Live Show: The XX (10/22/09)

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Word on the street is that The XX and Living Rooms show at 529 November 17 is about to sell out. So if you want to go, get your tickets right now.

The XX
kexp.org
Cutting Room Studios
New York, NY, USA
2009-10-22

01. Islands
02. VCR
03. Heart Skipped A Beat
04. Crystalized

Download Lossless Torrent Here

A Random Mp3 Trilogy: The Dodos, The Octopus Project, The XX

The Dodos


Photo by Charlie Villyard

The Dodos‘ third album hits stores physically next week, but they have made it available digitally ever since it leaked on the torrents long ago. With Time To Die, they branch out a lot farther from their Sung Tongs starting point and seemed to have come into their own. The Animal Collective influence is still felt here, but it doesn’t seem to dominate it like their last record. When this band really connects everything together right, they sound amazing, but at times they drift into slightly boring and repetitive areas. That said, the 9 tracks on this album have a lot less fat on them then previous installments, and the thoroughly enjoyable results display a sharp improvement in a band that had already started ahead of the curve.

The Dodos : Small Deaths

Buy Time To Die

The Dodos myspace




The Octopus Project


Photo by Aubrey Edwards

Similarly to The Dodos, Austin’s The Octopus Project have slimmed down their newest release and do much more with less. The 5 track EP manages to demonstrate every strength of this band in less than twenty minutes. The first two cuts are some of the best pop songs this band has ever written. The final three instrumental pieces stand testament to the post-rock prowess of this talented theremin centric outfit. They are re-releasing their first two albums today, so once you pick this EP up and inevitably get hooked, there is plenty of old material easily accessible to dive into:

The Octopus Project : Half A Nice Day

Buy Golden Beds

The Octopus Project myspace




The XX

After reading the recent reviews and super-hype on the Internet, I totally expected to hate this UK band. But after getting through the whole album, I found myself really liking it. I often rail against overly simplistic bands, but I absolutely love a group that can accomplish something rather incredible with a minimal palette. This record isn’t going to change anyone’s life and I doubt it will end up near the top of my list of faves for the year, but I have to admit that it is a good one.

The XX : Infinity

Buy XX

The XX myspace