xx
It's a killer. A band struggles to get noticed. It always seems to take longer than it should. And when it does arrive something goes amiss.
In this case it was xx's self-titled '09 set which got reviewed by Rolling Stone magazine, who give it four stars (out of a possible five). The band was on the rise. Right? Not so fast.
Shortly after the album's release, guitarist Baria Qureshi left the group citing exhaustion. The remaining members (Romy Madley Croft - vocals; Oliver Sim - bassist/vocals; and Jamie Smith - drums/loops/keyboards) played a scheduled London show but not without some trepidation. "Obviously this has been a really tough few days for us," Sim told the audience. "This is the first time we've played as a three piece."
"It's devastating not having Baria here with us, but you all being here has made us feel better," Sim continued.
As a result, the group was forced to cancel/postpone some European shows.
"xx" has a sparse sound augmented effectively by the vocal interplay between Croft and Sim. It's less of a duet than a conversation. Many of the songs are low-key with a muted yet pulsating beat. "VCR," "Heart Skipped A Beat" and "Basic Space" stand out immediately but the airy "Night Time" and set closer "Stars" grow on a listener - if given the chance.