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The XX Are 'Excited' To Lead The 2017 Line-Up For Bestival


Bestival The XX

The XX have been announced to headline Bestival 2017 alongside A Tribe Called Quest and Pet Shop Boys. The Autumn event returns for its 14th year, but for the very first time it won't be being held at the traditional Isle of Wight venue.

The xxThe xx last performed at Bestival in 2012

Having recently released their number one third studio album 'I See You', The xx are returning for their third time at Bestival - and this time they'll finally be headlining. Hip hop collective A Tribe Called Quest will also be playing the main Castle Stage, as well as 80s pop legends Pet Shop Boys.

Continue reading: The XX Are 'Excited' To Lead The 2017 Line-Up For Bestival

The XX - I See You Album Review


The importance of The XX's self-titled debut album cannot be understated. It subliminally influenced lyrical and musical aspects of pop music, as well as the 'haunting' atmosphere of pop music. The intense, youthful and in tandem, text-like lyrics which roll back and forth between Romi Madley Croft and Oliver Sim brought a brooding sense of romance (or the loss of it) and the longing desires of sex and intimacy in the modern age. That influence is still heard today, and pop music was unexpectedly changed by one of the most accidentally brilliant debut albums of the 2000's. Their second album, Coexist, revealed a band uncertain how to break the shackles of a particularly brilliant debut. This wasn't a conventional 'flop' sophomore album, as it instead revealed a band creatively trapped within the confines not only of their first album but of the influence it had put out onto the musical landscape. It was a gorgeous album with some stand out tracks, however it revealed a band teetering on the edge of exhausting their identity of relentlessly hesitant lyrics and weeping and injured guitars.

The XX - I See You Album Review

I See You finds the band releasing music together as The xx for the first time in four years, and within that time Jamie Smith (better known as Jamie xx) released his solo album In Colour to critical acclaim. His euphoric, summer-tinged and upbeat solo affair (with tracks like 'Loud Places' and 'SeeSaw' revealing the direction this new album has taken) has bled into I See You, and in turn The xx's sound and aesthetic with relatively positive results. I See You further illustrates the challenges of young love and heartache once again, however its framed through a newly vibrant sonic palette and a self-reflexive maturity. The broadening of this scope works well as the distinctive vocals of Romi Madley Croft and Oliver Sim retain the identity of the band, while the now robust approach to their sound (which teeters on jubilant at times) shows glimmers of light from the shadowy ambience they once resided

The opening track 'Dangerous' confidently reveals the new direction the band have taken. The blast of sampled horns, a funky bassline which is accompanied by a scattering drumbeat which is only made recognisable as The xx when the vocals breathe in. The lead single 'On Hold' is very catchy, however is an underwhelming track in comparison to the rest of the album. The shoe-horned Hall and Oates sample, although infectious, doesn't quite belong within The xx's periphery just yet. The album highlight is undoubtedly 'Replica', which ponders those rhetorical questions you can never quite get an answer for. Whether you're enjoying your youth or just trying to give off the impression you are, or if you're becoming like your parents - residing them fatalistically to the fact that our emotions and mistakes "were only chemical." It's the song on this album which perfectly encapsulates our initial understanding of this band while sounding unlike anything they've done before.

Continue reading: The XX - I See You Album Review

The Xx Announce New Album 'I See You' Will Be Released In January


The XX

Over four years after they released their second studio album Coexist, the popular and critically adored British indie act The XX have announced details of its follow-up, titled I See You, and released its first single.

The London trio’s third album will be released via the Young Turks label on January 13th 2017. Recorded in New York, Marfa, TX, Reykjavik, Los Angeles, and London over nearly two and a half years between March 2014 and August 2016, it was produced by Rodaidh McDonald and the band’s own Jamie Smith.

The xxThe xx receiving the Mercury Music Prize in 2010

Continue reading: The Xx Announce New Album 'I See You' Will Be Released In January

A Week In News: Rick Ross Survives, Jennifer Lawrence Slips Up, Lindsay Lohan To Learn Fate


Rick Ross Jennifer Lawrence Lindsay Lohan Ben Affleck Barbra Streisand Jason London Blur The Stone Roses The XX Red Hot Chili Peppers Vampire Weekend Adrian Grenier Kevin Connolly Kevin Dillon Jerry Ferrara Jeremy Piven Taye Diggs

Rick Ross

Rick Ross Survives An Attack, Jennifer Lawrence Wins But Slips Up, Lindsay Lohan To Learn Her Fate In LA

You Da Boss: Rapper Rick Ross had a lucky escape this week, somehow avoiding a hail of gunfire aimed at his Rolls Royce in Miami. The Diced Pineapples hit-maker ploughed into a nearby apartment block but emerged relatively unscathed. Now who would want to kill Rick Ross?

