Xiu Xiu is an acquired tase, kind-of like electro noise-mongers Black Dice. But where Black Dice barrages you with a slew of manipulated chaos sans proper vocals (just some screaming and mutters here and there), Xiu Xiu has the vocal prowess of Jamie Stewart, a singer possessing the pipes of Robert Smith with the mindset of Todd Solondz. It's not pretty. Fabulous Muscles, the band's third full-length, is filled with tales of emotional/physical/sexual abuse, severly broken relationships, and emotional instability. They're not the first band to tackle such topics, but Jamie Stewart's battered, tortured, whispered vocals are gut-wrenching, to the point where the album becomes quite difficult to listen to. Xiu Xiu has been accussed of being overly-dramatic, but Stewart knows the power of restraint, so even when his voice seems about to break, it lingers on. The album's highlight, "I Luv The Valley OH!," breaks from the synth driven rampages of "Brian The Vampire" and "Crank Heart" and the minimalist dirges of "Nieces Pieces" and "Little Panda McElroy" to deliver the most starteling departure in Xiu Xiu's catalog: a pop song. Not content to deliver any ordinary pop song, however, "I Luv The Valley" layers its jagged guitar lines with random noise and a general sense of dread. Jamie's mocking "la la la's" are a brilliant touch while his release of a screamed "OH!" in the second verse working as a nice cherry on top to an already great song. Are Xiu Xiu becoming accessible? Hardly, they're just becoming a better and better band.

It's very hard to write about Xiu Xiu's music, but that's mainly due to the fact that it's so damn hard to listen to. Nevertheless, one of the most important elements of being an artist is to remain complete true to yourself and your craft. Jamie Stewart, the only constant member of Xiu Xiu, could probably not agree more. He certainly doesn't lack the ability to express what's on his mind and in his heart. He is the master of being able to get to the absolute core of his feelings with every successive album he releases; regardless of how many listeners he leaves behind in the process. Stewart is someone who appears to not get enough out of life, or maybe he's just someone who's seen so much in his time that nothing affects him anymore. I'd imagine that in addition to being the most uncomfortable singer to listen to, he's probably the most jaded human being in existence. If Xiu Xiu's music isn't a testament to this, well...I'm not sure what else is.

Fabulous Muscles, his newest album, begins slightly unpredictable with a soft and simple Casio-sounding keyboard on "Crank Heart." This instrumentation is most likely a result of his time working with label mate Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, who Stewart will be spending a bit of time with on the road this year. It insinuates that this album will be less abrasive than Xiu Xiu's previous work. It also stands as one of the more user-friendly songs of their catalogue, with its somewhat basic pop arrangement. "I Luv the Valley Oh" also starts fairly subdued and eventually unfolds into one of the finer tracks on the album. In a lot of ways it's on par with his best work on "Suha."

"Little Panda McElroy" doesn't do much to push the envelope, but is a song that really starts to promote the idea that this is a truly fantastic collection of work that Stewart has (once again) come up with. Things tend to get a little darker throughout the remainder of the album. Avid Xiu Xiu fans will appreciate this half of the album the most. The dialogue-only "Support Our Troops (Black Angels Oh)" is a collection of abstract electronic and feedback noises that provide a very unsettling mood upon its listener. One of the other tracks worth mentioning is the title track, "Fabulous Muscles," which appeared on last years split-release with the Jim Yoshi Pile-Up. It's a different version than before but it remains signature Jamie Stewart with its incredibly perverted and decadent lyrics, of which I won't share here.

Xiu Xiu isn't a gray band, in the sense that it's unfeasible to hear anyone declare them as being "okay." You're either on board because you somehow relate to what you get out of their music, or you're one of the others who are running as quickly as possible to get away from its painfully harsh reality. Although I won't say it's the best album of their ever-growing catalogue, Fabulous Muscles contains some of the band's best songs since Knife Play. One thing is for certain, as with all other Xiu Xiu albums, Stewart doesn't hold back on discussing excruciating topics. So, when I say it's important to remain true to your art, look no further than Stewart to deliver the goods. He's continually offering some of the most artistically challenging music around, yet he somehow manages to maintain a good enough balance to reach some of the more mainstream type listeners. There are hardly any other musicians alive that can leave as huge of an impact as this, and I believe that's what keeps us coming back.

