I approached The xx’s self-titled debut with caution. The hype surrounding it was enough to turn me away. I remember talking about the record with Karen at Other Music. “It’s definitely one of those albums that polarizes people,” she said.

Soon, though, it became unavoidable. I might be able to hide from it at home, but I couldn’t escape it at work. By the middle of 2010, a hi-fi show wasn’t complete without The xx. Some audiophiles couldn’t stand the wispy vocals, others couldn’t handle the deep kick-drum blasts, but even those who hated the record had to admit that it sounded great on the hi-fi. Clearly, Jaime “XX” Smith was a very talented engineer, and the band was surprisingly mature, restrained.

When I finally purchased my own copy, I kicked myself for waiting so long. It’s become one of my favorite records. When I’m not sure what I’d like to listen to, I turn to xx. It never disappoints.

“Angel,” the lead single from the band’s sophomore release, Coexist, picks up where xx left off.

I imagine some audiophiles will hate it, others will love it, still others will play it on their systems just because they think they should. This time, I’m not going to wait so long. The album will be released on Young Turks/XL Recordings on September 11.