Jamie Stuart creates the sort of splintered pop that hangs entirely upon the strength of the personality behind it. Without a sure hand to guide them, songs like those on past Xiu Xiu records could have easily spun out of control and lost whatever semblance of cohesion that they were intended to have. But by carefully and expertly honing those songs to a fine point, Stuart managed to ring emotion and palpable distress from songs that could easily have been so slight as to be non-existent. Dear God, I Hate Myself, the latest full-length from Xiu Xiu, really exemplifies this particular musical truism. Over the years, Xiu Xiu have had a rotating cast of characters singing, playing, and generally making a unique cacophony on each release. This latest album manages to encapsulate all that made Xiu Xiu unique, while also carefully inserting new ideas and creative turns that fans won’t be expecting. And despite what you may have heard, the slight diversion he makes into Chiptune territory doesn’t ruin what’s made Xiu Xiu great to begin with. And while I am not the biggest proponent of Chiptune, the slight addition of these tweakable bells and whistles does add a naiveté that complements the always lyrically dour Stuart. These songs have that inherent Xiu Xiu unpredictability, while also giving fans much of what was so loved from past albums. Songs like the traditional folk of “Cumberland Gap”, a song far removed from almost anything Xiu Xiu has released, and the darkly expressive “Gray Death”, with its pitiable narrator, find Stuart at the peak of his creative talents. And while Stuart has never been known for his lighter side, there has always seemed to be a sly streak of knowing humor about it all, that beneath all the violence and troubled characters that crowd around any random Xiu Xiu song, Stuart knows more than he’s letting on, and that he’s just on the verge on letting us in on it. Maybe that’s why we keep coming back to Xiu Xiu. We all want Stuart to trust us enough to get the joke.
Tracklisting:
01. Gray Death (listen to the mp3 below)
02. Chocolate Makes You Happy
03. Apple For A Brain
04. House Sparrow
05. Hyunhye's Theme
06. Dear God, I Hate Myself
07. Secret Motel
08. Falkland Rd.
09. The Fabrizio Palumbo Retaliation
10. Cumberland Gap
11. This Too Shall Pass Away (For Freddy)
12. Impossible Feeling
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