Coexisting sounds
Suits. Season 2, episode 16. A perfect song chosen for one of the final scenes - "Sunset". This how we met for the first time - me and the world of The XX music. Since then I am totally crazy about them.
It all started in 2005 in Wandsworth, London where Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim met durin their time at Elliott School, a co-educational foundation school. The duet was supported by Baria Qureshi and James Thomas Smith. The group drew attention after posting demos on their MySpace account. In August 2009 their debut album XX hd been released. It was commercial and critical success. The second album Coexist was born three years after. In that year Qureshi left the band. The current, third album, I See You has beed released in January 2017.
The XX are know for they ability to create minimalistic and unique sounds which served in their songs. The mixture of indie pop, indie electroinic, dream pop and electronic rock seemes to be a perfect sombination if created by the current members of the band: Oliver Sim - bass, vocals, Romy Madley Croft - guitar, vocals and James Thomas Smith (Jamie xx) - beats, MPC, record production. In one of the interview Crof said about band's musical influences: "Jamie started out very much into soul and then from there moved into hip-hop and UK-based dance music. He brings some much lower frequencies of bass into the band. And then I've grosie and the Banshees, and wn up listening to Siouxsie and the Banshees, and the Cure We're really quite a huge melting pot of different stuff" (https://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2010-10-08/acl-music-fest-saturday-interview-the-xx/). The XX has also been inspired byThe Kills, Aaliyah, Cocteau Twins or Cocorosie.
The songs of the band are used by other musiscians in remixes. Also the band itself does covers. One of the most recognizable one is You've Got the Love by Florence and the Machine, which they performed for the first time live in Glastonbury with Florence Welch in 2010. I am not a great fan of remixes and covers but in case of The XX this rule does not work. The covered or remixed songs put a spell on me and take me to a totally different world. The world of gorgeous music, where problems disappear and the only thing you can do is to enjoy. Enjoy the beauty of coexisting sounds of The XX.
More info about the band can be found:
https://www.facebook.com/thexx/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD53U3HUF8CJW2cRdLzQexQ
Beata Jaranowska
