x+x...

Patting (not padding - should have paid more attention in English class 25 years ago; dammit) my own shoulders! Remembered today what I forgot yesterday, so xx has been getting a few good listens today. Hype has to be one of my least favorite words and The xx has certainly been getting their fair share of attention the past few months. Normally this means that I wouldn’t even bother listen to them, just to be able to wave that banner saying “I’m no bandwagoner”. Nothing but stubbornness I know and more than a few times it has caused me to miss out on something pretty good. But luckily this time it hasn’t, and of course this amazing debut deserves all the hype, all the positive press and the zillion (now zillion + one) blog posts it has been getting so far.
+ Basic Space

Spreading faster than something that spreads really, really fast is news about the forthcoming album Bonfires on the Heath by The Clientele. Chromewaves shares his excitement and has more info as well as a few promo tracks.

Lots of people seem thrilled about the Saint Etienne remix of the TPOBPAH track Higher Than The Stars. Quite frankly I’m bored stiff, so I’m really not sure whether people actually enjoy the remix itself, or simply has fallen in love with the thought of Saint Etienne doing the remix? However the original version of the track is simply fantastic and probably better than any song found on the debut album, which is a remarkable achievement as the debut was (and remains) nothing but marvelous. Download both versions at Polaroid (or the remix below).
+ Higher Than The Stars (Saint Etienne Visits Lord Spank Remix)

US electro pop combo Null Device is generously giving away an album worth of music for free via bandcamp. The collection has been named Recursions and features a total of 12 tracks; “six remixes, 2 remakes, one cover, 2 demos and a live recording”. I've quite enjoyed previous releases by Null Device, but I seriously doubt that I'll ever learn to truly appreciate remixes and remakes. Especially I see no point in the remaking of Footfalls, as the original is vastly superior to the new version.
+ Footfalls
+ Footfalls (2009 version)