SubExx Reviews The XX

I’m definitely not the most up-to-date person when it comes to new music. I’m just a lover of music and someone who wants to share the mystery of this entity with anyone who wants to listen. There is not one particular kind of music that I won’t listen to. An artist should always be given a chance. Take the new record by The XX, for example, which is simply called XX. If someone had asked me yesterday if I had ever heard of this group I couldn’t have said yes, because that would be lying. And lying is for car salesmen and government officials.

I didn’t know what to expect from xx, but honestly, because of the name, my mind kept taking me to Dos Equis beer and then to “The Most Interesting Man In The World”. Man, I wish he were my uncle Tommy… But from the first melodic notes of “Intro”, I was surprised. I’m not going to say in a good way or a bad way. Though, I will say that I didn’t turn it off.

The music has elements of many styles of music and culture. It is sweet and dark and melodically delicious blah blah blah. It is also very simple. The harmonizing guitars and trade off singer style on “Crystalized” is bouncy and cool. The mellow, 80’s-pop-singer-balladesque style of “Shelter” is dark and unnecessarily epic. It does show diversity, though, which is good for this record. It keeps you fresh and doesn’t wear you out with the exact same sound on every song. “Infinity” starts off dramatic and soft but quickly begins to sound just like a California surfer band that ran out of happy stuff to sing about and hired Phil Collins to produce a revival hit song. They should heed their own words in the song and “Give it up.”

But according to extensive research and the statements of high-ranking musicologists, the masses are suffering from a prolonged musical boner over The XX I personally don’t hear anything specifically mind altering on XX, and upon looking down, I establish that I must have erectile dysfunction or maybe I just like the record as a friend. Hmmm… The lyrics are easily forgettable and the melodies don’t ever really draw you in. But I’ll bet you there are at least a hundred scenester chicks in the Dallas metroplex that have this record on their iPod right now and can’t wait to show it to “Geoff” later. To which he will finally see how “in the know” she is and maybe… just maybe… finally kiss tonight… Vomit!

I can describe this record in the way that I describe a dining experience at Chili’s Restaurant. It’s never good. It’s never bad. It just is what it is. Personally, XX sounds like The Raveonettes with a bigger recording budget. Yeah! I said it! POW!

MP3: The XX - Basic Space

- Cory Coleman [c]