Read almost any piece about
Xiu Xiu and you'll see words like 'harsh' or 'brutal' — the same words that appear before 'truth' when an unwavering eye is turned on any intimate detail of our lives. Fair descriptions of the themes central to the music, they sit incongruous to the refined, intricate, and beautiful approach taken in crafting the twelve tracks on
Xiu Xiu's new album
Dear God, I Hate Myself.
The two biggest constants throughout
Xiu Xiu's catalog are honesty and evolution. This remains true with
Dear God, I Hate Myself as it delivers a look at responsibility, fear, healing, and societal roles wrapped in rich gothic pop music. The sound is still distinctly
Xiu Xiu, but
Jamie Stewart's vocals are finally effortless paired with vibrant melodies full of subtlety and the distinct sonic accents expected of this anticipated
Xiu Xiu release. The result is a record that proves that art can be pop and pop can challenge you to look inside yourself.
Stewart is joined by new full-time band member
Angela Seo on piano, synth, and drum programming; with production handled by
Jamie and
Deerhoof's
Greg Saunier. Together they've crafted a fully grown sound for
Dear God, I Hate Myself with elements from goth and pop that are expertly performed by a crop of brilliant musicians.
Saunier himself plays on much of the record as does
Ches Smith (
John Zorn,
Terry Riley,
Marc Ribot) who supplies timpani, conga and moog along with a broad range of other instrumentation.
Deerhoof's
John Dieterich is all over a rendition of the traditional folk song “Cumberland Gap” and
Xiu Xiu is even joined by the
Immaculata Catholic School Orchestra in
Stewart's ode to heartbreak and healing, “This Too Shall Pass Away (for Freddy).” The title track, one of four songs done primarily on a Nintendo DS, explores the relationship between faith and despair with a layer of commentary provided by the bizarre sounds of the music itself.
Each new
Xiu Xiu release has evolved alongside the lives of
Jamie Stewart and company. On this record you'll find more intensity and introspection than ever before, but sonically and lyrically it continues to move forward with a subtly new perspective — hyper-focussed yet aware of a larger, external picture unfolding. The pace of the record grips you, the music offers layers of detail, and the themes focus on not just the past or stark present but hint towards vespers of the future as well.
Dear God, I Hate Myself will challenge you and force you to look inside yourself, but only after you get lost in the music. It's passionate, it's energetic, and it affects you.
Dear God, I Hate Myself is a beautiful piece of humanist art. It's an important addition to the growing body of intelligent music from
Xiu Xiu. And it's a brilliant gothic pop record that can stand next to anything.
Xiu Xiu Dear God, I Hate Myself
(Kill Rock Stars)
Release date: February 23, 2010
Track list:
1. Gray Death
2. Chocolate Makes You Happy
3. Apple for a Brain
4. House Sparrow
5. Hyunhye’s Theme
6. Dear God, I Hate Myself
7. Secret Motel
8. Falkland Rd.
9. The Fabrizio Palumbo Retaliation
10. Cumberland Gap
11. This Too Shall Pass Away (for Freddy)
12. Impossible Feeling
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