Search - Xiu Xiu :: Fabulous Muscles

Whoops, I listened to reviews.

Philip | Dallas, TX | 11/05/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Let me first say I'm not one to bash experimental music. In fact, I generally really enjoy the doors it opens up and the ideas people are willing to try. I had heard great things about this artist and this CD in particular and figured I might as well just buy it before giving it a listen, afterall, I found it used and fairly cheap. To my disappointment, this album is lacking something. I cannot say it's awful or with some other element it may have been a stellar album, but it is lacking in one way or another; whether its the lyrics, the dead space, or the too far out lyrics, I'm not sure. The first few tracks show the most potential but then it slowly dives off the deep end into the realm of too strange for me.



I found this to be, like I'm surprised more people don't, what someone else named a "pretentious noise" album. Weird for just the sake of being weird and not much else. My recommendation: give this a listen if you're new to his music and don't judge solely on reviews. Never do."

Involving and deeply touching.

Uhnghrid | Everywhere | 04/16/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yes, most experimental rock is noisy pretentious drivel, and just because something sounds weird doesn't make it artistic or deep. What really sets Xiu Xiu apart from the rest is the intensity of emotion on behalf of the singer. There is such sympathy and pain in the his voice, and it combines with the strange instrumentation to create an album that truly captures how alien it feels when one is lost and alone and terrible things happen... These parts of life aren't pretty, or danceable, or accessible to the general population of happy people, and neither is this music. Any musical ugliness on this CD has a purpose. This is what experimental rock SHOULD be.



Though I must admit, some of the tracks are SO out there that even the most open-minded listener might have a hard time getting into them (more so on their earlier CDs!). However, others are melodic and actually catchy in a unique sort of way that lets one get completely lost in their unfamiliar, yet poignant, atmosphere.



Yet, despite the feelings in these songs of loss and sadness and lives falling to pieces, the empathy in the singer's voice makes the album comforting rather than depressing. Anyone can make a depressing album, but to make one that comforts takes a very special talent and personality.



This is not an album to miss... You might hate it, but if you are able to get lost in the music, there's so much depth. This is the sort of album that, if you like it, you love it and listen to it over and over. I have nothing but praise for Xiu Xiu, who combine experiment and emotion brilliantly and create a whole new world of feeling in their music."