CMJ: The XX & Fool’s Gold

The 29th annual CMJ Music Marathon and Film Festival was held two weeks ago in New York. CMJ is one of the longest running music industry events and is known for showcasing non-commercial, independent, and trend-forward music. Although I wasn’t able to attend the festival I have been scouring blogs, and the CMJ website for highlights and reviews. Two bands seemed to have risen to the surface of buzz post CMJ: The XX and Fools Gold.

Fool’s Gold is a Los Angeles based big band, propelled by African beats. Their sound encompasses cross-cultural grooves from Africa and the Middle East enhanced with lots of percussion. If you’re a fan of Vampire Weekend’s sound be sure to check them out.

The touring band ranges in size from four to eight members and can be caught at Neumos in Seattle on December 5th.

Check out some pics from their live show HERE, or check out the video for ‘Surprise Hotel’

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0wPNow3ymc]

Buy: Amazon or iTunes

The XX are four 20-year-olds from South London who met at the Elliot School, notable for alumni Hop Chip and Four Tet. The band is lead by the dual vocals of Romy Croft and Olivier Sim. The band has a sultry minimalist style but one can hear the modern R&B influences throughout the love themed songs. The band has been building steam since they performed over the summer at the Reading and Leeds music festival and opened for several Friendly Fires shows.

The XX is scheduled to appear at Neumos on Nov. 27th.

Here’s the video for ‘Basic Space’

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHZVGqqf3gg&feature=player_embedded]

Buy: Amazon or iTunes

Shannon
Producer, Branded Music
PlayNetwork, Inc.