That bridge is on fire going back to where I've been

Yes, I promise that a non-music related post is coming soon. In fact, it's in the works. I hit writer's block on a post connecting N. T. Wright, Six Feet Under, Pedro Almodovar, and the World Cup. But the draft has been saved and I will finish! But, for now, I need to briefly yell at y'all and tell you to immediately purchase or obtain a copy of the xx, the debut album by the artist The Xx.

Musically, The Xx is very similar to Beach House as they are both very minimalistic in their sound. I would contest that the basic difference is that Beach House can afford to be instrumentally more tepid as Victoria Legrand's smoky vocals can carry entire songs. On the other hand, the boy-girl duet vocals provided by Romy Madly Croft and Oliver Sim are good, but not exceptional. Consequently, the instrumentation has to be (and is) better.

To save your eyes the trouble, a list of why this band is worth checking out:

1) They are three 20 year-olds from London.

2) Obviously, this is not enough to make good music as even a young insomniac can't make good music (see: owl city). But this band creates incredible music. Simple guitar, fuzzy keyboard, wordless vocals and other effects create an energizing 'instrumental' opening track, called intro. Yes, that is the song from the commercial from the olympics. The bass parts on the closing track, Stars, highlight the vocals quite well. Other songs worth checking out are Islands, Cristalized, Heart Skipped a Beat, and Shelter.

3) The lyrics. Like the musical style, they are quite simple. But brilliant. On Islands, Romy sings of having found her lover and not needing to find more. Oliver's vocals come in, singing: see what I've done // that bridge is on fire // going back to where I've been // I'm froze by desire // no need to leave. The song continues by realizing that this relationship may close too many other doors and ends by leaving the door open to this fear. In many ways, the whole album is about commitment (or the fear thereof). On Cristalised, for example, the lyrics struggle with the ability to be close to someone. From Islands, the album continues to explore this theme before ending with Stars. While Stars is, undeniably, a song about sex on the first date, it concludes the commitment in a relationship is something to be pursued. As the chorus points out, 'cos we can give it time // so much time.

4) Their music videos are visually astounding. Most notably, the choreography and repetition of Islands make the video extremely interesting. And the video works wonderfully with the story being sung.

Here's a link to Amazon mp3 to buy the album. And I do promise, a non-musical post is forthcoming.