love, venus

Even if their names weren't so similar, comparing Austin's XXL to London's the XX is damn near fully automatic. Paired-down dance rhythm, thick bass thud, Reaganomics synth bloops, and Caroline McCarter's sexy-but-disengaged yelp define the sound of "Wash-O-Mat," but the way rock's headed, that would describe roughly 90 percent of the tracks posted to any of your hipper MP3 blogs. You'll mostly remember "Wash-O-Mat" for its intentionally awful laundry-themed come-ons:"Put a quarter in my slot/I'll be sure to make you hot." Whoa. That doesn't sound at all like government-approved use of legal tender. Check out "Montana" and "Red Black Blue" at myspace.com/xxltex to find out what XXL sounds like when they get serious (answer: much better), and judge them for yourself Saturday, March 13, when the band plays GIG on the Strip(2803 N. St. Mary's, gigonthestrip.com). - Jeremy Martin - San Antonio Current