The xx - Shelter

Romy Madley Croft's voice reminds me of a cross between Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star and Tracey Thorn of Everything But the Girl.  The xx just needs to let her sing, please, on every single song.  Oliver Sim, remain reticent, for your own good and the sake of your band's success.  Romy's voice is angelic, melodic, ethereal, music to my ears.  Sim's voice is Gorrilaz-like (without the experience and depth) and his barely-post-pubescent droning vocals grate upon my consciousness.  When I hear him start to sing, I wind up fast forwarding through the album.  It's a reaction akin to when I hear the group Mogwai start to sing... and my brain and senses and very being (which had been enjoying the album up to that point) goes "ew ew ew!"

Don't get me wrong, I like Gorillaz, they've been around a while, and at first I didn't like them much, but they've grown significantly on me.  And I like Mogwai (thanks to my buddy Ryan's introduction of them to me) as long as they don't sing.  I love listening to Romy Madley Croft's voice.  Can't say the same about her bandmate's.   I hope their September 2012 release features her much more than their 2009 debut album did - wasted $10 on iTunes buying an album that has only 3 songs not contaminated with Sim's droning.  Oh well.

To illustrate my point, listen to Night Time.  It's a great song (link here).  Then...  3/4rds through it, Sim's voice ruins the mood, destroys the connection the listen has made with Romy...  grrr.