We watch things on VCR

Many people keep saying they’d expected some heavy feedback from the four 19 year-old Londoners of The XX and all this because of their black attire and goth kids look. Goth kids? That made me raise an eyebrow. For The XX gave me the impression of being a rave band that had their clothes dipped in black paint.

Their debut album, simply titled "XX", doesn’t really give you a different vibe. It actually makes you feel like a bunch of shoegazers where asked to write a R&B album. Yes, they state a variety of artist coming from extremely different genres as their influences and this, surprisingly, makes for a unique work of art. The only song that blatantly shows its influences is “Infinity” and its “Wicked Game” guitar. Which anyways falls somewhere in the second half into some early 90s rave beat (a beat that is incredibly familiar, yet you can’t say where you’ve heard it before). But besides this one, everything seems like it’s just been invented. It’s so dreamy, so atmospheric, so dancefloor-worthy, so minimal and stripped of any thing that might hide the sexual vibe of the vocals.

Truly the vocals are crucial to this album. Like in the case of shoegaze, they seem to be used as an instrument. Only now, every effect (especially the reverbs) is used to underline the vocals of the two singers, bass player Oliver Sim and guitarist Romy Madley Craft. There’s this feeling of fatigue (somewhere along the lines of The Saturdays and Mazzy Star) and utter boredom that makes the songs undeniably sexual and that would make any soul band blush. They even make good rivals for mainstream pop bands. On “Islands”, for instance, one can be fooled for a moment or two that this is a Sugababes song. But the again, “Shelter” could be the best almost post-rock song ever written.

However, the lyrics sometimes make you wonder why would anyone want to accentuate the vocal bits in any way. “VCR”’s opening line “You used to have all the answers and you still have the too” is rather cringe worthy. But where they lack lyrical talent, they compensate in terms of beat, vocal technique or concept. So maybe NME knew a thing or two when they placed The XX at number 6 in their Future 50 2009 list.

*photo courtsey of Rough Trade Shops