Austinist Artist Profile: Xiu Xiu, Tonight @ The Parish

Xiu Xiu's lead singer Jamie Stewart knows a thing or two about pain, heartache, and misery; one certainly assumes so from listening to his plaintive wailings on the band's latest record, La Forêt. The Oakland/Seattle-based experimental noise trio remain characteristically uncharacterizable, save for Stewart's verge-of-shattering crystalline voice. It's an album that takes several plays before any of the dozen esoteric, despondent tracks are even remotely comprehensible, but on our first pass we did a double-take on "Mousey Toy": its tip-toeing glockenspiel intro crumbles under an explosive synth crescendo that left us wondering just what manner of unspeakable trauma these kids must have endured. Twee pop this ain't.

[Xiu Xiu Official Site]
[Xiu Xiu on MySpace]

Members:
Jamie Stewart
Cory McCulloch
Caralee McElroy

Latest Record:
La Forêt, released by 5 Rue Christine

Downloads:
I Broke Up [mp3]
Sad Pony Guerrilla Girl [mp3]
Clowne Towne [mp3]
Bog People [mp3]

Artist Quote:
"...sometimes things we write about can sort of be sensationalistic because the events that they describe are really intense and horrible. But the point isn't to be sensationalistic. The point is to write about things that've happened or are happening." - Jamie Stewart, from Tiny Mix Tapes [full interview]

Playing At:
The Parish Room
Tuesday, November 29th
With The Dead Science, Weird Weeds