Silver Lining? Jennifer Lawrence's Christian Dior dress let her down badly at the SAG Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday evening. The Silver Linings Playbook star made her way to the stage to collect the award for Best Actress, only to see her gown literally split in the middle! What caused the wardrobe malfunction? 

Continue reading: A Week In News: Rick Ross Survives, Jennifer Lawrence Slips Up, Lindsay Lohan To Learn Fate

Coachella 2013 Lineup Announcement

Posted on29 January 2013

Coachella 2013 Lineup Announcement

Coachella Festival 2013; Who To See?


Blur Ben Gibbard Savages The XX Phoenix

Today saw the announcement of the Coachella Festival 2013 line-up, to be run on the weekends of April 12, 2013 and April 19, 2013, and as expected it’s another smorgasbord of musical taste, with everyone from Britpop veterans Blur to funk rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers turning out for the California event. The sheer array of names is dizzying – just where do you start with deciding who to go and see? Well handily we’ve had a bit of a browse through the line-up for you, so here are a few of our tips.

Pick Of The Headliners

Phoenix

Continue reading: Coachella Festival 2013; Who To See?

What, No Holograms? Stone Roses, Blur, Phoenix, Red Hot Chili Peppers Headline Coachella 2013


Coachella Blur Stone Roses Yeah Yeah Yeahs Modest Mouse Lou Reed Jurassic 5 Phoenix The XX New Order Nick Cave Grinderman Wu Tang Clan Social Distortion Tupac Shakur

How do you top having a dead man headline your festival? Well, in all honestly, you’re not going to. Coachella’s talent bookers must have been scratching their heads in bewilderment when it came to topping last year’s Tupac hologram and they’ve done the best they can, given the lack of deceased artists willing and able to play Coachella 2013.

The two Friday nights (the festival takes place both on April 12 – 14 and April 19 – 21) are looking like a highlight for fans of the Britpop revival, with Blur and Stone Roses lending a very British end to the evening. A newly invigorated Yeah Yeah Yeahs (well, Karen O’s dyed her hair blonde, does that count?) also play the Friday, as well as Modest Mouse, Lou Reed and Jurassic 5. Saturday has the French band Phoenix headlining, in support of their recently-announced new album. They’ll be preceded by British electronic gloom-pop band The XX, as well as Postal Service and New Order. The line-up for the Sunday nights is a slightly heavier one, with Red Hot Chili Peppers headlining, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds making yet another return (Cave will be raking it in that weekend, as his other band Grinderman also play the Fridays), Social Distortion and Wu Tang Clan.

Coachella always has an impressive array of legendary / stalwart alternative acts as well as the hottest new bands you’ve only just heard of. What they haven’t got, is anything that’s going to grab the headlines, or the public’s attention in the same way that Tupac’s hologram did. 

Continue reading: What, No Holograms? Stone Roses, Blur, Phoenix, Red Hot Chili Peppers Headline Coachella 2013

Dermot O'leary Presents The Saturday Sessions 2013

Posted on23 January 2013

Dermot O'leary Presents The Saturday Sessions 2013

BRIT Awards 2013 Nominees Announced: Diverse? Or Just Weird?


Amy Winehouse Emeli Sande Bat For Lashes Paloma Faith Jessie Ware The XX Alt-J Mumford And Sons Muse One Direction Tom Odell AlunaGeorge Michael Buble Laura Mvula Rihanna Cat Power Alicia Keys Lana Del Rey Adele Brit Awards

This year’s Brit Awards nominations look as though they were concocted by a group of strangers, with wildly different cultural backgrounds, on a drunken night out. Is this a sign that the mainstream music world is finally starting to accept that it’s becoming more and more acceptable to have diverse musical tastes? Or are the organisers of the BRITS simply trying to spark controversy? have they lost the plot? Or is this an honest reflection of the mindset of a 2013 British music buying public? Let’s take a look at the evidence, and scrutinise some of the more baffling categories…

British Female Solo Artist Nominees – One of the more sensitive and contentious issues, here, in the British female solo artist category. Of the five nominees, only four of them were alive this year. We understand that Amy Winehouse has a lasting legacy in British pop music. We understand that she was – and, in many ways remains - a tour de force. But, for the sake of the awards, we simply have to ask, at the risk of sounding flippant, what has Amy Winehouse done for British music in the last 12 months? Sadly, nothing. Her posthumous album (released in December 2011, we should add), Lioness: Hidden Treasures was politely and quietly denounced for being little more than cuttings from the studio floor. We simply can’t get our heads around her inclusion on this list. With Bat For Lashes throw in as the ‘alternative’ wild card, to lend a touch of outsider cool to the category, it’s between Emeli Sande, Paloma Faith and Jessie Ware to catch this one, we reckon. 

