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The xx: "Islands" (Live on Jools Holland) (Video)

8:31 a.m. · September 30, 2009 · by Nick Neyland

Londoners The xx have enjoyed a whirlwind year. Their debut album has been met by near-blanket praise, and they’ve been shunted back and forth across the Atlantic a few times already. The band will play numerous shows at the CMJ Festival in New York in October, and is set to be one of the big highlights of the event.

They appeared on Jools Holland’s show last night (Sept. 29) to perform one of the standout tracks from the album, the tranquil “Islands.” Flanked by two large “X” signs, the band assimilated a broad range of influences, including the tender pop of Young Marble Giants, the subtle vocal stylings of Tracy Thorn’s A Distant Shore, and the 3am club comedown haze of Massive Attack’s Blue Lines.