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Track Listings
| 1. Angels |
| 2. Chained |
| 3. Fiction |
| 4. Try |
| 5. Reunion |
| 6. Sunset |
| 7. Missing |
| 8. Tides |
| 9. Unfold |
| 10. Swept Away |
| 11. Our Song |
Product Description
Review
On a first spin, little might appear to have changed. Angels opens, starring Romy Madley Croft’s delicate voice set against a guitar that chimes its presence with an unhurried effortlessness. So far, so very debut-over-again.
But Coexist isn’t a straight continuation from the past; The xx broke from the routine of promotion, of filling headspaces with thoughts of what happens next, to rediscover lives outside of the band. Upon reconvening, fresh ideas formed, and many have found a place on Coexist.
Lyrically it’s a love album, from the first flushes of affection to the trauma of separation. This constant allows the music to spin out into new shapes. Try opens with a strangled synth whine, immediately reminiscent of G-funk; Reunion is carried on steel pans, lending it a Caribbean feel; and Swept Away rides a classic house beat with the pitch slowed so very… yes, subtly.
The latter track, Coexist’s penultimate number, is sure to stir thoughts of Todd Terry’s remixes for Everything but the Girl – serendipitous given Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt have previously covered The xx’s Night Time. It’s a standout, as is Fiction, Oliver Sim’s first true solo vocal after the ethereal drift of the debut’s interlude-y Fantasy.
If the production at the heart of The xx has progressed at glacier-like pace, Sim’s contributions have taken giant leaps forward. Confidence gleaned from hundreds of live performances between albums can be heard on every take.
Jamie Smith’s nudging upwards of the BPM represents advancement, too. Some may miss the (more) minimalist design of xx, but Coexist isn’t without hold-your-breath dynamics: a break to silence in Missing is followed by a tremendous return by Sim. It’s an electrifying moment.
With a signature sound established at the first time of asking, The xx’s challenge was to both expand their palette and satisfy the demands of a huge audience. And through refinement rather than reinvention, they’ve succeeded in singular style.
--Fraser McAlpine
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
Product Description
Customer Reviews
a stunner; as single minded a celebration of the dark dreams of youth as
it is possible to imagine. Romy Croft and Oliver Sim's capacity to make
us feel both a first kiss and the edge of the grave in the same breath
endeared them to a generation (or three) in search of a sound which might
come somewhere close to pinning down our feelings in these troubled times.
That they do so with such conviction and elan is a tribute to their singular
craftsmanship and uncompromising vision. 'Coexist' delivers further revelations.
The eleven songs in this new collection are really quite painfully magnificent.
Each terse title; each elusive but curiously heart-warming melody; each
spare but perfectly punctuated arrangement has such immediate impact on our
emotions that it is impossible to imagine how it could have been bettered.
The rhythmic structure of several of the compositions have greater presence
and definition than their earlier work and this turns out to be a canny
development. Numbers such as 'Chained', 'Sunset' and especially 'Tides',
despite their gloomy narratives, set our toes tapping despite ourselves but
highly disciplined sonic restraint remains the order of the day. Ms Croft and
Mr Sim were clearly born to sing together. Rarely have two voices sounded so
at home with one another. The keening guitar and measured vocal performances
of 'Try' (surely their finest moment?) wraps its hands round your guts and
pulls something quite remarkably moving out of the depths; the deliberately
measured unison entreaties of 'Tides' (the absence of harmony is a surprising
strength); the fragile, fractured but nonetheless uplifting progress of
'Swept Away' and the beautifully simple and simply beautiful final track
'Our Song' all prove beyond doubt that this fiercely talented ensemble are
here for the long haul. This is an experience to savour and truly treasure.
Essential.
Highly reckommended company for the vinyl format.
All corners on sleeve are in perfect shape at arrival.
But it grows on you, when you get to know the songs.
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