Artist Xiu Xiu

Jeremy Lange

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Xiu Xiu

That the title of Xiu Xiu’s latest, Dear God, I Hate Myself, seems to speak directly to the many detractors of Jamie Stewart’s occasionally theatrical, frequently goofy art-pop experiment is probably no accident. With its serious devotion to atonality, self-referential lyrics, and vocals that oscillate between soaringly operatic and gratingly bestial, Xiu Xiu tends to value provocation over pleasure. Which makes the music on Dear God something of a surprise: The newfound emphasis on vintage synthesizers and chilly textures drawn from the artier side of early new wave results in the band’s most “accessible” album yet. Stewart still enjoys fucking with his listeners, but with the eminently listenable Dear God, he’s given them little reason to resent him for it.

Updated 03/03/2010