https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L73OLaG4_kA
HOMETOWN: London, UK
WHERE WE CAUGHT THEM: The Mohawk Patio
SOUNDS LIKE: A slow, smooth combination of Portishead and Massive Attack.
WHAT’S “QUEER” ABOUT THEM?: When guitarists/vocalists Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim croon about sex and relationships they may be singing to themselves, each other, or as the other person; an idea made even more taboo by the fact they could pass for siblings.
LISTEN TO THIS NOW: Their song “Intro” (above) was made popular by its inclusion in an Olympic AT&T commercial starring Japanese-American speed-skater Apolo Anton Ohno.
If you’ve never heard of British dubstep bands like Digital Mystikz, Burial, and Shackleton you’re missing out on a modern English sound that evokes the mood of brooding intense rainy walk home from a 4am club, doused in drink, drug, and desire. It’s heavy in drum and bass utilizing reverb, pitch, and stutter effects to create haunting synth-soundscapes. But just as bar scenes can create heartbreak, The XX croon about unrequited love in the form of melting glaciers and sleepwalkers lost in subterranean cities with evocative, ironic lyricism. Consider this bit from their song “Fantasy”: “For the desired effect/ Would you come back August or June, June?/ And I hate that tomorrow’s too soon/ But this collision, came mid bloom.” Their soulful tunes elevate you into a deliciously dark destination.
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Aaron
What about Ariel Pink?
Daniel
@Aaron: Suggest a song and link to it so we can give it a listen, yo!
KalperniaRena
I suggest Jetpack by Eve 6
BBB
The xx is fantastic – love it! I suggest French Horn Rebellion – Up All Night, though I havent heard the rest of the album.
Hunter
The two lead singers in the xx are queer.
WillBFair
I’m sorry. Atonal nightmares.
Clint
This was awful.
Zee
Meh…it’s okay.
Join Me On Sodahead, We Need More GBLT Voices There!
http://www.sodahead.com/user/profile/933960/astro-boy/
Coffee&Chicory
You first draw a comparison to Portishead and Massive Attack (trip-hop) and then to Burial and the Digital Mystikz (real dubstep)?! no, no, and no. Two completely different genres of electronic music.
TNG Zack
Great article, queery! And for folks who like this kinda stuff, be sure to check out Thenewgay.net. WE do tons of indie coverage…
Aaron
@Daniel:
Here ya go: “Kate I Wait”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gB65ENKm4AM
p.s. it’s about Kate Bush.
Aaron
@Daniel:
Ariel Pink were also on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon recently:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUq0BSEc0mk
Frank Rivera
Love the music list and then I saw the venues. Yay Austin!
I suggest The Pass (the played at the Ghost Room last night – sound like an USA answer to Phoenix), Das Racist, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (The xx-lite) and Geographer.
SusanW
My suggestion is Cosmo Jarvis’ pirate song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dysG12QCdTA
Holly
Not a fan – but her name is Scardetta, not Scardella.