Last time Thao Nguyen was in town, she was the opening act for Xiu Xiu, and it couldn't seem like a stranger pairing. Thao, with her bubbling, strumming, child-like pop, offered about as startling a juxtaposition as possible to Xiu Xiu's fitfully emotional and generally traumatized approach—in a way, it was like all of the good childhood memories gone terribly, horribly awry. Since then, Thao and her band have solidified their presence in the minds of music fans, as their most recent album, We Brave Bee Stings and All, has managed to stand up to the test of a little time. So on this visit to Austin, Thao, who has graduated to "unquestioned headliner," has a more sensible tour partner in Horse Feathers, and the two stunning acts will be making Wednesday night at Emo's about at satisfying as possible....

Disturbing psycho-sexual lyricism, multifaceted percussion skills, quivering vocals, all combined with curious extroversion and a skewed appreciation for cuteness? This can be none other than the damaged experimental rock outfit Xiu Xiu, who will play The Mohawk’s outside stage this Saturday. Xiu Xiu’s has a knack for combining whimsy and pain, and we recently called them out as “one of the most excellent and fascinating bands of the decade” in our review of their last record, Women as Lovers. ...