No fanfare. No fake attempts to elicit enthusiasm from the audience. At Oakland’s Fox Theater, London’s The xx emerged quietly and began to make their presence known with a rich, swirling statement of music. Sounding just as they do on their eponymous debut album, the black-clad trio of Oliver Sim on bass and vocals, Romy Croft on vocals and guitar and Jamie Smith on percussion maintained their understated style as they worked through their all-too-short repertoire.
Touring tirelessly across Europe and North America since 2009, including appearances at Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Sasquatch, The xx have managed to satisfy crowds and critics alike. Appearing on “Best of 2009” lists from Rolling Stone, NME and my own list on Ground Control, their stark, sleek music is pretty unique in an age of gag-inducing Gaga and the like. Sounding like something created in the darkest, most bleak hours of night, these shadowy indie rockers have created something that really defies comparison—maybe Fujiya & Miyagi after being locked in a bourbon-soaked basement for a few weeks with Tracey Thorn’s edgier second cousin who channels Johnny Marr and the Cocteau Twins along with a sleep-deprived, plaintive amalgamation of a wounded Tom Waits and an ever-so-slightly hallucinogenic Ian Curtis. No, I was right before. There’s really no comparison, and that’s what makes a first listen to The xx feel like such a chanced-upon discovery. Everything is exquisitely timed: every click, every bent and ghosted note and each overlapped syllable. It all seems essential to the sound and there’s nothing over-worked or pretentious. It’s half-drunk, intimate and tense and yet rich, seductive and welcoming at the same time.
In a live setting, the same elements that make the album perfectly suited for setting on infinite repeat are just simply exaggerated. The bands skitters breathy, seemingly disinterested vocals atop potent bass lines and live drum machine beats which appear even more organic than if there was a full drum kit onstage. The sound is sparse and quiet when it needs to be; dense and loud when they’ve decided that more is better. They control the pace and limits here (as well as the vertical and horizontal) and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The hour-long set meandered through nearly every recorded song they have released. From the intro-sounding opener, “Intro” to the now-familiar “Crystalised,” “Islands” and “Shelter” which, by spying the handwritten set list on the stage, I saw that it would be played only “if we fix MPCs.” If their success continues as it should, they will have a fleet of spare drum machines for the next tour. The set continued with “VCR,” “Basic Space” with its R&B DNA and “Night Time,” before closing with a vigorous live version of “Infinity,” a far superior “Wicked Game” for a new generation.
So, the question for me is “can this singular recipe can remain interesting and relevant in the future?” Many bands have forged long careers on single notes which are much less interesting than what The xx have created. It’s really a premature question, though. The album is still on a loop through my headphones and I’m already looking forward to their return to the Bay Area in June.
Artist:
http://thexx.info/
www.myspace.com/thexx
Album:
xx by The xx is out now. Buy it on Amazon.
