The XX - XX (2009)

The best album of 2009 and a modern classic, the XX's debut is stunning on many levels. It is complex yet accessible, experimental yet catchy and most of all incredibly addictive although it may seem rather unspectacular at the first listen. Romy Croft's voice melts like butter over layers of smooth-as-satin guitar licks and a carpet of weightless, minimalist trip-hop beats. For the very unlikely case that Tricky or Massive Attack recorded an album with The Cure, this is what it would sound like.

1.) Intro

2.) Vcr

3.) Crystalised

4.) Islands

5.) Heart Skipped a Beat

6.) Fantasy

7.) Shelter

8.) Basic Space

9.) Infinity

10.) Night Time

11.) Stars