The XX

I'm not trying to be malicious, but this is a band I can't even come close to understanding.

They have an insanely high amount of praise behind them, but I can't for the life of me understand the appeal.

Again, not trying to provoke anyone or ruin anyone's enjoyment (I hate when people do that), but is there a way of looking at this band that I'm not doing?

I have read all the hype too mate. And what I have heard seemed a bit unspectacular. Might give them another listen but seemed very, very overrated to me.

I don't think there is much to understand as their sound seemed very basic.

I really like the album and enjoy the band, but they are far from essential. If you don't dig it, don't lose any sleep.

  On 3/3/2010 at 8:27 AM, Deepex said:

I really like the album and enjoy the band, but they are far from essential. If you don't dig it, don't lose any sleep.

Feel the same way mate. Kinda easy listenin for the office. BBC 6 Music down to a T

  On 3/3/2010 at 8:27 AM, Deepex said:

I really like the album and enjoy the band, but they are far from essential. If you don't dig it, don't lose any sleep.

That makes sense.

I can stop cutting myself in the shower now.

The Pitchfork Effect

I'm not trying to be malicious, but The XX are pure shite. And to add injury to insult, both the singers voices are grating and tone-deaf.

I find them fucking boring. Can't understand the hype, they're litteraly everywhere, even in France (where magazines and stuff are usually very late on what's hype).

i dont like them, but i like there basicness and production, actually, there remix of Florence And The Machine's cover of you got the love is fucking ace, its get propa good like at 2 minz, love the bassssssssssssssssss:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1l4pDXbkic

edit: i also like there simple imagery with the x's

Ive managed to avoid them thus far, but just listened to some because of this thread. They remind me of The House of Love, but then im old and jaded so everything reminds me of everything. Dont think i'll listen to them again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnzKGQJ-DpI

Replace the title with "Animal Collective" and this thread still makes perfect sense

  On 3/3/2010 at 8:32 AM, BeatJunky said:

Feel the same way mate. Kinda easy listenin for the office. BBC 6 Music down to a T

  On 3/3/2010 at 9:25 PM, Rabid said:

Replace the title with "Animal Collective" and this thread still makes perfect sense

meh

Some of the remixes other people did of their work are okay, nothing I'd sit down to listen to but okay to play at a party.

Eh , I like 'em .

  On 3/4/2010 at 1:18 AM, GrandPopPoplock said:

Eh , I like 'em .

good, stand up for your beliefs!

i really enjoyed their album this year. you don't have to make complicated music to make enjoyable music... there's as much evidence of that in idm as there is in indie so don't be ignorant. regarding animal collective, i can totally understanding not liking them /hating them but to say they're worthless is just stupid. really incredible band, wonderful sound. kind of like folk music mixed with acid, what with all the melting transitions and stuff. for those still getting hard ons for what you think is "complexity", animal collective does a lot of cool stuff changing time signature (specifically jumping from 3 to 4). this yields all kinds of amazingly cool effects. melodically and harmonically they're amazing! i think the idm understanding of simplicity/complexity is totally off. it's more based on how much glitchy shit is thrown on top as opposed to what goes into the music. the beach boys had incredible harmonies and melodies, while sounding poppy as i'll get out. a group like autechre (who i love) has a whole slew of songs that are every bit as good, but much less complex than some of the simple pop stuff you guys tend to trash -- it doesn't make it less good.

anyways, returning to the thread topic... crystalize (crystalise? can't remember what they called it) of the self titled is a great track.

edit: before its pounced on, the last line of that paragraph is an overstatement, but the point stands. a lot of ae melodies are pretty simple. complexity does not == good music. stockhausen comes to mind.

double edit: ehhh im just being an ass. fun band. sucks if you don't like it.

  On 3/4/2010 at 3:51 AM, Mesh Gear Fox said:

  On 3/4/2010 at 1:18 AM, GrandPopPoplock said:

Eh , I like 'em, my son

fixed

lol

  On 3/3/2010 at 1:49 PM, beariksson said:

The Pitchfork Effect

It's not just pitchfork though, they've been acclaimed by just about everyone, that's what I find so crazy.

I liked it, but I don't find them emotionally stimulating, interesting, innovative, or even catchy. I think the music journalism press was just screwing with us.

  On 3/4/2010 at 6:02 AM, joshuatxuk said:

I think the music journalism press was just screwing with us.

probs. i just like em because they're catchy and dramatic sounding.

a few good tracks, but nothing great imo—crystalized and vcr are pretty good, but even then, definitely not essential.

  On 3/5/2010 at 5:44 AM, KY said:

a few good tracks, but nothing great imo—crystalized and vcr are pretty good, but even then, definitely not essential.

