Now then Kerrangsters! This here is your fresh clear rock music with a story, a moody video and needle sharp recording. Xi have been tracking down, then saying goodbye, to rock ancestors over most of the current Millennium. They have moved though apprenticeships with metal and prog-rock forebears to arrive at an eclectic mature sound of 2006 vintage. From local contenders to relentless national touring band, they have built something that is only itself and which now demands your serious attention.
In "Montauk", Darren Worth's effortlessly fine voice swoops and really sings over a brilliantly woven cloak of theatrical proportions. Opening like your bouncing prog disco keyboard turn, the four minute track streams along with blazing guitars, heavenly choir, muscular bass and drums. There is even a dramatic quiet passage that makes sense. In the thick of its own action, the production stays well clear of Steinman overkill, just providing that uncommonly American trick of introducing a new idea with every line. The bang on pulse is a constant, but the sonic landscape rushes by with no repeats and no fillers. Breathtaking and surprisingly emotional stuff.
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The Kevin Petch video adds a nicely unresolved story, and jolts home at just the right moments. I normally avoid videos, but it is nice to see a rock video that makes its points without resort to rock iconography or overblown posturing. That Daz can act a bit. And Flimsy John the guitarist has a look of the young Zoot Horn Rollo about him.
The numbered DVD is available through the website. A full video of the song in performance, and a new recoding of the simpler, but no less effective "Chains" is all part of the deal.
www.xi-uk.com
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