Friday!

Happy Friday, everyone. I am especially looking forward to this weekend as it involves swimming the Chesapeake Bay and attempting a Man vs. Food challenge in Annapolis. Hopefully, neither of these things kill me, but if so, thanks for reading. Anyway, here is some new music for you to chew on...with your ears!

The XX hails from London, England and are friends with Hot Chip, another solid band. They have been steadily gaining momentum in the indie circuit since their debut on the scene in 2009 and (Simpsons trivia!) were chosen by Matt Groening (Simpsons creator) to headline two nights at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival that he curated in England. They are a pretty mellow band, but the female and male lead voices blend well with the music behind them. The website, The Quietus, aptly states that, "their debut is an album of claustrophobic beauty and measured sentiment so strikingly self-restrained that it has, rather ironically, inspired some of the internet's more excessively poetic reactions." Click the link for more on that interview.

I chose this song because the video is one of the most beautiful and interesting ones that I have seen in quite a while...well, maybe since MTV actually still played videos. The lyrics are quite simplistic, and yet artfully ambiguous to the point that they could garner multiple interpretations. The video echoes this sentiment. It begins with images of different scenes, very much in the manner that one remembers certain shots (as if it were a film or photograph) of a certain memory. It continues then to show a fire burning (set by someone), nervous fidgeting, and eventually a fire being put out. Is he following her because he loves her or figuring out an out to walk away (possibly hinted by his looking back - or making sure they are alone)? I'll stop with my interpretation of the video and let you enjoy its subtleties. Yet...I wonder what you think. Is the video about a break-up or is it about enjoying a relationship? What are your thoughts? I love the way color enters the video, but what does it mean?

Anyway, Happy Friday! I hope you have a great weekend and I hope that you enjoy this.