The XX
XX

Great debut. Dated August 2009. The XX. An English band formed by four guys just over twenty from London, who make dream-pop à la Portishead version 2009 but much more direct and essential. The whole emits a bit of avant-rock, as can be found in the Fiery Furnaces, in the sense of an alternative spirit and certainly not for musical analogies. This is indeed dream-pop. Dream-pop bare and stripped to the bone. They have already been widely noticed and are under scrutiny for the anticipated future developments. A homogeneous and not trivial album. Therefore destined for multiple listens. It's worth noting that this is the debut album of a band that has been playing together since 2005. They thoughtfully crafted this album.

Let's move on to the album: It opens with "Intro" and the title says it all. A nice instrumental calling card. Powerful percussion, rhythm, and use of the lead guitar à la Slowdive on a Portishead base. Nice and original. 2) "Vcr". At the beginning, it reminds me again of hypnotic tracks from the '90s, then Jamie's voice, vocalist and guitar, which is a nice voice that brings me back to dream pop. It's easy to listen to. 3) "Crystalised" and Jamie duets with Oliver the bassist. One of the best tracks and indeed it was released as a single. I must say when they get the piece right, they are, in my opinion, better than Portishead. Which says a lot. 4) "Islands" another nice track. Really nice. Another single in terms of potential. Classy dream-pop. 5) "Heart Skipped A Beat". Again Jamie and Oliver duet (which is a bit of a constant throughout the album) 5) "Fantasy" is a short track sung by Oliver alone. A sort of Intro 2 for the second part of the album 6) "Shelter". Nice although not innovative. But it's the ease of listening that strikes, the track flows pleasantly. In short, I like them more than other dream pop bands, apart from Monster Movie. It's a matter of taste. 7) "Basic Space" opens again with Oliver then the duet with Jamie. And I conclude that she is the strength of the band. I reiterate, nice voice. Nice track. Also, I see that this is the second single released from the album. That's why. 8) "Infinity" the longest track on the album. Hypnotic. But original. Our Jamie raises her value every time she opens her mouth. What to say. At this point, this is among the best albums I've listened to this year. And quite a few good ones came out in 2009. 9) "Night Time" another track that can't help but remind of Portishead. The most "in line" among them all. Each track, however, has "accelerations" that give the group an edge over the competition. Beautiful. 10) "Stars" and we are at the end. The usual duet starts and I expect the usual mid-track acceleration. This time it doesn't come, the track literally slips away as it started between chorus and guitar.

Conclusion; when the students equal and perhaps surpass the masters. An album not to be missed. A convinced 5 and not just for encouragement. On YouTube the singles for the skeptics. Enjoy listening. Alex