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Xiu Xiu

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For other uses, seeXiu Xiu (disambiguation).

Xiu Xiu
Angela Seo and Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu, 2010
Angela SeoandJamie Stewartof Xiu Xiu, 2010
Background information
OriginSan Jose, California,U.S.
Genres
DiscographyXiu Xiu discography
Years active2002–present
Labels
Spinoffs
  • XXL
Members
Past members
Websitexiuxiu.org

Xiu Xiu(/ˈʃuːʃuː/SHOO-shoo)[1]is an Americanexperimental rockband, formed in 2002 by singer-songwriterJamie StewartinSan Jose, California.Currently, the line-up consists of multi-instrumentalists Stewart (the only constant member since formation),Angela Seo,and percussionistDavid Kendrick.The band's name comes from the Chinese filmXiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl,which has influenced the sound of their music, according to Stewart.

Xiu Xiu released their first two albums,Knife Play(2002) andA Promise(2003), on5 Rue Christineto positive critical reception. In-between the two, the EPChapel of the Chimeswas released viaAbsolutely Kosher.The compilation albumFag Patrolwas released shortly after, and their third studio albumFabulous Muscleswas released in 2004.La Forêtwas released in 2005 afterCaralee McElroyjoined the group, andThe Air Forcefollowed in 2006. 2008'sWomen as Loverswas released via the mainKill Rock Starslabel in 2008, and McElroy departed the group shortly afterwards.

Dear God, I Hate Myselfwas released in 2010 and was the first Xiu Xiu album to prominently feature longtime member Angela Seo. Following a signing toPolyvinylandBella Union,Xiu Xiu releasedAlways(2012) andAngel Guts: Red Classroom(2014). In between those two projects, the group released a Nina Simone tribute project,Nina,in late 2013 viaGraveface Records.

Plays the Music of Twin Peaks(2016) followed, an album consisting of covers from theTwin Peakssoundtracksoriginally as aRecord Store Dayexclusive release but re-released by Polyvinyl later that year.Forget(2017) andGirl with Basket of Fruit(2019) were released afterwards, and Xiu Xiu released their twelfth albumOh Noin 2021. Their thirteenth album,Ignore Grief,was released in March 2023.[2]

History

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2002–2004: Formation and early years

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Jamie Stewartformed Xiu Xiu in 2002 after their previous band, Ten in the Swear Jar, disbanded.[3]Stewart and Cory McCulloch continued from the previous group, and were joined by Yvonne Chen and Lauren Andrews.[4]The band's sound was characterized by its use of indigenous instruments and programmed drums in place of traditional rock instruments: harmonium, mandolin, brass bells, gongs, keyboards, and a cross between aguitarrón mexicanoand a cello for bass, etc.[4]Stewart states that the group is equally influenced byNina SimoneandKrzysztof Penderecki,byThe Birthday PartyandOrchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark(OMD).[5]

Xiu Xiu would tour their first LPKnife Play,and its successor EP,Chapel of the Chimes,in 2002, blending both melody and cacophony with a heavy reliance onpercussive instrumentationandbrass instrumentation.

Following 2002, the group would shrink in membership as Yvonne Chen left to focus on her vegan boutiqueOtsuand self-published magazineZum,while Cory McCulloch also stopped touring, focusing instead on producing the band's next two LPs. A personal loss would affect Xiu Xiu as well, as Jamie Stewart's father, musician and record producerMichael Stewartwas found dead after an apparent suicide.[6][7]Coping with these losses, Stewart would record the group's follow-up toKnife Play,2003'sA Promise.