A little over the top of a review title? Well, if you've listened to Xiu Xiu (especially the previous releases) you'll feel the same way too.

It seems like Jamie Stewart has taken everything from his other albums and comes incredibly close to a perfect amalgamation of everything the previous songs seem to cover. Unusual percussion? Check. Electronic beats and rhythm? Check. Using noise and sound in a different, often strange and wonderful, ways. Check. Beautiful melodies lurking beneath a sometimes noisy surface? Check. And of course, lyrics and voice that plumb emotional heights and depths that are scarcely found in any music? Check.

Before you think that it is merely a retread and nothing new has been created, it is far more than that. This album takes each of these known elements and creates something fresh and new. With a definate slant towards more "pop song" structures, they are used merely as a framework to work with what he knows and does well. Some of the songs might be more hummable, but all of the passion and ingenuity remain intact.

Each song seems to have a life of its own. "Crank Heart" moves with full electronic furvor. "Support Our Troops" creates an art space, not merely a song. I commented to a friend that the song "Beautiful Muscles" shows incredible beauty and supreme ugliness in one precise stroke. This version of "Nieces Pieces" shows how the same song arranged completely different can change the emotional impact of it. And "Clowne Towne" seems like the perfect combination of everything Xiu Xiu fans have grown to love about the music. Also, where as in the past other Xiu Xiu albums seemed to be a collection of songs, this feels like a cohesive "album;" meant to be together.

I was expecting a lot from this album and it delivered far beyond what I hoped. Dare I say this is the album that will expose Xiu Xiu to a broader audience? I hope so.

this album is unique, haunting, well made, and perhaps even dangerous. and best as a whole. i've never called music dangerous before, but this album/group is like a possibly lethal drug - if you can figure out how to use it, it's amazing...if not, you'll have a horribly frightening experience. now that i understand xiu xiu, i feel like i have to be careful with it. i can't give it to just anyone and i can't overuse it (i listen to it as a whole no more than once a week).

if you want something more out of music in general, get this album. listen to it on headphones. if you're at all unsure about it, listen to it drunk.

Compared to this record, the world seems insincere. Everyone is fake. We hold onto threads of civilization in the face of tragedy, incapable of fully embracing the emotions which define us, unwilling to follow our innermost thoughts to their full, terrifying ends.

On Fabulous Muscles, Jamie Stewart and Co. rip the bandage off our cultural insincerity, creating an experience not be missed. It is universal, personal, painful and necesarry. Simply put, Xiu Xiu are as disconcerting as they are essential.

Case in point: the title track, "Fabulous Muscles." Beginning, with a delicate nylon stringed guitar figure, the song is immediately grabbing. Musically, the subsequent 4 minutes will be filled almost exclusively with two chords. They will float in and out of time. Accents will fall randomly while remaining true to the emotional timbre of the song. Eventually, variations will be added, and other tonalities will become apparent. Throughout, you will be aware that, in these two chords, you have been provided with all you could ever need. After about twenty seconds, the lyrics begin,

"Break my face in, it was the kindest touch you ever gave. Wrap my dreams around your thighs, and drape my hopes upon the chance to touch your arm."

If you are listening in a group situation, Jamie Stewart's overwrought delivery will be amusing. If you are listening by yourself, you will be taken aback by the honesty of the delivery and deceptive simplicity of the words. At any rate, your mind will be active; however, before you're quite sure what to think, the chorus begins:

"Cremate me after you cum on my lips, honey boy. Place my ashes in a vase beneath your workout bench."

Either you and your budies are now laughing, wondering if you really just heard what you thought, or you are now near the point of tears, heart broken as you place yourself inside the naked verse. At some level, everyone has been there. Xiu Xiu know this, and they articulate it perfectly. Never has the sense of completeness that accompanies sexual release been presented as it is here. In the beauty of the guitar, we finds creation. In the honesty of the voice lies destruction. Death and sex are brought together, comfort zones are shattered, art is created.

In 20 years, Xiu Xiu will be looked back on as a turning point: proto-everything worthwhile to come.