"Crystalised" - The xx

The xx are a band that use the lower case musically and grammatically. With minimalistic poise, "Crystalised" is strangely evocative. Resemblant of the same brand of electro-indie/artrock being played by The Invisible, Hot Chip, or The Temper Trap, The xx manage to gouge out their own tiny niche in a genre charicterised by its variety as much as its depth. If this were art, it would be abstract in the extreme. The combination of male and female vocal duties is slightly alike to the musical style of Belle & Sebastian, though is a more modern, sleek and streamlined machine compared to the Glasweigan hipster's snowflake-chic tunes.

Although on first listen I found this track unremarkable, it's growing on me (partly because I've put it on repeat whilst writing), but it's relaxing and thought-provoking in the same instance. It might seem a strange comparison, but this song is incredibly similar to the artrocker's bible, The Velvet Underground & Nico - abstract, sharp and minimal. So much so that it sounds like an artist's persona taking control; at the point where the chorus rises up from the melancholy verse, the song takes on a darker, larger form - and the overall sound achieved is exotic as it is futuristic. In a way, this track is an extension of the recent movement within rock and indie towards electronica (see Yeah Yeah Yeah's). "Crystalised" is an excellent showcase for a band who are at the forefront of innovation.

The Genius reccomendations for this song were; Horrors, Hockey, Bat For Lashes, Primal Scream, The Temper Trap