Jamie Stewart and Caralee McElroy performing "Bog People" fromLa Forêtin July 2005

Continuing to focus on the subject matter of Jamie Stewart's personal life – as witnessed previously byKnife Play–A Promiseacts like a concept record of internal despair. Consisting of ten tracks, the record was oriented towards a more or lessacousticpresentation, rather than relying on the boomingbrassandpercussionwhich had worked to makeKnife Play.However, the record did not veer from the formulatedprogrammingfor which Stewart and McCulloch would be praised by fans and critics alike.A Promisealso contains a cover ofTracy Chapman's "Fast Car",a version that has been praised for its stripped sound and Stewart's distressing vocals.[citation needed]

During this time, Stewart recordedFag Patrol,a collection of previous recorded material as well as covers of songs byThe Smithsand their previous group with McCulloch,Ten in the Swear Jar.Released as a handmade CD by Rob Fisk's and Kelly Goodefisk's Free Porcupine Society,Fag Patrolwas limited to only a few hundred copies (however saw a CD repress in 2005, and a vinyl reissue by Improved Sequence in 2021).[8][9]In the spring of 2004, Stewart and McCulloch released what is considered by many to be the group's most accessible album,Fabulous Muscles.More pop-friendly in its sound than previous releases,Fabulous Musclesboosted Xiu Xiu to new heights in terms of popularity, largely thanks to its single "I Luv the Valley OH!". The tone of the album reflected an "incredibly, incredibly violent, incredibly jarring, and difficult to take" string of events in Stewart's life.[10]Stewart described their lyrics as "never fictional".[10]They toldPitchforkthat Xiu Xiu songs are based around five topics: family, politics, sex, love and lovelessness, suicide, and how they are connected.[10]

With the departure of Lauren Andrews in 2003 – who wished to focus on her academic studies – Stewart was joined on stage by their "long-lost" cousin,Caralee McElroyin 2004.[11]The two would tour relentlessly throughout that year, releasing not only the group's third LP, but also split recordings with This Song Is a Mess But So Am I andBunkbed,along with the "Fleshettes" single – which featured a rendition of the Ten in the Swear Jar track "Helsabot" by McElroy.

2004–2010:La ForêttoDear God, I Hate Myself

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Seen as a return to Stewart's more dark and crabby demeanor, Xiu Xiu's fourth albumLa Forêtalluded to a frustration which Stewart had felt throughout the process of recording the 2004 record. Centered around the topic of "horrible times in horrible lives" as well as Stewart's personal frustrations with then-U.S. PresidentGeorge W. Bush,[12]La Forêtis characterized by an altogether different sound – layered bymandolin,harmonium,clarinet,cello,autoharp,andtuba.[13]In addition toLa Forêt,Xiu Xiu would join Italian experimental group Larsen in forming XXL, which released its first LP,¡Ciaütistico!,in 2005, followed later by its successor¿Spicchiology?,in 2007.[14]Stewart also issued formative splits throughout 2005, working with artists such asThe Paper Chase,Kill Me Tomorrow,andDevendra Banhart.

Jamie Stewart at a performance in Stockholm, Sweden, November 2010

In 2006, Stewart would break from tradition by ending their professional relationship with McCulloch. They then started recording with San Francisco-based bandDeerhoof's drummerGreg Saunieras producer for Xiu Xiu's fifth LP entitledThe Air Force.[15]Saunier, who had previously worked with Stewart onKnife Play,created for the record a greaterwall of sound– a stark contrast to that of McCulloch's discordant attitude towards production.[16]The Air Forcewould be supported throughout 2006 by a three piece ensemble, as Stewart and McElroy were joined by drummer/percussionist Ches Smith, who himself had previously worked with the group onKnife Play.Produced by Greg Saunier, Stewart said that the album is about "making other people feel bad" instead of feeling bad oneself and the year it was released was "one of the first not dominated by personal tragedies"[10]Its major themes are "guilt and sex as opposed to sorrow and sex".[10]Stewart considered it their best and most consciously pop album yet. They said that the band was obsessed with Weezer'sBlue Albumand The Smiths'sThe Queen Is Deadwhile on tour, though the album does not reflect those albums particularly.[10]The Air Forcealso contained the band's first album-based songs without vocals by Stewart – with McElroy singing "Hello From Eau Claire", as well as the instrumental piece "Saint Pedro Glue Stick".[17]

