The moment a song is born, the world is different. It’s now a part of our lives. We sing it in the shower. We dance to it at our wedding. We get pumped with it. We break up to it. We memorize it. We try to forget it. We rediscover it. This month, I’m joining Arron Wright’s Twitter music challenge: ##Popiversary2. Because why the hell not. Songs deserve their own anniversaries, too.
Year: 2009
The XX created a world where minimal instrumentation, nearly comatose vocals and pregnant pauses came together beautifully. A case where certainly the whole is great than the sum of its parts. The debut album was something that had to be listened to from beginning to end. It was a new musical expression that needed time to truly sink in. “Intro” and “Crystalised” are the more recognizable and ambitious tracks. So I’ll go with a less obvious pick: “VCR”.
“VCR” is about dreaming of big moments while living in these seemingly insignificant ones, like watching VCR tapes. The song meanders with the sleepy vocals where Romy and Oliver take turns. The super simple guitar line miraculously works. Everything on a superficial level may appear to be underwhelming. But the song is transcendent. Any other band plays it, and you might dismiss it. But this is all part of what The XX was trying to accomplish in space. Less is more.
“WATCH THINGS ON VCRS WITH ME AND TALK ABOUT BIG LOVE. I THINK WE'RE SUPERSTARS. YOU SAY YOU THINK WE ARE THE BEST THING. BUT YOU, YOU JUST KNOW. YOU JUST DO.”