As we reach the last few entries into the A-Z of New Music, coinciding with the end of term, I’m having trouble controlling the excitement. Today we have…..The xx.
Apparently The xx won the Mercury Prize in 2010, although I’m not quite sure how, considering that Laura Marling, Mumford & Sons and Villagers were also up for the prize in the same year. Having spent the last half-hour listening to The xx, quite a few of the tunes I recognise: ‘VCR’ and ‘intro’ definitely sound familiar. The xx surprised me slightly, their self-title debut album, xx, is full of atmospheric melodies, big beats and sullen vocals. Not an album to listen to when you want cheering up, but never the less it has something going for it, not exactly sure what, but something. Standout tracks for me: ‘Crytalised’, ‘Islands’ and ‘Basic Space’. It’s definitely a grower….
Overall, The xx, I’m pleased to say it gets a solid B…..
Today’s blog was brought to you by the letter X……
Lengthorn's Blog 
I concur. It’s not often that an album of such hype is so controlled and restrained. I suspect it will take pride of place in many CD collections where Portishead used to be.