A third EP –Tu Mi Piaci( "I like you" ) – of songs originally recorded by acts such asBauhaus,Nedelle,Big Star,The Pussycat Dolls,andNina Simonewas released in 2006, along with a collaboration with ambient artistGrouper,entitledCreepshow.Shortly thereafter, Xiu Xiu would record their sixth album, 2008'sWomen as Lovers.Their longest LP to date,Women as Loversattempts to hone the synth-pop influences of the group's sound. Stewart's and McElroy's duet with Michael Gira ofSwanson a cover ofDavid BowieandQueen's "Under Pressure" is representative of this. Touring that year alongside Xiu Xiu aluminist Devin Hoff on bass, the band's second four-piece incarnation would not last long, as Hoff abruptly left the group soon after touring began.[18]

In May 2009, it was revealed that Caralee McElroy would no longer work with Xiu Xiu.[19][20]Speculations ran as to what reasons McElroy had for leaving the group after five years of recording and touring, though no explanation was given other than her subsequent membership in Manhattan-baseddarkwavegroupCold Cave,which she soon after departed from in 2010. With the vacancies left by both Hoff and McElroy, Stewart and Smith recruitedAngela Seoin late 2009. Thereafter, the group would begin work on its seventh LPDear God, I Hate Myself,recording in both Oakland, California as well as Durham, North Carolina. Once again shifting motifs, Xiu Xiu would this time choose to experiment with video game-based programming, using theNintendo DSto write many of the songs which appear on their 2010 release.[21]The music video for the song "Dear God, I Hate Myself" received attention online in 2010. The video consists of Seo inducing vomiting over the course of the three-minute song, culminating with her vomiting on Stewart, who has been eating a chocolate bar during the entire video.[22]Seo and Stewart have defended the video online and in interviews, stating that the video illustrates the subject of the song in an extreme and visceral fashion.[citation needed]

2010–2017:AlwaystoFORGET

[edit]
Xiu Xiu members Jamie Stewart, Angela Seo in Aarhus, Denmark, 2017

In 2010, Xiu Xiu leftKill Rock Starsand signed withBella UnionandPolyvinyl.[23][24]Xiu Xiu releasedAlwayson these new labels in 2012. It was called "magnificent" and given 5 stars by The Independent[25]and given a 9/10 by Drowned in Sound.[26]

In April 2013, Stewart and Eugene Robinson ofOxbowreleased the collaborative albumXiu Xiu & Eugene S. Robinson Present: Sal MineoonImportant Recordsafter having toured Europe together in February to promote the project.[27] [28]

In an email sent to fans on January 28, 2013, Xiu Xiu announced that "Ches Smith,Mary Halvorson,Tim Berne,Tony Malaby,Andrea Parkinsand Jamie Stewart just finished recording an album in NYC offree jazzandart songversions of allNina Simonesongs. "The album,Nina,was released onGraveface Recordson December 3, 2013.

In the same email, Xiu Xiu also announced that a new Xiu Xiu album was being made. Xiu Xiu said that it is possible that it will be namedAngel Guts: Red Classroomand that "it will be a mean, tight hearted, blackness ofNeubautenvsSuicidevsNico."Angel Guts: Red Classroom was released February 2014. It was given an 8 out of 10 byDrowned in SoundandMojo.[29]David Hartley of the bandWar on Drugspraised the album, calling it a "stereoscopic assault."[30]

In June 2015, Xiu Xiu started a newBandcamppage under the title "xiuxiu69".Since its creation, they have self-described the page as an"ephemerashoppe specializing in exclusive, obscure, out of print, experimental & overlooked zonk. "[31]The page is used to host projects such as non-studio Xiu Xiu releases, solo Jamie Stewart albums,ambientprojects, out of print Xiu Xiu collaborations and recordings from Jamie Stewart's former bandTen In The Swear Jar.Xiuxiu69 also hosts sales of physical music and merchandise, including LPs of Xiu Xiu material and material loosely related to Xiu Xiu such as Jamie Stewart andLawrence English's band HEXA.

