the xx

Sleepy indie rock’s 2009 sleeper hits the xx (even their lower-case typesetting undersells their music) have proven over their last few shows that their micro-keyboard melodies and hushed vocals actually translate well onstage. The Londoners will provide the perfect soundtrack to dusk in Central Park tonight, since their music seems custom-built for open night skies—reserved yet optimistic, compact yet deep, playful enough to make a fan out of The Simpsons creator Matt Groening, who picked them for an All Tomorrow’s Parties fest. With Chairlift and Jack Penante.

Sun., Aug. 8, 7 p.m., 2010