*Rough Trade Records named this the top album of 2009. But is it? In my never ending quest to find great music, I am reviewing this LP! But wait…I already named my top 5 albums of 2009. That’s tentative, though. So let’s see about this.

Band: The xx
Label: Young Turks
Release: 2009

1. “Intro” – 9.0
2. “VCR” – 9.4
3. “Crystalized” – 9.7
4. “Islands” – 8.2
5. “Fantasy” – 7.8
6. “Shelter” – 8.1
7. “Basic Space” – 8.8
8. “Infinity” – 9.3
9. “Night Time” – 8.5
10. “Stars” – 8.9

Comments: This is the first band to actually cause my sub-woofer to make crazy ass noises. There are some pretty cool beats and stuff like that, but this record isn’t that special. Vocals are kind of shabby and not really unique at all. The “chill-wave” that this record embodies is limited in the sense that you can only stare at your shoes for so long before you fall asleep. In essence, the only things that save this from mainstream success are the male vocals and the consistent darkness and ambiance. Pop music usually doesn’t regard the latter as positive or particularly marketable. And to some degree, I can see a lot of independent-minded people shunning this kind of music or writing it off as done before, or what have you. The album begins to crumble after the third song, but there are some cool spots after that.

Grade: 8.7