On November 16, 2016, the band announced their next albumFORGET,set for release on February 24, 2017. The announcement was accompanied with lead single "Wondering", signifying a return to more pop-oriented songwriting.[32]

2017–2024:Girl with Basket of Fruitto13 "Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips

[edit]

Xiu Xiu performed a long piece "Deforms the Unborn" based on the demonic possession of children at the Guggenheim Museum in May 2018. The band released their eleventh new album titledGirl with Basket of Fruiton February 8, 2019, via Polyvinyl.[33]

In April 2020, Xiu Xiu started a Bandcamp subscription service titled "XIU MUTHA FUCKIN XIU". At its basic tier, it grants access to a monthly "XIU MUTHA FUCKIN XIU" digital audio package, consisting of anew fully produced cover(notable examples being Xiu Xiu renditions of "Dancing On My Own","In The Garage"and"Dancing with a Stranger"), an exclusive solo Xiu Xiu song, and an edition of the 12 chapter 120 part experimental piece" Lamentation ". So far, two chapters of" Lamentation "have been revealed, chapter one being Spider Lamentation and chapter two being Woodpecker Lamentation. Tier two grants all the above and" 30 to 50 license freesamples,fullstemsof one Xiu Xiu song for non commercial exploration ". Tier three includes the benefits from tiers one and two and a unique hand-made postcard illustrated by Angela Seo or Jamie Stewart with ahaikuwritten to you and posted on the Xiuxiu69 Bandcamp page.

Their twelfth album,Oh No,was released on March 26, 2021. Its lead single, "A Bottle of Rum" featuringLiz Harris,was released along with the album's announcement on January 27, 2021. Its second single, "Rumpus Room" featuringLiars,was released on March 4, 2021. "Maybae Baeby", the first single from their thirteenth studio albumIgnore Grief,was released on January 12, 2023. The album features new memberDavid Kendrick,formerly ofSparksandDevo.

Their fourteenth album,13 "Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips[34]was announced on June 25th, 2024 and will be released on September 27th.

Band members

[edit]

Current members

  • Jamie Stewart– production, vocals, percussion, guitar, synthesizers, keyboards, piano, programming, bass, organ,harmonium,viola (2002–present)
  • Angela Seo– production, vocals, percussion, piano, synthesizers, programming, organ, harmonium (2009–present)
  • David Kendrick- production, drums, percussion (2022–present)

Former members

  • Cory McCulloch – production, bass guitar, mandolin, synthesizers (2002–2009)
  • Lauren Andrews – synthesizers, keyboards, piano, percussion (2002–2004)
  • Yvonne Chen – synthesizers, percussion, trumpet (2002–2003)
  • Caralee McElroy– production, synthesizers, piano, harmonium, percussion, flute, vocals (2004–2009)
  • Ches Smith– drums, percussion, synthesizers, vocals (2006–2018)
  • Devin Hoff– double bass, bass guitar, acoustic bass (2008)
  • Zac Pennington– multi-instrumentalist (2011)
  • Marc Riordan – percussion (2012)
  • Shayna Dunkelman – drums, vibraphone, synthesizers, percussion (2012–2017)
  • Thor Harris– drums, percussion (2019)
  • Christopher Pravdica– bass (2019)

Timeline

[edit]

Musical style and influences

[edit]

The band's name comes from the filmXiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl.The band found its first tracks to match the "rotten realness" spirit of the film, "that sometimes life turns out with a worst possible case scenario".[35]Stewart said Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car", which Xiu Xiu covered onA Promise,had a similar theme.[35]

Metro Silicon Valley's David Espinoza likened Stewart to an explorer charting new territories of sound in 2001 as he started Xiu Xiu.[4]He compared Stewart's voice to a combination ofRobert Smith's fragility andThe Downward Spiral-eraTrent Reznor's anger, and noted Stewart's deliberate and considered choices towards developing the band's tone in light of the disparate wackiness of the individual instruments.[4]

