Album Review - Xiu Xiu: Always

Xiu Xiu
Always
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

At this point, you kind of know what to expect from a Xiu Xiu record. Jamie Stewart and his revolving cast of band members will provide the requisite harrowing, confessional lyrics meant to shock, the barely contained vocal paranoia, and music that alternately draws one in and also alienates. Of course, over the years, the production values have gotten better and the sound is larger and denser, but the essence of Xiu Xiu remains. The point is that there is nothing really new here that will pull in the unconvinced or chase away the converted. With that noted, however, Always is one of their stronger, most consistent releases, even if it doesn't stand out like Fabulous Muscles or Knife Play. Probably the most striking thing about the album is how much better Xiu Xiu works when Stewart allows the songs to have a more traditional pop sound. Xiu Xiu can do the strident/discordant thing in their sleep, so when you hear them fighting that urge, the sense of tension creates something fresh and new for them.

Opener "Hi" features a surprising electropop feel. The driving beats punctuated by squiggly synths provide the background for Stewart's examination of loneliness and misery.



"Joey's Song," a track about a traumatic time in Stewart's brother's life, is notable for the restraint in the music backing, adopting a gauzy, shoegaze haze.



"Honey Suckle," which is the first Xiu Xiu song not written by Stewart, is a relatively straight-forward pop duet with Angela Seo (who wrote the track). And it is probably the first time anyone can ever say that a Xiu Xiu song is sweet, at least musically. The lyrics of course are mired in despair over the difficulties of every day living.



But it woud not be a Xiu Xiu album without the required electro/industrial/synth freakouts. "I Luv Abortion," a harrowing account of a friend's agonizing decision to have an abortion, has a particularly intense, almost atonal sound.



"Gul Mudin" engages twitchy electronics with spikes of guitars and industrial percussion to comment on an Afghani boy murdered for sport by US Army men.



While "Beauty Towne," an addenda of sorts to the song "Clowne Towne" off of Fabulous Muscles, recalls a time when Stewart lived in a communal house (with Perfume Genius' Mike Hadreas) whose residents all had destructive relationships and lives. The song, a jittery, thumping track, tells of how even though they have moved on from that time, the experiences will always haunt and stay with them.



The remaining songs fall in the middle of these two extremes. "The Oldness" is an impressionistic track led by stark piano, synth strings, and Stewart's gaunt voice.



"Smear the Queen," a duet with Carla Bozulich, whips and slaps odd keyboard noises underneath their dueling vocal tics. The song would not be out of place on a Some Bizarre compilation from the 80s.



And "Chimney's Afire (Mickensian Suicide)" marches to military like drum fills, with a vast array of instrumentation fighting against each other for prominence in the mix.



Always is a solid, if not revolutionary Xiu Xiu album. At this stage in his career, Stewart has almost exhausted the whole "shock for shock's sake" angle he's been doing, and it would be more interesting to see/hear him tone it back into something almost pop. His confessional and blunt lyrics and themes would be ever more subversive.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Perfume Genius: Put Your Back N 2 It - Album Review

Perfume Genius
Put Your Back N 2 It
Rating: Woof Daddy

Seattle songwriter Mike Hadreas (a.k.a. Perfume Genius) burst onto the music scene a couple of years ago with the haunting and stark collection of piano ballads called Learning that were so intimate you could hear his feet on the piano pedals. Lyrically, the album was full of confessional tales that spoke honestly and openly about the singer himself, and were almost harrowingly personal. After a period of isolation due to some trauma and self-destruction, Hadreas emerges once again with another set of piano based tracks called Put Your Back N 2 It, which ups the production quality and range of instrumentation, but still keeps its haunting, confessional feel. While these tracks are quite personal and intimate, dealing with Hadreas' addiction and emotional issues, as well many songs from a gay man's point of view, there are more universal themes here dealing with intimacy, addiction, feelings of self-worth, violence, family, and hope that will resonate with a far larger audience. The album also has a broader palate of instruments in which he can fill in the colors of his music. Most of the tracks are piano based, but there is also room for guitars, keyboards, and even *gasp* drums. Put Your Back N 2 It is an emotionally draining album but one that ultimately focuses on hope and is one of the best albums of the year. You can even click here and look at a blog on his record company's website where he gives his personal comments on the meaning and story behind each track.

"All Waters" is a simple plea for Hadreas to be able to hold his partner's hand in the street without feeling the hesitation or fear that all gay people have experienced. But also, the song can be appreciated by anyone afraid to show their love.



"17" is a harrowing gay suicide letter that resonates with any teenager, gay or not, who just feels out of place in this world. The song is almost too painful to listen to, Hadreas' voice bare and haunting, over minimal piano lines and ghostly electronics.



And "Take Me Home" deals with both literal prostitution for addiction, but how most people prostitute themselves in some way to get what they want. Hadreas' vocals are simply amazing, working beautiful with the funeral-like pianos, clattering percussion, and weeping guitars.



The bulk of tracks deal with addiction and the fallout from it, how it affects not only the addict, but everyone around them. "AWOL Marine," inspired by watching vintage porn, details an addict doing whatever he can do to keep the drugs coming, resorting to filming porn, and the resulting demoralization.



"Normal Song" conveys the message that once you get through your issues and troubles, you still have the lingering feelings that you are still damaged in some way, but that we are all damaged in some way and that the shared experiences can make things better. I love the quiet guitars and piano, and the almost whispered vocals.



And "Floating Spit," floating over murky, ethereal synths and a chugging, industrial beat, details someone overdosing and going to the other side. It's loneliness and peacefulness all at once. In the darkness and gloom of this record there is always a ray of light somewhere. From his ode to his mother "Dark Parts," where he takes a traumatic part of her life and shows the triumphant nature of her overcoming it. Or the love song to his boyfriend, "Put Your Back N 2 It," with him, having bared everything about himself, telling him there is no longer anything to worry about. And the starkly beautiful "No Tear," which comes across like a gospel song sung by Xiu Xiu, which is a gentle reminder to himself that you have gotten through the storm, and things will be ok, no matter how dark they get.



Put Your Back N 2 It is simply a breathtaking album. Its starkness and dark themes might chase some away, but it is worth the effort to get to know this record. It's emotions lain bare and without pretension. Hadreas' songwriting has eclipsed his very promising debut, his singing is strong and forceful, and the arrangements are growing more and more complex. This marks his ascension into the top tier of singer-songwriters.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.