ALBUM REVIEW: The xx - Coexist

Minimalism isn’t cool anymore. These days, bands are pushing the extremities of sound and volume. Death Grips are taking loud to a vicious new level, and Animal Collective are stuffing their compositions so tightly that listening to their records is like sticking your hand in molasses and trying to get it out. When a band takes a step back, it’s usually met with criticism, for example earlier this year Dirty Projectors’ relatively spare (in comparison to the ever-shifting Bitte Orca) Swing Lo Magellan, saw mild and mixed acclaim. On that note, say a band known usually for their stripped back approach takes an even colder and more subtle take on their music.

Enter The xx. Their first self-titled record was a beautiful embodiment of what can be done with nothing. Just 3 kids out of England, sporting the darkest guitar pop tunes around. With guitarist/singer Romy Madley Croft, bassist/singer Oliver Sim, and beat producer/percussionist Jamie xx, they were writing arrangements so sparse you could hear them breathing. How do you follow something like that? Their answer was to take even more away.  On Coexist, the trio aren’t making sweet melancholy indie rock anymore; they’ve moved into another world of cold, dark, minimalistic pop with elements of house and future garage. The guitar’s presence on the record is greatly reduced. For example, it comes in only half way through on the track "Chained" for a short solo before it dips out again.

Despite using bare bones instrumentation, the tracks don’t feel like they’re missing anything. The opening "Angels" is a gorgeous guitar ballad with quiet marching percussion, and "Missing" is the first time The xx has ever felt “epic." After the track drops out, it comes back in with the wail of a guitar and Sim singing more passionately than he ever has before.

Of course, a new record wouldn’t be new without the band stepping into fresh territory. "Tides" starts out with both singers in unison, creating a chilling atmosphere before the track switches gears. It brings in one of the funkiest bass lines in a The xx track, and the track morphs into a gloomy dance pop number. The house flavoured beats don’t stop there, as the last half of the 5 minute “Swept Away” is an extended bass and guitar jam over pulsating beats.

Calling Coexist adventurous is out of the question. The xx didn’t change their sound by much, but they did change it enough to make the record unique from the first. They shift their sound into a different, unexplored area for pop music, but still maintain the spare and quiet arrangements that make the tracks undeniably works of The xx. Coexist is a reaffirming statement of substance over presentation.

Score: 8.5/10

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VIDEO: Julia Holter - "Moni Mon Amie"

Following the release of her critically acclaimed Ekstasis, Los Angeles pop experimentalist Julia Holter has released a new video for her song "Moni Mon Amie." Directed by Belarusian-Israeli artist-director (and fellow CalArts alumna) Yelena Zhelezov, the description of the video describes the video as "a lyrical appeal to the unattainable other, and a conversation that's being had with oneself."

Purchase Ekstasis through Rvng Intl. here and check out the dates for Holter's first expanded tour below:

US Tour Dates:
04/01/12 – Ekstasis Release Party (presented by Dublab) – Atwater Crossing – Los Angeles, CA
04/16/12 – Arden Concert Gild – Arden, DE
04/17/12 – Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA
04/18/12 – Unsound Festival NY – Issue Project Room – Downtown Brooklyn, NY
04/29/12 – Rickshaw Shop – San Francisco, CA
05/21/12 – Holocene – Portland, OR
05/22/12 – The Media Club – Vancouver, BC
05/23/12 – Barboza (Neumos) – Seattle, WA

European Tour Dates:
05/26/12 – Le Guess Who? – May Day, Utrecht, NL
04/16/12 – Arden Concert Gild – Arden, DE
05/27/12 – Paradiso – Amsterdam, NL
05/28/12 – Ancienne Belgique – Brussels, BE
05/29/12 – Vilette Sonique Festival – Paris, FR
05/31/12 – Silencio – Paris, FR
06/02/12 – Field Day Festival – London, UK
06/03/12 – Engine House @ IABF – Manchester, UK
06/04/12 – Forbidden Fruit Festival – Dublin, UK
06/05/12 – Brudenell Social Club – Leeds, UK* w/ Peaking Lights
06/06/12 – Xoyo – London, UK* w/ Peaking Lights
06/07/12 – Tou Scene – Stavenger, NOR
06/09/12 – A Tonal View Of Times Tomorrow Festival – Oslo, NOR
06/10/12 – Berghain – Berlin, GER
06/12/12 – Across @ Neues Museum – Nuernberg, GER
06/13/12 – Forum – Graz, AT
06/15/12 – Les Trinitaires – Metz, FR
06/16/12 – B-Sides Festival – Luzern, CH
06/17/12 – Spazioconcept – Milano, IT
06/23/12 – Cafe Teatro @ Dia De La Musica – Madrid, ES
06/26/12 – Centro Cultural Vila Flor – Guimaraes, POR
06/27/12 – Galleria Ze De Bois – Lisbon, POR

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VIDEO: Julia Holter - "In the Same Room"

For what's quickly becoming one of my most anticipated albums of the year, Julia Holter has a new video for "In the Same Room" from her upcoming LP Ekstasis.  The video features the L.A. ambient pop artist clad in white in a rustic domicile accompanied by psychedelic images of nature.  Director/photographer Hilary Walsh combined digital and analog film to create the video, a perfect visual representation of Julia's style of combining experimental ambience and pop melodies and harmonies.

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STREAM: TOPS - "Tender Opposites"

TOPS is a four-piece based in Montreal who offer a plethora of cute hooks and synths that work brilliantly with Jane Perry's distinctive vocals.

Stream their debut album Tender Opposites before it's 28th February release.



Pre-order a limited edition cassette copy here

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