The xx

xx

(Young Turks)

Record Review by Kevan Peterson

One “x” short of indie porn, there’s still plenty to get excited about over this English quartet, who after the album's release became a three-piece, losing keyboardist Baria Qureshi to exhaustion.  The xx’s music is so mellow and unobtrusive it’s hard to imagine someone getting exhausted by it, but their move to the fringes of the mainstream spotlight has been swift and no doubt has taken a toll on the band. 

The album moves between drab keyboards and Moby-esque electro beats, yet manages to squeeze enough originality out of the sparse samplings and arrangements to become the musical equivalent of binary code, blips and bleeps that add up to things far greater than their components.  The album's strongest tracks are front-loaded onto the record, but only have a margin of difference between them and their follow-ups, creating an overall equal and enjoyable listening experience. 
The album was produced by the group themselves, giving them greater control on the sound and direction xx took, which in this case turned out to be a good thing.  Having gone to school together, this relatively young band shows a cohesive sound that takes some bands several years to find.  Having already had their tunes featured in several commercials and TV shows it seems that commercial success is on the horizon, an unusual feat for anything that carries more than one “x” in its title.