Watch Jessie Ware's video for 'Sweet Talk'

Continue reading: BRIT Awards 2013 Nominees Announced: Diverse? Or Just Weird?

Wait, Did The Rolling Stones Just Confirm A Brit Awards Performance?


Rolling Stones Muse One Direction Robbie Williams The XX

The Brit Awards 2013 nominations were announced on Thursday (January 10, 2013), being somewhat overshadowed by the Oscars stuff going on across the pond. We already know James Corden is back on-board as host, and he'll be joined by the likes of Muse, Robbie Williams, Mumford & Sons and One Direction, who all scored nods this week.

Forget all that though, because The Rolling Stones may be playing live. After scoring a nomination for Best Live Act, the legendary rockers hinted that they may well be on hand to rock the stage at the O2 Arena on February 20, 2013. Keith Richards said, "Onstage is where we belong. When I'm up there with Mick, Charlie and Ronnie, everything is rocking, so a big thanks to Brit fans and the Brits nom!" Though it's not confirmation exactly, there's a possible hint in there somewhere. His band-mate Mick Jagger said, "We all had such a blast. Everyone was at the top of their game and the hometown audiences at The O2 were just fantastic. It's great to be nominated... we'll see you soon." Organizers of the Brit Awards are always keen to get marquee acts to close the evening, and the Stones' seem at home at the O2 nowadays.

Others picking up nods during Thursday's announcement were Mercury winners Alt-J (3), Emili Sande (3) and Amy Winehouse, who was posthumously nominated for her Lioness record. One Direction will battle Mumford & Sons and The XX for Best Group.

The Show Must Go On? David Letterman Props Up Entertainment Industry During Hurricane Sandy


David Letterman Jimmy Fallon Jimmy Kimmel Stephen Colbert Jon Stewart The XX Cat Power Grimes Rufus Wainwright The National Keira Knightley Russell Crowe Will Smith

The mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg has been making sure that the city's residents were fully prepared for Hurricane Sandy, which hit New York last night. And whilst the majority of New York citizens paid heed, TV presenter David Letterman decided to pay heed instead to that age-old motto from the world of entertainment. "the show must go on!"

According to MTV, Letterman wasn't going to let a minor detail like the biggest storms to ever hit the USA stop him from filming one of his late night chat shows. He did, however, film the episode of The Late Show With David Letterman without the presence of his usual live audience. He may have been prepared to brave the elements to get the show filmed but he wasn't about to let the general public endanger themselves in the process. The same applied to Jimmy Fallon's show, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. 

Other shows weren't so lucky. Jimmy Kimmel was forced to cancel one of his tapings in Brooklyn, announcing on Twitter "Though it pains us to do it, JKL from Brooklyn tonight is cancelled. I'm disappointed too, but we want you to be safe." Over at Comedy Central, however, the laughter stopped for the night. Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart both cancelled the filming for their shows. 

Continue reading: The Show Must Go On? David Letterman Props Up Entertainment Industry During Hurricane Sandy

Bob Dylan Beaten To Billboard No.1 Spot By The Dave Matthews Band


The Dave Matthews Band Bob Dylan The XX Little Big Town

Bob Dylan’s Tempest could only manage No.3 on The Billboard 200 Chart this week, with The Dave Matthews Band claiming the top spot.

Their album, Away from the World moved 266,000 copies, making it their sixth consecutive album in a row to take the top spot, and they are the only group to have done that according to Billboard. Their previous Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King bowed with 424,000 copies in 2009. Clambering the peak of the Billboard charts, and planting your flag in first (for the week, anyway) is a great achievement for any band, but beating the musical legend that is Bob Dylan on your way there makes it even more special, even if the aging star is considered a little old for mountaineering. Ol’ Dylan comes in at No. 3 with 110,000 album sales, but it is his fifth consecutive top-10 studio album, which is a commendable feat in itself.

Elsewhere, Little Big Town's Tornado came in 2nd for the week, with 113,000, giving the country quartet their highest charting album ever. The Avett Brothers also grab their best week ever on the Billboard 200 as The Carpenter sells 98,000, putting them at No. 4. The XX’s previous best entry was No.92, but they blew that into smithereens with a No.5 position this week; their new album Coexist selling 73,000 copies.


The XX, XX Album Review


Review of The XX's album XX released through Young Turks.

Continue reading: The XX, XX Album Review

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