The xx: XX

Talk about exploring a sound: this band does it very thoroughly on their stark debut album. In the darkness, there could be anything. Love, desire, longing, heartache, wistfulness. Loneliness, togetherness. There are two voices, those of Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim. They mutter and hum, moaning and stumbling a little over lyrics. There's nervousness and resignation. Sometimes they are intertwined, sometimes they are separated by a thick, thick barrier.

There's no hiding, and the sound is reduced to mere elements of percussion, a bit of humming, droning instrumentation (usually guitar, but sometimes keyboard,) and those voices in the darkness. Modest, but honest. Two figures trying desperately to find each other blindly. It's remarkable how much is suggested by the music, which is what makes it so effective. They play moods as much as notes. Hypnotic, but knowing and ear-catching all the same.

The few elements split and recombine throughout the 11 tracks, all of which are good and some of which stand out, but which mainly exist as part of a whole. I love albums that work as complete projects. You can't pick this album apart and look at its elements. It's a solid slab. It's a brick. You crack it open, inside is only more brick.

I think what I like about is that it isn't a put on. It's melodic, it's real music, and yet, it isn't showy. It's like a real person, guarded, with a tone matching its contemplative, simple lyrics. It's relaxing and meditative. I like that it's a very artistic statement that remains obscure, capturing that moment where you're still struggling to express something, and ultimately being the best expression of that something, that ineffable something. Half of it is built in your head and the other half was already there waiting to be uncovered. You get out of it what you bring.

Buy this album now: iTunes // Amazon.com // Amazon.ca