
Do you waht is nice though? Wadworth 6X. Lovely pint.
if it’s plodding and dismal why do you care how you say it?
As far as I am aware it is the Ex-ex, but I really don’t know.
I believe you say it like you see it. The Ex Ex
And Dylan, this is not plodding or dismal. It’s not mind blowing sure. But it’s not dismal. And Matthew – bobbins? Behave.
Talking of bobbins. Is it Bart that likes the Ultimate Thrush?
I saw it as The Double-Ex, as in Bateman’s XXXB, (pronounced: triple-ex-bee), which is another great pint.
Ok D, that’s nice, but I think it’s pronounced the Ex Ex.
Well that’s just stupid.
You’d look like an idiot going into the pub and saying “I’ll have a pint of ex-ex-ex-bee, please, landlord!”
D this could get silly. So I’ll be sensible and stop replying to you now.
its actually pronounced: h−1(h(x)) = h(h−1(x)) = x
jesus f’ing christ
How are you pronouncing f’ing Tom?
i’m pronouncing using it’s full sunday name…i.e. fucking!
good to see you saturday night….where were you for the dancing that followed?
I think Chris wins. Top sums.
this album is great!
I suppose when a record’s this straightforward and not really pushing anywhere then it’s a simple question: do you find it satisfying or not. I personally do not, but good luck to you Chutters.
most of the music i like is straightforward….and i would guess likewise your musical taste…..
pushing?
Ultimate Thrush ftw.
Bateman’s XXXB ftw
I like the Fleet Foxes and I don’t care what anyone thinks. *raspberry*
Dylan fro
I don’t particularly mind the Fleet Foxes. I like them better than this pish anyway, that’s for sure.
And actually that Fleet Foxes chappie has an amazing voice, if only they had more decent songs to go with it. His White Antelope project is really nice, primarily, I think, because the songs are covers of folk songs and therefore generally stronger than FF ones.
Bart. I respect you. But no. Just no.
fleet foxes = too much crosby, stills, & nash and not enough young. it’s ok to look completely bored when on stage as long as yr playing exciting or interesting music. the ffs look as boring live as their music is.
Had a wee listen to the xx myspace. Couldnt find anything I liked unfortunately. Songs took ages to get anywhere and then when they did they would revert back to the previous “not going anywhere” vibe. I found the male vocals a tad unengaging. Anyways, I also checked out the fleet foxes. A bit better I guess but I still struggled to find anything that jumped out at me. CS&N are far superior forever and always, amen. Anyway, any band with two x’es in their name is bawz….oh wait. Love, madge “xx”.
I don’t get the “bobbin” thing. And why isn’t this band called “kiss kiss”? Seriously?
Because that would imply a sliver of emotion, which is entirely absent from this mince.
Describing something as bobbins just means that it’s shit.
really? bobbin means shit? well then!!! somebody has some explaining to do… using it as a term of endearment just cause they know I wouldn’t know the difference, pffft!!!
fucking men, not to be trusted. pond scum, most of ya are
I thought this was quite pleasant. Not quite arresting enough to actually pay for, but certainly worth a dodgy download. Don’t see where the “Next Big Thing” tag comes from, but they’re all about fourteen, so they could yet produce a work of heartbreaking genius.
Tart, not calling someone ‘bobbin’ (which I’ve never heard of but is presumably sewing machine-related and does at least sound plausible) but describing something as bobbins – with an s. This was bobbins, that is bobbins, I thought that was complete fucking bobbins – it’s just a very mild way of saying that something is crap.
“If I were the predicting sort then I would be confidently stating that this album will not come within a mile of any end of year list – it will be forgotten in weeks. I suppose the end of year list season is just close enough that I might be wrong on that one, but not by much, I’d wager. Give it a year and no-one, absolutely no-one, will remember this album”
Well, its 51 weeks, so not quite the year but as the shy goths step up to take the trophy and the cheque for winning the Mercury Music Prize 2010 its likely that they’ll get through the year without being forgotten…