With Xiu Xiu, here’s the key: Connect to the emotion.
It’s this eternal obsession with genre that has a few critics declaring certain music “accessible,” after grappling with not conveniently placing artists into specific musical categories. Xiu Xiu gets the treatment once again, following at least 20-plus years of recordings, all worthy of exploration while beautifully defying any go-to description. When their debut LP Knife Play (2002) was unleashed into the world, cacophonously shifting gears without warning, it sent a some reviewers spiraling into their own discombobulation.
This year’s intriguing creation: The intimidatingly titled 13″ Frank Beltráme Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips. The name comes from a switchblade owned by Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart – one of two, actually. He recently explained to The Quietus‘ Natalie Marlin that this prized possession happened to be something on their mind during the making of the album, something resonating on emotional levels rather than a literal or figurative element determining its development.
Perhaps the album offers a fleeting portal for the new listener to dip a toe in, but it sears with as much unrestrained potency and pivoting as any Xiu Xiu recording. And what is there to not comprehend? Well, everything and nothing. Therein lies the narrative.
Xiu Xiu performs tonight at The Parish, with a line-up including The Opera and BFF. Doors at 7:30 p.m.
