In life, there are many things that can be labelled as ‘beautiful’. Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia church, F. Scott’s The Great Gatsby and Natasha Khan all spring to mind.
Music is beautiful too, usually. 'Straight to Hell' by The Clash, 'Hurt' by Johnny Cash and 'It Aint Me Babe' by Bob Dylan are all songs I’d describe as “beautiful,” but in terms of contemporary offerings I’m hard pushed to be truly moved by a piece of music.
This is where The xx enter the fray, with their debut album ‘XX’ set to warm the hearts of listeners the world over. Singer Romy Madley Croft and bassist/co-vocalist Oliver Sim have known each other since nursery, which is touching in its own right.
Their close bond is as clear as Japanese rain when recounting the music they make. Songs like ‘VCR’ and ‘Heart Skipped a Beat’ are lovely little limericks that lighten even the blackest of pin sized hearts.
The xx are a foursome though, Baria Queshi is sublimely refrained on ‘Shelter’, with Jamie Smith’s production giving the song all the subtleties and nuances of a real life relationship that most other producers struggle to master.
The song is beautiful, simply beautiful. Madley-Croft is endearing to boot with her soft vocals asking her scorned lover “Maybe I had said/something that was wrong/can I make it better/with the lights turned on?”
Juvenile thinkers will assume she’s being a naughty lady, but there is something more wholesome about the statement when coming from Madley-Croft, as opposed to say, Lovefoxx.
Morrissey famously declared that “shyness is nice” and The xx are definitely subscribers to this philosophy. Unlike most writers who woefully scratch at the surface of honest intimacy and wishful lamentation, The xx simply say how they feel, yet they say it with a sincere sway that resonates with their listeners.
The album closes on ‘Stars’, with the pianos and Sim’s dulcet tones making Coldplay’s ‘Fix You’ sound more akin to ‘Raw Power’ by The Stooges in comparison. This is how reflective pop music should be done.
Almost sinfully though, their cover of Teardrops by Womack & Womack is not on the album. The guitars are masterfully at work on this one and I strongly recommend you search it out.
So, in a world of Baby P’s and pig germs, let’s be grateful for acts like The xx. They’re able to remind us that, when it wants to be, this existence can be rather lovely.
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