  On 3/3/2010 at 9:25 PM, Rabid said:

Replace the title with "Animal Collective" and this thread still makes perfect sense

no

  On 3/4/2010 at 3:57 AM, bigs said:

regarding animal collective, i can totally understanding not liking them /hating them but to say they're worthless is just stupid. really incredible band, wonderful sound. kind of like folk music mixed with acid, what with all the melting transitions and stuff. for those still getting hard ons for what you think is "complexity", animal collective does a lot of cool stuff changing time signature (specifically jumping from 3 to 4). this yields all kinds of amazingly cool effects. melodically and harmonically they're amazing! i think the idm understanding of simplicity/complexity is totally off. it's more based on how much glitchy shit is thrown on top as opposed to what goes into the music. the beach boys had incredible harmonies and melodies, while sounding poppy as i'll get out. a group like autechre (who i love) has a whole slew of songs that are every bit as good, but much less complex than some of the simple pop stuff you guys tend to trash -- it doesn't make it less good.

yes

  On 3/5/2010 at 8:27 PM, SyrFox said:

  On 3/3/2010 at 9:25 PM, Rabid said:

Replace the title with "The Knife" or "Fever Ray" and this thread makes perfect sense

 

fix't

 

actually kind of like the xx

some great remixes floating around. the matthew dear version of vcr is ace

 

because they are so minimal originally, they are perfect for rework

 

would love to hear a watmm xx remix album.

  On 3/5/2010 at 8:27 PM, SyrFox said:

  On 3/3/2010 at 9:25 PM, Rabid said:

Replace the title with "Animal Collective" and this thread still makes perfect sense

no

 

  On 3/4/2010 at 3:57 AM, bigs said:

regarding animal collective, i can totally understanding not liking them /hating them but to say they're worthless is just stupid. really incredible band, wonderful sound. kind of like folk music mixed with acid, what with all the melting transitions and stuff. for those still getting hard ons for what you think is "complexity", animal collective does a lot of cool stuff changing time signature (specifically jumping from 3 to 4). this yields all kinds of amazingly cool effects. melodically and harmonically they're amazing! i think the idm understanding of simplicity/complexity is totally off. it's more based on how much glitchy shit is thrown on top as opposed to what goes into the music. the beach boys had incredible harmonies and melodies, while sounding poppy as i'll get out. a group like autechre (who i love) has a whole slew of songs that are every bit as good, but much less complex than some of the simple pop stuff you guys tend to trash -- it doesn't make it less good.

yes

and animal collective has had the opportunity to evolve over time—early albums like Danse Manatee or Spirit They've Gone are noticeably different from their current material (which has gotten pretty redundant IMO). The XX, meanwhile, has one sound that they've exhausted with one overpraised album.

  On 3/4/2010 at 3:57 AM, bigs said:

i really enjoyed their album this year. you don't have to make complicated music to make enjoyable music... there's as much evidence of that in idm as there is in indie so don't be ignorant. regarding animal collective, i can totally understanding not liking them /hating them but to say they're worthless is just stupid. really incredible band, wonderful sound. kind of like folk music mixed with acid, what with all the melting transitions and stuff. for those still getting hard ons for what you think is "complexity", animal collective does a lot of cool stuff changing time signature (specifically jumping from 3 to 4). this yields all kinds of amazingly cool effects. melodically and harmonically they're amazing! i think the idm understanding of simplicity/complexity is totally off. it's more based on how much glitchy shit is thrown on top as opposed to what goes into the music. the beach boys had incredible harmonies and melodies, while sounding poppy as i'll get out. a group like autechre (who i love) has a whole slew of songs that are every bit as good, but much less complex than some of the simple pop stuff you guys tend to trash -- it doesn't make it less good.

but the musical element most non-synth/electronic groups seem to totally forget is timbre. Ae (for example) has an understanding of how powerful different tones and textures when used correctly become. I have yet to come across a group in pop/rock/indie that understands this idea and that it's just as important as rhythm or melody and harmony. When you combine this advanced understanding of timbre and texture to establish a feel and tone of a track with THE most complex rhythms and great melodies it's hard to then switch over to a band like The XX or Animal Collective with out it just sounding so pedestrian.

I feel the problem is that AC want to feel like they're making complex or somewhat intellectual music. Which is why they are successful. They make listeners feel like they are doing something intellectual and stimulating with out really asking a lot of questions. The music is just complex enough for the layman to say "wow they're really complex"

I have nothing against pop outfits as long as they don't try and tell the world of how great and complex their music is. Groups like Queen and ABBA never had any qualms about how silly their music was. Their music never tried to be anything other that enjoyable, listenable pop. And that's why it's good.

Because when you try to claim that ANY pop music outfit makes complex intellectual music, you will fail when compared someone like a Xenakis, or an Ayler, or even Ae.

animal collective are just a bunch of douches

The XX are anything but complex and they won't tell you they are. In fact they are extremely simple and straight forward. It's the sparseness here that's the appeal.

My liking The XX is coincidental. Happened to hear them when I was looking for a bit of catchy pop. They fit the bill. May have hated them if I heard them a month or week before, who knows. Plus I like the post-punk thing. The timbre of the reverby post-punk guitar, MPC beats, and breathy singing is satisfying to me. I'm not defending them here. As I said earlier they aren't worth defending, but I like a few of their songs. Nothing wrong with that.