Xiu Xiu accesible

By Lindsey Underwood

Published Jan. 29, 2008

Women as Lovers, the latest album from San Francisco’s Xiu Xiu, allows listeners to better understand and relate to this experimental band. Xiu Xiu front man Jamie Stewart manages to create the band’s most accessible and refined work, without losing some of the oddities that distinguished their sound in the past.

Following 2006’s disappointing The Air Force, Xiu Xiu had some ‘splainin to do, to fans and critics alike. While The Air Force was also a more streamlined piece of work than previous Xiu Xiu gems, La Forêt, A Promise and Knife Play, it lacked the intimacy that is present on this latest release.

The album begins with “I Do What I Want, When I Want,” which shows off this more polished approach. The layered percussion contrasts with Stewart’s almost-whisper to create a texture more refined than that found in past albums.

“In Lust You Can Hear the Axe Fall” is more intense than the first track, but like many Xiu Xiu songs, it won’t suit those who value a connection with lyrics. While this is a common complaint with experimental music, it is one the genre’s most valued traits to others, who see this as a sort of poetry. Repetition of the phrase “hot pepper” in a later track, “Puff and Bunny,” makes for less of a connection with more straightforward audience members than Stewart’s strange style often does.

“F.T.W.” and “Master of the Bump” provide a unique juxtaposition of electronic sound and an almost organic pop sound. Stewart is able to connect to his audience most with these tracks, as there is an accessibility as well as depth of emotion.

Surprises like a cover of Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure” make this album even stranger. It’s surprising to see a band like Xiu Xiu, whose lyrical and musical style tends to be farthest from the beaten path, pick an iconic song also covered by the likes of Kill Hannah, The Used, My Chemical Romance and Joss Stone. Stewart manages to bring a fresh quality to the classic song, while keeping the familiar bass line for listeners to latch onto.

Always the master of melodrama, Stewart retains this trait on “No Friend Oh!” while developing a more theatrical presence.

Overall, Women as Lovers is much more straightforward than previous Xiu Xiu albums. While Stewart maintains his late night, studio apartment, isolated style, he has discovered a way to make listeners feel like they are in the apartment next door, rather than an apartment on the other side of the world.