If you asked me three weeks ago what I thought the future of music would be like, I probably couldn't tell you. Today, I would tell you it's the xx. In that same time, I came across this track. Not being from their excellent debut album, I had never heard it before, but my mind was blown upon first listen. I was even skeptical as to what the band's follow up will be like (they are currently recording). With them being so young during the first record, I felt that a solid follow-up would be so difficult. I am try aware of their musical talents now however.
This track is a cover/remix of Florence + the Machine's "You've Got the Love." It opens with the soft harp from the background of the original track and the swirling nature of Romy Croft and Oliver Sim's vocals that were so pure in their debut is still existent in it's most beautiful form on this track. It's certainly clear that Jamie xx's capable hands are all over the drum beats of this track with the quick samples overdubbed with hard and low basses to go alongside the lyrics. Croft and Sim take Florence's lyrics and craft them around their dueling singing style to make this track even more powerful than the original. When Jamie xx builds the song with some Caribbean style xylophones the track just gets better and better.
Then it becomes great. At just over two minutes, Jamie xx takes the sampling of Florence's voice on the original track and breaks it down and, to be perfectly honest, fucks around with it. The result is purely spectacular. Your mind is still spinning as you faint only to be caught by Croft's supple and beautiful voice. The rest of the song is equally as fulfilling and affecting.
So how is this the future of music? Because it is both original and something we've heard before. The talent of these three musicians is something that could bridge the gap between truly "good" music, and radio music. With Jamie xx supplying the beats and samples with his overwhelming talent, this group is good. Double that with the undeniable chemistry of Croft and Sim and you get something amazing. As long as they maintain those two things, the future is bright for this young trio.
