In 2009, The xx’s debut eponymous album achieved critical success, becoming the cult classic of London’s music underground. Fans could only pray that three years later, the band’s sophomore LP, Coexist, would achieve anywhere near the status of an adequate follow-up effort. Boy, will they be pleasantly surprised.
Of course, there is no denying that some fans of the first album will be let down by the second. Coexist lacks the head-nodding standalone tracks that garnered xx its ubiquitous place in indie history. To an unfamiliar ear, the album may sound like a single exhaustive moan of electric guitars and drum machines with little to no actual direction.
Instead, one should view Coexist as the band’s further refinement of its already refined style — approaching and, at times, achieving musical perfection. Coexist is The xx’s evolution into musical “high fashion,” and its lyrical poeticism and manipulation of pure silence are nothing short of incredible.
Pained duets shared by Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim sift through the memories of a broken relationship. The duo maintains a certain maturity that is so difficult for love songs to achieve. The music feels as vulnerable as its subjects, as if Croft and Sim’s voices huddle completely naked in the corner of a vast, echoing space.
Coexist is arguably the definition of “chill,” but every song is inspired by producer Jamie Smith’s experience with club music. He made sure that the album features mind-blowing production values and enough bass to shatter airplane windows.
All of these elements meld together into an absolutely stunning work of art. Although popheads may argue for the album’s inadequacies, no one can deny The xx knows how to make a solid record.
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