Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gasp!, April 18, 2004
Xiu Xiu is an acquired tase, kind-of like electro noise-mongers Black Dice. But where Black Dice barrages you with a slew of manipulated chaos sans proper vocals (just some screaming and mutters here and there), Xiu Xiu has the vocal prowess of Jamie Stewart, a singer possessing the pipes of Robert Smith with the mindset of Todd Solondz. It's not pretty. Fabulous Muscles, the band's third full-length, is filled with tales of emotional/physical/sexual abuse, severly broken relationships, and emotional instability. They're not the first band to tackle such topics, but Jamie Stewart's battered, tortured, whispered vocals are gut-wrenching, to the point where the album becomes quite difficult to listen to. Xiu Xiu has been accussed of being overly-dramatic, but Stewart knows the power of restraint, so even when his voice seems about to break, it lingers on. The album's highlight, "I Luv The Valley OH!," breaks from the synth driven rampages of "Brian The Vampire" and "Crank Heart" and the minimalist dirges of "Nieces Pieces" and "Little Panda McElroy" to deliver the most starteling departure in Xiu Xiu's catalog: a pop song. Not content to deliver any ordinary pop song, however, "I Luv The Valley" layers its jagged guitar lines with random noise and a general sense of dread. Jamie's mocking "la la la's" are a brilliant touch while his release of a screamed "OH!" in the second verse working as a nice cherry on top to an already great song. Are Xiu Xiu becoming accessible? Hardly, they're just becoming a better and better band.
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28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
OH!, July 21, 2004
I don't play Xiu Xiu records for my friends or recommend their stuff to people I know because I'm a defeatist and I think it's pointless. Jamie Stewart's music is too weird. It's gonna be pretentious noise to most people, and I'm surprised that's not what I think. I have little tolerance for the experimental; my music taste is strongly rooted in tradition. That's not to say I want everything to sound the same, or the music I listen to is cookie-cutter, but I honestly prefer conventionally structured songs.
A lot of tracks on "Fabulous Muscles," like a lot of tracks on Xiu Xiu's previous outing, "A Promise," consist of Jamie Stewart muttering/moaning/screaming over ambient noise. Melody doesn't play a part. There are no verses, no choruses, no bridges -- just noise.
And then there's the hurtle of just what Stewart says over the noise. His lyrics so often straddle the line between honesty and parody, exaggeration and shock art. A review on the All Music Guide calls Xiu Xiu the "musical equivalent of Todd Solondz or Harmony Korine," and I understand what they're talking about, but they're wrong. Todd Solondz and Harmony Korine make pseudo-transgressive "movies" for uppity college students with big egos; Xiu Xiu make music that seriously push the boundaries of what music can do and sound like. It is never self-conscious, and never tries to prove anything. Xiu Xiu records are just what they are. I can't think of a more clear or eloquent way to put it.
Musically, "Fabulous Muscles" is not that different from "A Promise," but the overall effect is just a little more profound, and it may be because Jamie Stewart has started adding little pop flourishes every now and again. The first two track actually have a melody, and the second one, "I Luv The Valley Oh!" features a strong guitar hook as the prominent force. It's a bit surprising, but the results are spectacular. This time around, things are just a little more conventional, and the outcome is Xiu Xiu's strongest record to date, and what will surely be one of the best records of 2004. With each album, Jamie Stewart manages to push things further while making them even more listenable. This guy is a true genius.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very Consistent & Passionate (4/5), May 26, 2004
It's very hard to write about Xiu Xiu's music, but that's mainly due to the fact that it's so damn hard to listen to. Nevertheless, one of the most important elements of being an artist is to remain complete true to yourself and your craft. Jamie Stewart, the only constant member of Xiu Xiu, could probably not agree more. He certainly doesn't lack the ability to express what's on his mind and in his heart. He is the master of being able to get to the absolute core of his feelings with every successive album he releases; regardless of how many listeners he leaves behind in the process. Stewart is someone who appears to not get enough out of life, or maybe he's just someone who's seen so much in his time that nothing affects him anymore. I'd imagine that in addition to being the most uncomfortable singer to listen to, he's probably the most jaded human being in existence. If Xiu Xiu's music isn't a testament to this, well...I'm not sure what else is. Fabulous Muscles, his newest album, begins slightly unpredictable with a soft and simple Casio-sounding keyboard on "Crank Heart." This instrumentation is most likely a result of his time working with label mate Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, who Stewart will be spending a bit of time with on the road this year. It insinuates that this album will be less abrasive than Xiu Xiu's previous work. It also stands as one of the more user-friendly songs of their catalogue, with its somewhat basic pop arrangement. "I Luv the Valley Oh" also starts fairly subdued and eventually unfolds into one of the finer tracks on the album. In a lot of ways it's on par with his best work on "Suha." "Little Panda McElroy" doesn't do much to push the envelope, but is a song that really starts to promote the idea that this is a truly fantastic collection of work that Stewart has (once again) come up with. Things tend to get a little darker throughout the remainder of the album. Avid Xiu Xiu fans will appreciate this half of the album the most. The dialogue-only "Support Our Troops (Black Angels Oh)" is a collection of abstract electronic and feedback noises that provide a very unsettling mood upon its listener. One of the other tracks worth mentioning is the title track, "Fabulous Muscles," which appeared on last years split-release with the Jim Yoshi Pile-Up. It's a different version than before but it remains signature Jamie Stewart with its incredibly perverted and decadent lyrics, of which I won't share here. Xiu Xiu isn't a gray band, in the sense that it's unfeasible to hear anyone declare them as being "okay." You're either on board because you somehow relate to what you get out of their music, or you're one of the others who are running as quickly as possible to get away from its painfully harsh reality. Although I won't say it's the best album of their ever-growing catalogue, Fabulous Muscles contains some of the band's best songs since Knife Play. One thing is for certain, as with all other Xiu Xiu albums, Stewart doesn't hold back on discussing excruciating topics. So, when I say it's important to remain true to your art, look no further than Stewart to deliver the goods. He's continually offering some of the most artistically challenging music around, yet he somehow manages to maintain a good enough balance to reach some of the more mainstream type listeners. There are hardly any other musicians alive that can leave as huge of an impact as this, and I believe that's what keeps us coming back.
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