Manafonistas

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„NUMB  builds into a glugging, broken-machine chug, caffeinated industrial drones stewing beneath the cycles of Skidmore’s hushed, serpentine cries draped around the track like an attic full of spacious cobwebs.“ (Matt Ryan) | „When Stott’s machine bass pulse enters just under halfway through, we realize we’re in for a world of serious contrasts: NUMB  is delicate and gorgeous but has an undercurrent of menace, and the tension between these qualities is the record’s essence“ (Mark Richardson)

„Three years later The xx are still introverts and they still make striking music. Their new album, Coexist, finds the trio refining their sound – slowly peeling away layers until the heart of the song is exposed. The minimalism that showed up intermittently on their debut is one of the defining aspects of Coexist. Most songs feel skeletal, with nothing more than guitar, bass, and restrained percussion. Of course, this instrumental sparseness leaves space for the voices of Madley Croft and Sim to sprawl out in the way they were meant to be heard. Their lyrical interplay is the core of the band’s emotional energy and thus by magnifying their words Coexist is made all the more heartbreaking. Ultimately, it is an album less about variety than it is about depth. Each track is sonically cavernous and multiple listens in a quiet dark room are required for full effect. If you’ve never listened to music that way The xx may not be your style. But for those that do, listening to Coexist will prove to be a haunting and captivating experience.“