The hype enveloping The XX is growing like the Blob. What began as a steady hum has quickly inflated to the roar being heard today. Their self titled record is disappearing from store shelves daily and for good reason. The XX have delivered a debut that puts me in mind of Interpol‘s debut, Turn on the Bright Lights. Interpol resurrected the spirit of Joy Division and served it up for a new generation. The XX provides a similar service. The catch here is you can’t identify exactly where the sound is coming from. This is the kind of band where you can hear elements of so many bands, but really, they don’t sound like any of them. You can talk about Depeche Mode, or New Order, you could pull out Joy Division again, but then you could start making arguments for later Talk Talk records. You can make a case for a lot bands they could be ripping off, but ultimately The XX are one of the finest examples of a band that actually pulled off the stunning feat of taking elements of all of their influences and weaving them into something that’s genuine and fresh. It’s fresh not because it breaks new ground, but because it is familiar, because it make the old new again. Believe the hype on this record. Track down a copy now before they disappear. In the meantime check out these two tracks.