Brandon Stosuy ofPitchforknoted a "continual poetic and romantic beauty" behind "the violence" in Stewart's lyrics.[10]He wrote that the band inspired fandom of the kind where teenage girls ask for Stewart's autograph.[10]

Stewart has added that the band was a product of San Jose pirate radio stations that playedhouse,hi-NRG,freestyle,andtechno,which Stewart considered unpretentious, plain, heartbroken, clear, and based around dancing away sadness. They said they wrote their first Xiu Xiu song after leaving a San Jose dance club alone on a Christmas night: "Xiu Xiu came from feeling stupid and lonely and then wanting to dance it away, but having the club and its music only magnify that stupid and lonely feeling."[10]At the time ofA Promise,Stewart said that they were influenced bygamelanand Japanese and Korean folk music, and had been listening to contemporary classical and "gay dance music".[35]

Live performances

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In 2003, Stewart told Pitchfork that the band's live shows were starkly different from the recorded material. They said this was largely due to the technical limitations of being able to reproduce the way it was recorded. In their live shows, the band increased the intensity of their loud rock parts, though Stewart reported their set to be half "louder, more dance-y stuff" and half "really quiet stuff".[35]They said the latter was sometimes at odds with the type of venues they played.[35]

Discography

[edit]
Main article:Xiu Xiu discography

Studio albums

References

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  1. ^Moroz, Ross (June 16, 2005)."Xiu Xiu Ch-Boogie".Vue Weekly.Archivedfrom the original on June 16, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 1,2008.
  2. ^"XIU XIU – Motorco Music Hall".RetrievedJanuary 12,2023.
  3. ^Espinoza, David (September 6, 2000)."No Show Joe Show: RedHeaded Stepchild makes a Front Street Pub crowd wait".Metro Silicon Valley.Metro Newspapers.Archivedfrom the original on July 14, 2014.RetrievedOctober 26,2013.
  4. ^abcdEspinoza, David (November 7, 2001)."Rubber Soul: Los Dryheavers get into the protection racket".Metro Silicon Valley.Metro Newspapers.Archivedfrom the original on July 14, 2014.RetrievedOctober 26,2013.
  5. ^"Headphone Highlights: Xiu Xiu".Red Bull Music Academy.August 22, 2012.RetrievedJanuary 14,2023.
  6. ^"Michael Stewart".Variety.November 18, 2002.Archivedfrom the original on July 22, 2010.RetrievedApril 20,2020.
  7. ^"Xiu Xiu Shoo-Bop".Zoilus. March 11, 2004. Archived fromthe originalon February 16, 2012.RetrievedJuly 22,2012.
  8. ^"Xiu Xiu – Fag Patrol – Review".Stylus Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on May 10, 2012.RetrievedJuly 22,2012.
  9. ^Xiu Xiu – Fag Patrol,archivedfrom the original on April 14, 2022,retrievedApril 14,2022
  10. ^abcdefghiStosuy, Brandon (April 9, 2006)."Xiu Xiu".Pitchfork Media.Archivedfrom the original on July 23, 2014.RetrievedJuly 13,2014.
  11. ^"Bio".Caraleemcelroy.com. December 27, 1983.Archivedfrom the original on October 6, 2011.RetrievedJuly 22,2012.
  12. ^"Xiu Xiu: La Foret".Junkmedia. Archived fromthe originalon April 5, 2012.RetrievedJuly 22,2012.
  13. ^Out.Here. March 2006. p.72.RetrievedJuly 22,2012– viaInternet Archive.xiu xiu + la foret + harmonium.
