From 4/26/2012 (my first hearing) til now, #1 on the chart…

It’s been a busy year, as we moved the family from PDX to an island paradise, & I’ve had old worries & tasks replaced by new projects, but even still there’s a moment every day — at least once, sometimes more — when a wistful shiver passes thru me, like a memory of past wants bubbling up to remind you what it feels like to need something. To miss something. How else do we stay human? Nothing soundtracks that feeling for me like the xx.

Always & forever, babies. #F3

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.

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.

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

Its maybe unfair to include “Intro”, since its an undeniably hooky & badass instrumental piece, shorter than any other on the list. But #1 it is.

And obvs this is an “at this moment” kind of list. The top 5 are pretty static, but the rest shift around based on mood. As for “Stars”… I’ve yet to be near a sound system that can make it ‘too loud’ for me. #TurnItUp

The xx, live in San Francisco. April 2017 (Matt waving from the front row…)

On Vinyl even!

I know personal preferences are always combined with so many other factors & circumstances that to try & truly understand them would be pointless, but I also realize that while we as individuals filter & experience this world around us in unique ways that make our customized, ‘personal’ reality just that — unique & personal, some Art seems to feel miraculously perfect to us, as if originating from within these walls we hide behind. Maybe that’s the meaning of love — to feel true sympathy & to be understood somehow.

Anyway, I love this music, for all the reasons.

• XX (2009)
• Coexist (2012)

[UPDATE, 2018 Edition]

What a weird alchemy that this band makes inside my head. I still haven’t worn out their sound…& in fact according to my ‘scrobbles’ from the last year they’re still atop my chart. It also helps that their live shows were among the best I’ve seen over the past few years…

The xx live in SF in April’17

The last album, I SEE YOU, was full of more great songs, but if pressed I’ll choose “I Dare You” & “On Hold” as my current faves.

…more later…