I’ve made so few posts here (sigh…maybe for the best… perhaps not?) that anyone giving a quick glance at the prior entries will see these annual items & know the story of them having been my #MostFaveBandEVAR for a dozen years now. Its odd to realize the differences between my life then & to now… the people & things lost somehow loom larger than what’s been gained, & the xx music has so much longing in it — something I know resonated deeply with me upon first listen & still works its magic.

Its been pretty quiet on the site here, as I’ve pulled back from the constant social media posting of years past to dwell instead on personal things, but I think (fingers crossed) that might change this year, as I’ve been re-focused on completing some of those long-simmering projects & conquering my deep, oh-so-deep sense of inertia. More on all of that later…

I moved to Hawaii in Oct’22. Its pretty great, but as a tiny island in the Pacific that’s far, far away from everything, its *ahem* isolated as far as live music goes. Not a decent concert for me from a favorite band in all the time since the move, which is quite a downgrade. I have, however, self-promised to fly over to the mainland when necessary, & by most accounts it seems that the xx are working on new tunes, surely with a tour coming soon after. Also, btw, Romy’s LP was a banger. Loved it.

Another year gone, but at least I heard music.

moar later, babies, xoxoxo ~ m

From 4/26/2012 (my first hearing) til now, #1 on the chart…well, I mean TBH this Last.fm chart isn’t really accurate — there was a time when my phone wouldn’t scrobble & it was a lazy few months before I fixed it… & of course all of the vinyl spins are missing — the analog curse made bearable by the blessing of warm, hipstery, audiophilic hi-fi glory that is a nice LP.

Sooooo, #1 and then some.

It might have been a goof initially, but since I’ve been noting this as xx Day for 9 years…the practice has made me take more notice of my many other fan “crushes” before, during, & after declaring this my new favorite.

You gotta be good, you gotta be loved to stay in the rotation.

Previously:

XX Day (9), A Lovely Solo Cover Of The xx’s “VCR” from Arlo Parks, XX Day (7), Happy “xx day” [Update, 2018], Songs of The xx, ranked.

I think I noticed this cover around 2016, & its come bubbling back up in my memory a few times, and today while looking for something else I stumbled on the link again….

Be cool, everybody. #F3

From 4/26/2012 (my first hearing) til now, #1 on the chart. The world is very different, but the feels never seem to change. Sigh.

“The more I see, I understand / But sometimes, I still need you”

Previously:

• A Lovely Solo Cover Of The xx’s “VCR” from Arlo Parks
• XX Day (7)
• Happy “xx day” [Update, 2018]
• Songs of The xx, ranked.

Source: via Kottke.org & the the Polish National Ballet …. Radiohead. Ballet. Together at Last.

I bookmarked this Seinabo Say tune back in 2016, when people & things were different.

** Best watched under the influence, on a big screen, really loudly. (as always, obvs. Lol. )

I think it’s possible that The XX have held ‘favorite band’ status for me maybe longer (speaking in terms of consecutive years in the top spot) than any other band… & in a bit of goofiness a few years ago I tried to recognize that by tweeting & posting a bunch of links on the anniversary of the day I first heard their debut LP. Around that same time in 2012 I had started running (lost over 40lbs! w00t!) & during my very first half-marathon I srsly needed all the hype I could muster, so I pumped up the jams while lumbering around Eugene, OR. At the starting line, however, I made sure that as the mass of people raced out of the gate that I started with “Intro” blasting into my ears…

Now, 9 years later its admittedly silly to mark “xx day” on my calendar & to get all wistful & nostalgic of that time, but it seems like their songs are inextricably linked to how I felt then, who we were hanging with (all distant now, as everyone has moved on.), & the stark, lovely emotions that the band taps into. For me, at least… Maybe it was a passing fancy for some, but (to paraphrase ‘Our Song’, for the walls I hide behind, they just walk through…

Also, the band has been remarkably — consistently — great, & each release since that debut has been chock full of great songs. I’ve now seen each tour, & the live shows have been beautiful moments. They’ve got a few great covers of others’ songs, but maybe tops for me is this Beyonce tune:

Happy xx day, y’all.

xoxo, ~ m

“I Wish I Was” by the Avett Brothers.

( the wafting wistful wanting of this plucks a lot strings for me… a bit of nostalgia, bit of warmth, & some melancholy really in harmony with the tender lyrics. A banger, as the kids say. )

~ m