  14. ^"Xiu Xiu Larsen Returns to Italy to Record ¿Spicchiology?".Obscure Sound. May 22, 2007.Archivedfrom the original on January 16, 2010.RetrievedJuly 22,2012.
  15. ^"Xiu Xiu – Jamie Stewart « Mesa Love".Mesalove.wordpress.com. July 17, 2006.Archivedfrom the original on March 9, 2012.RetrievedJuly 22,2012.
  16. ^"Aren't Xiu (Xiu) into S&M?".Yale Daily News. September 22, 2006.Archivedfrom the original on June 16, 2022.RetrievedJuly 22,2012.
  17. ^"New York Foundation for the Arts".NYFA. Archived fromthe originalon March 5, 2012.RetrievedJuly 22,2012.
  18. ^"The Agit Reader • Feature: Xiu Xiu".Agitreader.com.Archivedfrom the original on July 1, 2012.RetrievedJuly 22,2012.
  19. ^"Caralee McElroy Leaves Xiu Xiu | News".Pitchfork. May 15, 2009.Archivedfrom the original on June 4, 2012.RetrievedJuly 22,2012.
  20. ^Hughes, Josiah (May 20, 2009)."Caralee McElroy Leaves Xiu Xiu, Jamie Stewart Writes Haikus • News •".Exclaim.ca.Archivedfrom the original on July 8, 2012.RetrievedJuly 22,2012.
  21. ^"Interview with: Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu".popwreckoning.Archivedfrom the original on March 9, 2012.RetrievedJuly 22,2012.
  22. ^"Xiu Xiu: 'Dear God I Hate Myself' (Video) (NSFW) | Prefix".Prefixmag.com.Archivedfrom the original on September 21, 2012.RetrievedJuly 22,2012.
  23. ^"XIU XIU SIGN TO BELLA UNION « New music, features, reviews, news and free mp3s –".Loudandquiet.com.Archivedfrom the original on January 7, 2014.RetrievedJuly 22,2012.
  24. ^"Polyvinyl Record Co. – Blog".Polyvinylrecords.com. Archived fromthe originalon January 7, 2014.RetrievedJuly 22,2012.
  25. ^Simon Price (February 26, 2012)."Album: Xiu Xiu, Always (Bella Union) – Reviews – Music".The Independent.Archivedfrom the original on March 5, 2016.RetrievedJuly 22,2012.
  26. ^Lukowska, Len (February 22, 2012)."Xiu Xiu – Always / Releases / Releases // Drowned In Sound".Drownedinsound.com. Archived fromthe originalon March 4, 2016.RetrievedJuly 22,2012.
  27. ^"IMPREC381 – Important Records".importantrecords.com.Archivedfrom the original on December 3, 2013.RetrievedDecember 3,2013.
  28. ^"Eugene Robinson/Oxbow + Jamie Stewart/Xiu Xiu have a band together and it shall be known as SAL MINEO".Xiu Xiu. January 14, 2013. Archived fromthe originalon January 30, 2013.RetrievedApril 22,2013.
  29. ^Zevolli, Giuseppe (February 3, 2014)."Xiu Xiu – Angel Guts".Drownedinsound.com. Archived fromthe originalon February 22, 2014.RetrievedMarch 28,2014.
  30. ^"David Hartley (the War on Drugs) Talks Xiu Xiu's Angel Guts: Red Classroom".The Talkhouse.February 3, 2014.Archivedfrom the original on July 14, 2014.RetrievedJuly 12,2014.
  31. ^"XIU XIU".XIU XIU.Archivedfrom the original on May 9, 2022.RetrievedApril 14,2022.
  32. ^Evan, Minsker (November 16, 2016)."Xiu Xiu Announce New Album FORGET, Share New Track" Wondering ": Listen".Pitchfork Media.Archivedfrom the original on November 17, 2016.RetrievedNovember 16,2016.
  33. ^"Girl with Basket of Fruit by Xiu Xiu".Itunes.apple.com.Archivedfrom the original on March 28, 2019.RetrievedMarch 10,2019.
  34. ^"Xiu Xiu Announce Tour and New Album, Share NSFW Video for New Song: Watch".pitchfork.com.
  35. ^abcdeLeMay, Matt (April 1, 2003)."Xiu Xiu".Pitchfork Media.Archivedfrom the original on July 3, 2014.RetrievedJuly 13,2014.
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