The xx

The xx

By: Ilana Kronick

This delicate pop by four inspired Londoners is like mainstream R&B at half-speed with thin layers of atonal jangly guitar and powder vocals. The somewhat-sedated result is what they think of as Rihanna crossed with The Cure - and you can sort of hear that - but it can just as easily be conceptualized as a soulful Hot Chip, to highlight its unrefined but lush, techno slant. If all this makes it sound vaguely boundary-breaking, it shouldn't: The xx is new and brave (and easy peasy to get into), but its merits don't go much beyond there.

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