Xiu Xiu prepares for tour, offers free MP3 :: Music News :: Articles

Maybe the band's name isn't so easy to pronounce ("shoo-shoo") and few (if any...) of its songs would be filed under "easy listening," but it's surprising how simple it is to love Xiu Xiu. As the art-rock quartet gets ready to unleash its sixth full-length album, Women as Lovers, on Jan. 29, here are a few reasons to enter the Xiu's twisted, beautiful and always energetic world at one of the stops on its upcoming U.S. tour.

1. Lead singer Jamie Stewart's voice, an intense, operatic, totally unique beast moan. Stewart knows how to craft a lilting melody with those pipes (check out Women as Lovers' "I Do What I Want When I Want" or 2004's "I Luv the Valley OH!"), but right about the time you start to think "Hm, this could be a hit song..." he and the rest of the band—multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Caralee McElroy, drummer Ches Smith, and new full-time bassist Devin Hoff—abruptly shift tempo or throw in the skronking bleat of a saxophone or drop the guitar out completely, reminding listeners of the adage about life being a journey (as opposed to a destination).

2. Speaking of journeys, the fan-friendly Xiu Xiu often enjoy a post-show jog with anyone who's up for it. Check out Austin devotee Benjamin's account from March of last year of a 2:30 a.m. jaunt to the state capitol building, complete with pictures.

3. Opening band Thao with The Get Down Stay Down. Xiu Xiu's Kill Rock Stars labelmate Thao Nguyen, one of Paste's upcoming 4 To Watch artists (look for her in the March issue), has a fine finger-pickin' style and a smoky barroom croon not unlike Chan Marshall's. Thao's delightful new album We Brave Bee Stings And All comes out the same day as Women as Lovers, Jan. 29.

4. This video from last spring's Xiu Xiu tour, courtesy of tour manager/photographer/archivist extraordinaire David Horvitz:

Need we say more?

Dates:

March
7 - Portland, OR @ Someday Lounge
8 - Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
10 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
11 - Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
13 - Ames, IA @ Maintenance Shop
14 - Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
15 - Chicago, IL @ Reggie's
16 - Mount Pleasant, MI @ Rubble's Bar
17 - Toronto, Ontario @ TBA
18 - Ottawa, Ontario @ Babylon Nightclub
19 - Montreal, Quebec @ La Sala Rossa
20 - Bennington, VT @ Bennington College
21 - Boston, MA @ Museum of Fine Arts Boston
22 - Annandale-on-Hudson, NY @ Smog (Bard College)
23 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
24 - Purchase, NY @ Student Center (SUNY Purchase)
25 - New York, NY @ Fordham University
26 - Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
27 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat
28 - Columbus, OH @ Skully's Music Diner
29 - Newport, KY @ Southgate House
31 - St. Louis, MO @ Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center

April
1 - Springfield, MO @ Randy Bacon Gallery
2 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Conservatory
3 - Fort Worth, TX @ Lola's
4 - Houston, TX @ Orange Show Center for Visionary Art
5 - Austin, TX @ Mohawk
7 - Santa Fe, NM @ College of Santa Fe
8 - Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room
11 - Los Angeles, CA @ Echo
12 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill