The xx

The xx
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This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (April 2010)
The xx

The xx, from left to right: Jamie Smith, Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim, Baria Qureshi
Background information
Origin London, England
Genres Indie rock, dream pop
Years active 2005–present
Labels Young Turks
Website http://www.thexx.info/
Members
Romy Madley Croft
Oliver Sim
Jamie Smith
Former members
Baria Qureshi

The xx are a three-piece indie rock band from Wandsworth, south west London, England, formed in 2005.[1] The four original band members met at Elliott School, notable for alumni including Hot Chip, Burial and Four Tet.[2] The xx was originally a four-piece band, but keyboardist Baria Qureshi left the group in late 2009.[3]

The group's debut album, xx, was met with critical acclaim, achieving a rating of "Universal acclaim" on Metacritic.[4] Furthermore the album ranked well on "best of the year" lists, placing at #9 and #2 with Rolling Stone and NME respectively.[5][6] The band placed at #6 in the 2009 NME The Future 50 list and in October 2009, they were named one of MTV Iggy's "Top 10 Bands with Buzz" (at the CMJ Music Marathon 2009).[7][8]

Their debut album, xx, was released on Young Turks Records on 17 August 2009.[9] Though the band had worked with both Diplo and Kwes.,[10] xx was produced by the band themselves[11] and mixed by Jamie Smith and Rodaidh McDonald.[12] They recorded the album in a small garage that was part of the XL studios, often at night, which contributed to the sleek, whispery nature of the album.[13] The band have toured with The Big Pink and Micachu. Their single "Crystalised" was featured on iTunes (UK) as Single of the Week, starting from 18 August 2009.

Their song "Intro" was used in an AT&T commercial featuring Apolo Anton Ohno. It was shown often during NBC's coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada.[14], and during the series Cold Case, the general election coverage by the BBC during 2010 and also in Law & Order on the Dutch television network Net 5; "VCR" was featured in a Lie to Me episode. In episode 7 of the online BBC EastEnders spin-off E20 their cover of "Teardrops" was used. "Heart Skipped a Beat" was featured in a 2009 episode of 90210, as well as being the feature song for the March 2010 E4 advert for 90210. "Islands" was used in an episode of the Golden Globe-winning medical drama Grey's Anatomy. "Stars" was used in E4's youth drama 'Misfits' in December 2009. "Crystalised" was used during the 13th episode of the 3rd season of The CW's acclaimed Gossip Girl TV show. In January 2010, the XX performed in a 11-date sold-out tour in Scandinavia and Germany with New Look.

Second guitarist and keyboardist Baria Qureshi left the group in 2009. Initial reports stated that this was due to exhaustion, but the band later said they made this decision due to "personal differences".[15][16]

It was recently announced that the band has been chosen by Matt Groening to perform at the edition of the All Tomorrow's Parties festival he is curating in May 2010 in Minehead, England. In addition, the band will be playing in four of North America's most popular music festivals, Coachella, Sasquatch, Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza.[17]
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Discography
o 1.1 Studio albums
o 1.2 Singles
o 1.3 Music videos
o 1.4 Guest appearances
o 1.5 Demos, covers, and remixes
* 2 References
* 3 External Links

[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
The cover of the band's first album xx.
Year Title
2009 xx

* Released: August 17, 2009
* UK Chart: #31

[edit] Singles
Year Title Album
2009 "Crystalised"

* Released: April 27, 2009

xx
"Basic Space"

* Released: August 3, 2009

"Islands"

* Released: October 26, 2009

2010 "VCR"

* Released: January 24, 2010

"Crystalised" (re-release)

* Released: April 26, 2010

[edit] Music videos

* "Basic Space"
* "Crystalised"
* "VCR"
* "Islands"

[edit] Guest appearances

* Kwesachu Mixtape Vol.1 by Kwes. & Micachu[18][19] (June 5 2009)

[edit] Demos, covers, and remixes

* "Blood Red Moon" (B side & Bonus CD) (Sandra D)
* "Hot Like Fire" – Aaliyah (B side & Bonus CD)
* "Teardrops" – Womack and Womack (Bonus CD)
* "Do You Mind" (B side & Bonus CD)
* "You've Got The Love" – The Source/Florence and the Machine – (The xx Remix)
* "Space Bass" (Jamie xx's Basic Space Remix)
* "Closer" – Ne-Yo – (Romy xx – produced by Kwes. & Micachu)
* "Pull My Heart Away" – Jack Peñate – (Jamie xx Remix)
* "Insects" (B side to VCR single & Bonus CD)
* "Warrior (The XX Remix)" [Magic Wands – Magic, Love & Dreams EP]
* "The Afterlife (The XX Remix)" [YACHT – The Afterlife EP]

[edit] References

1. ^ Cochrane, Greg (2009-05-12). "BBC – Newsbeat – Music – Introducing…The XX". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/music/newsid_8040000/8040046.stm. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
2. ^ Saxelby, Ruth. "The xx" "It started as a joke."". Dummy. http://www.dummymag.com/features/2009/07/14/the-xx-it-started-out-as-a-joke-/. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
3. ^ "The xx Lose a Member". Pitchfork. http://pitchfork.com/news/37094-the-xx-lose-a-member/. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
4. ^ "xx reviews at". Metacritic.com. 2009-10-06. http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/xx/xx?q=the%20xx. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
5. ^ Posted Dec 17, 2009 1:51 PM (2009-12-17). "The 25 Best Albums of 2009". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/31421097/the_25_best_albums_of_2009/11. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
6. ^ "50 Best Albums of 2009". Nme.Com. http://www.nme.com/list/50-best-albums-of-2009/159978/page/5. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
7. ^ "Pictures of The Future 50: The bands, the artists, the innovators – Photos". Nme.Com. 2009-08-05. http://www.nme.com/photos/the-future-50-the-bands-the-artists-the-innovators/147567/45/1. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
8. ^ CMJ 2009: Top 10 Bands with Buzz MTV Iggy
9. ^ O'Neill, Katie (2009-08-14). "Young Turks". Young Turks. http://www.theyoungturks.co.uk/records_news/the-xx-xx. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
10. ^ Text: Ruth Saxelby Photography: Mikael Gregorsky. "The xx: "It started as a joke." | Dummy » Features". Dummymag.com. http://www.dummymag.com/features/2009/07/14/the-xx-it-started-out-as-a-joke-/. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
11. ^ "The XX announce debut album details | News". Nme.Com. http://www.nme.com/news/the-xx/45415. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
12. ^ Pawson, Caius (2009-02-23). "Young Turks". Young Turks. http://www.theyoungturks.co.uk/records_news/introducing-the-xx. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
13. ^ "Exclaim! Canada's Music Authority". Exclaim.ca. http://exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid1=138&csid2=4&fid1=42049. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
14. ^ "What's That Song From the AT&T Commercial With Olympic Speed Skater Apolo Anton Ohno?". Spinner. February 17, 2010. http://www.spinner.com/2010/02/17/olympic-commercials-xx-apolo-anton-ohno/.
15. ^ "Young and modern: Introducing the xx". CNN. 2010-04-10. http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/05/xx.interview/?hpt=Mid. Retrieved 2010-04-13.
16. ^ "Guitarist Departs The xx". Clashmusic.com. 2009-11-13. http://www.clashmusic.com/news/guitarist-departs-the-xx. Retrieved 2010-04-14.
17. ^ "Bonnaroo". Bonnaroo. http://www.bonnaroo.com/. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
18. ^ Kwesaachu & Romy of The xx – Youtube, Micachu & Kwes, 2009-10-20, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pn0SNOs4u8, retrieved 2010-04-16
19. ^ Dickins, Kieren (2009-09-10). "KWESACHU MIXTAPE VOL. 1 << A Tribe Called Next". A Tribe Called Next. http://blog.atribecallednext.com/2009/09/kwesachu-mixtape-vol1/. Retrieved 2010-03-16