If you're a regular reader of these pages, you'll experience déjà vu now, and with good reason. Last week, we brought you the album stream of “Coexist”, the much awaited second full-length by The xx. A few hours after spreading the news, the Young Turks label asked us to delete the announcement, as the Grooveshark stream was everything but authorised. This time, however, we can point you to the official preview, brought to you by the band and their label.
As we told you a week ago, The xx repeat the formula of a minimal, subtle, nocturnal, and mainly slow kind of pop; at times even calmer than on their first LP. The London trio are still allergic to excess, economising on the timbres, making use a lot of the space and silences, caring more about the moods than about the construction of melodies or catchy choruses. The bigger influence of dance rhythms they announced in months past, can be heard especially on songs like “Sunset” and “Sweap Away”, which might be appreciated more by an audience used to electronic music than by those who like it pop. As a whole, The xx sound a lot less shy, and maybe that's why the songs don't sound as emotive and intense as the ones on “The xx” (Young Turks/XL, 2009). We'll have to see how they mature over time. Click on the icon in the top right corner of the widget below to listen to the album. “Coexist” will be out on 10th September.
