Probably one of the most anticipated
albums of the year, and the
question on everyones lips was, have The
xx made an album as successful as their self titled Mercury Prize
winning first one? I think we can safely say this one is big
(currently being number one in the album charts), and posters have
been PLASTERED around capital city.
Their first release 'Angels', which is
a beautiful song, has worked out to be a good choice for the first
album release. But it leaves you forgetting about the emotional
roller coaster that is their first album, if they have found their
romantic happy ending, does that mean the rest of the album will be
this lighthearted?
But you get taken into their turbulent
love lives as the album progresses. My personal favourites are
'Chained' and 'Missing'. The 5 second pause a third of the way into
Missing creates such a tension between Romy and Oliver, that leaves
you hanging. However I think The xx are a band who don't have
'better' songs, it comes down to individual taste.
Compared to the first album, it is a
little different, the tracks on Coexist have a similar feel, whereas
xx had a larger variation in the songs, but hey, who says its a bad
thing? Coexist has definitely had more publicity, as xx was such a
success, but I still have to say that I prefer xx. But how often do
artists make a second album as good as their Mercury Prize winning
first one?? Their unique style has continued in this album, pulling
off their glacial sound, with a bit more experimentation, for example
the steel drums in 'Reunion'.
If you weren't lucky enough to win
tickets to their performance with a philharmonic orchestra for Radio
1, you can listen to it online, or even better get hold of some
tickets for their UK tour in December. Most venues have already sold
out, but try getmein.com, as the asking price isn't that bad.