Tag Of the Day! The xx ‘Islands’
Talented Londoners The xx have been causing something of a storm of late, albeit a relatively melancholy one. Their nonchalant brand of synth pop has been pricking the ears of all sorts of taste makers since the release of their debut album last year. The xx sound has also been seeping into the public consciousness like some kind of magical musical osmosis thanks to the inclusion of the band’s music in ABC’s Winter Olympics coverage and The BBC’s UK Election reports – something that has helped them shimmy up the charts in both the UK and Europe in recent months.
In the new video for ‘Islands’, The xx go all arty on us. The shots show a looped piece of footage of morose looking dancers pulling a sequenced dance routine. It all seems highly hypnotic until you realise the dancers are actually shifting their steps each time the video re-loops. Typically, The band lounge unexcitedly in the centre of proceedings looking as indifferent as ever. It’s a highly impressive but simple treatment that’s pretty close to the visual trickery used in Jamiroquai’s off kilter ‘Virtual Insanity’ video. They may well have been a slow burning act to break, but now it looks like The xx are finally crossing over to the big time.
