If Shakespeare could compare his love to a summer's day then it makes total sense for The xx to use imagery of oil mixed in water to echo similar sentiments.It's hard to know what to make of The xx. Even before their eponymously titled album won the prestigious Mercury Music Award in 2009, it seemed the band was making the kind of stuff designed to appeal to those too cool for comfort. Their music was everywhere, from political promotional ads to crappy American teen movies, making them look like a new Coldplay.
The xx are back with Angels, the first single taken for their sophomore effort, Coexist. It's a brave release to have made as the song is totally stripped to bare essentials, favouring minimalism and mood over fireworks. The no frills video and spartan production arrangements mean all attention is drawn to singer Romy Madley Croft's vocals, utterly convincing in its meditation on love and longing. As a song it doesn't really go anywhere or build up to anything big, it just dwells, lingering on cosmic thoughts and deep emotions. That's not something widely done in pop music anymore.
