http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DD7IwXWfDW41
I first fell in love with The XX on a long nighttime car journey. As I laid on the back seat staring up at the stars, I let Romy’s hushed tones, the delicate guitar, bass and drum sounds wash over me. It sounded like nothing I had ever heard before, I was awe-struck. Ever since that night I have been a huge fan and awaited their second album with bated breath and I am very pleased to say Coexist doesn’t disappoint!
As the band said the album is obviously influenced by Jamie XX’s remix solo project. The exquisite melancholy is still at the heart of the lyrics from Romy and Oliver but they have grown in confidence in their own shy way. The new tracks are fuller sonically than their début pieces but aren’t over powering, they keep the XX feel in all the tracks whilst progressing as artists.
Angles is the first single from Coexist, it’s a classic XX song with spares drums, elegant guitar and bass lines. Romy’s vocals are as smokey and heartfelt as usual. Angles would slot perfectly into their debut.
The second single Chained is the new breed of XX, the track is fuller sonically and driven by Jamie XX’s beats. The dual vocals work superbly well as we have come to expect from the band. There is little guitar in the track and it’s used as a bridge to give us a rest from the grove of the beat and bass.
Over all Coexist is a brilliant album that shows a band comfortable in their sound and not afraid to progress.
Jamie
