The XX- The XX (Album Review)

Dreamy

This album starts out in a dreamy mood and then take you on a journey through that dream the rest of the songs. The album is stripped down when it comes to the number of instruments played at a time. Hardly any guitar chords are actually played and most of the time there are just running and moving single notes played. There is usually a synthesizer or the bass that holds the melodies of the song together, and a drum machine to take care of most of the beats.

The Good!

The stripped down style that the band implements creates a unique sound that is fresh and exciting. It is not the four cord strumming that many musicians fall into. The mood of the album really carries through the whole making everything just feel right. This is a mellow album with a drive behind it, the music is going somewhere yet there is no rush to get there or even a real destination. This is a great driving album to play at night on a solitary road.

The Bad...

The vocalists don't enunciate very well so the lyrics are hard to understand. It also can leave you feeling embarrassed if you sing what you thought that you heard and someone who got the booklet corrects you. The mood that they create is great if it is right for the one that you are in yourself, but if you are feeling really cheery or something then this album just wont do it for you. Also, the novelty of the exciting stripped down sound wears off after a while.

Overall?

4 out of 5. This is an album that you can play hundreds of times the first couple of weeks you have it and then it is put on the shelf without too much need to go back and listen again. Basically it is a great but might not have the lasting effect as some other bands.