Don't ask me if this line is about you

Wednesday night -- 3/24/10 -- Vadim and I headed out to Holocene for the much-anticipated Xiu Xiu show. It was originally billed as a three band show, but somewhere along they added a fourth band to the bill; which made for three exceedingly longer exercises in patience and one incredible set.

Operative
M'eh.

Pearly Gate Music
Double M'eh.

tUnE-yArDs
Ultra M'eh.

Xiu Xiu
I've seen this band 8-9 times by now (every time Jamie Stewart [with or without Xiu Xiu] has come through town since I've moved here), and each time it's been a completely different experience, usually due to an ever-changing line-up. And this night's show was no exception. With Caralee McElroy out and Angela Seo in, Xiu Xiu has adopted a slightly colder, slightly minimalist electronic noise sound. Korg synth, beat programming via Nintendo DS, knobs, switches, whistles, gongs, cymbals, and guitar. Everything you've come to expect from the group, with some elements gone but with new ones to take their place(s).
My only real issue with their set was the brevity. For the headlining band, they may have played 60-75 minutes; and given the wealth of material they have to pull from, that ain't a very long time.

The set list from the night (thanks internet!):
B D Box (? not a title I recognize, so it may be a new one -- but I recognize some of the lyrics, however I've yet to find from where)
Apistat Commander
Grey Death
Dear God, I Hate Myself
Muppet Face
Gayle Lynn (amazing version of this one)
I Luv the Valley
Falkland Rd.
Poe Poe
Guantanamo Canto
Chocolate Makes You Happy
This Too Shall Pass Away (For Freddy)
Boy Soprano




too bad they didn't play this one

Dear God, I Hate Myself

Xiu Xiu has always been a band striving to make difficult music -- case in point, in response to all of the positive press and popularity heaped upon Fabulous Muscles -- the band's most accessible release to that point -- they released La Foret, an album of extremely loud and extremely quiet dynamics, as well as a bit of an exercise in patience (there are some songs on that album that I have never been able to make it through); this makes me wonder how they will respond to Dear God, I Hate Myself -- an album even more accessible than Fabulous Muscles, an album where the difficulty lies in its simplicity.
It has taken me a while to warm up to this album, due mainly to how subdued (for Xiu Xiu) it sounds; while it's certainly not your standard pop album, this one will probably be seen as Xiu Xiu's "pop" album in the years to come.
If it's your first time to the Xiu Xiu party, than you can't really go wrong with this one -- it has all of the elements you'll find throughout the rest of their oeuvre, but slightly diluted for general consumption. And if your ears get turned on by this one, then definitely pick up Fabulous Muscles as a chaser. Beyond that, you'll have to blaze your own trail.

Xiu Xiu - Dear God, I Hate Myself from Kill Rock Stars on Vimeo.

Xiu Xiu 35mm Film Project

This weekend, V. was nice enough to scan some of the photos I received from David Horvitz, as part of the 35mm Film Project from this past Jamie Stewart solo tour. He just posted a link to them on the Xiu Xiu site, so there should be a substantial rise in traffic for the next few days. If you wish, you can view them here.