The DUSK Issue: Xiu Xiu
Words by Ian Hoffman & Photos by Elliot Novak
It’s rare for bands that tread in avant-garde or experimental waters to see the success of Xiu Xiu.
Twenty-three years have passed since Jamie Stewart (they/them) led a tour de force with the project’s debut Knife Play, and the unconventional musicianship that defined their first record remains. Xiu Xiu has shown that experimentation can reflect a sense of honesty in both their music and their soundscapes, with their most recent record, 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips, being no exception.
Formed in 2002 after Stewart’s former band Ten in the Swear Jar broke up, the group has seen many members playing a wide variety of instruments come and go. Stewart has consistently provided Xiu Xiu with its vocals, touching on tragedy and poetry in a compelling yet fragile way.
Over their 14 album lifespan, the group has been known for transgressive imagery like the classic cover of A Promise featuring a naked sex worker holding a baby doll, or the music video of Dear God, I Hate Myself which shows Angela Seo vomiting on Stewart for the entire three minutes. Their disregard for social norms in favor of raw emotional display is perhaps why after so many years the band is as popular as ever.
“We've gone back and forth between song oriented records and experimental records. That's not something we've done consciously, but it's very definitely something that has happened over the last 10 years,” says Stewart, the only constant member of the band over its lifetime.
Xiu Xiu has become a staple in the experimental music scene with albums such as Girl with Basket of Fruit and Ignore Grief showing a harsher and noisier side that combats the mold of the standard western or folk influenced composition. The band generally maintained its industrial influences throughout their lengthy discography. However, the band has recently approached a bit of a catchy rock groove. Stewart remarks, “I never in a million years thought Xiu Xiu would make a fucking guitar album ever. We got about halfway through, and we're like shit, we're making a fucking rock guitar record.”
Their new album, 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips exhibits a more accessible side of the band’s discography, though Stewart noted jokingly that “every other record we put out, people say it's our most accessible.” The album includes Seo, a longtime member of Xiu Xiu, on vocals along with countless unique instruments, as well as David Kendrick, a more recent addition to the band, who provided percussion and drums for both the album and its subsequent tour.
Angela Seo, who joined Xiu Xiu in late 2009, has had an irrefutable impact on the band. Seo has highlight vocal performances including on the plunderphonics-like electronic track “Pumpkin Attack on Mommy and Daddy”. Stewart shared a story about a time when they tried to avoid an OCD compulsion while playing live with Seo encouragingly saying, “Don't worry, it's gonna be totally okay.” Stewart then said that it was one of the worst shows of the tour. Stewart has consistently said that Seo is their best friend and emphasized that their friendship is pivotal in difficult situations.
David Kendrick, the drummer for the group, has only appeared on two albums. Formerly of the classic new wave band Devo, Kendrick was also once in a band titled Live Nude Psychics that included Stewart as a teenager, before the forming of Xiu Xiu. After a re-introduction to Stewart, Kendrick now joins Xiu Xiu bringing with him a bit of a psychedelic rock influence that can be heard on the new record.
Xiu Xiu’s latest record comes as a shock to many fans who have grown used to harrowing, abrasive tracks. This new rhythmic-centric album has seen overwhelming success, perhaps due to its more accessible nature. Regardless, the abilities of the band are on full display. Within the album art is the band’s logo fashioned out of the album’s title; this same logo appeared first on Nina and more famously on Angel Guts: Red Classroom.
The band doesn’t seem to want to be anything different than what they have been, and that might be the key for them. With a stroke of album art and a sonic agreement, Xiu Xiu’s raison d’etre remains to provide an emotional experience with their music. As Stewart put it, “[making music] is an expression of connecting with people and trying to give something for somebody to listen to.”
“How can we put across the intent and the emotionality of the song in a way that hopefully is as interesting as the record, even if it's totally different?” This challenge has confronted Xiu Xiu at every show they have performed as they manage to include gongs, autoharps, harmonium and countless other unique ways to make sounds in their records.
It is impossible not to mention the clear parallels between the band’s instrumental ventures and that of classic industrial bands like Einstürzende Neubauten or even Nine Inch Nails. Xiu Xiu finds themselves in line with a history of other avant-garde artists that find the reverberating sounds of sheet metal too fascinating to disregard.
“Even if I'm on vacation, I am really looking forward to getting back to the studio,” adds Stewart. Both Stewart and Seo have recently come to live in Berlin, Germany and continue to write music for the group in their new home city. Xiu Xiu’s next album is in the early stages and Stewart notes that “[they] feel fairly certain we're not going to make an experimental record.” As the band solidifies a muse for their future endeavors, it's clear that even with a long career, Xiu Xiu is not done exploring the changing world of sound.
