Xiu Xiu – ’13” Frank Beltrame Italian Stilletto with Bison Horn Grips’ album review
THE SKINNY: According to “science”, the perfect song is made up of a blend of both predictability and unpredictability. In other words, a listener should be able to recognise a tune and pick out a genre and a direction that the track is going in, but then should also be surprised by different elements within the track. Xiu Xiu stands as the antithesis of this theory, as their new album, 13” Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips, remains an unpredictable mesh of chaos and is an absolute joy from start to finish.
The album starts melancholic. The song ‘Arp Omni’ ponders what has been achieved in adult life over a backdrop of low-rumbling synth and an uneasy string section. It feels like this could set the tone for the entire album, but it’s only the tip of the iceberg. The songs that follow are heavy, with rock-like riffs buried in distortion and head-banging energy following each track like a shadow.
It’s a lot of fun to listen to. While the tone doesn’t shift much from that heaviness after the first track, songs are intercut with various effects, breaks and vocal fluctuations that mean each song remains unpredictable and exciting. Things can get messy at times, but it’s an excellent state to be fixated in, one where we are completely lost amid sonic rebellion.
Throw what you think you know about music into the wind. Don’t go into this album with any preconceptions or emotions in mind. The range makes it beautiful, and the unpredictable way that range is explored only adds to it.
For fans of: Mess, broken amplifiers and chaos.
A concluding comment from someone trapped in the eye of a storm who puts on the album to relax: “Oh, great, well, now I’m completely lost.”
13” Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips track by track
Release date: September 26th | Label: Polyvinyl | Producer: John Congleton
‘Arp Omni’: For an album that varies in tone, tempo and emotion so much, it was an interesting choice to kick things off with pure misery, yet that’s exactly what we get. This low, rumbling synth builds and builds over emotive, questioning lyrics. Like something from a melancholic horror film, the opener might be slow but gives us good insight into the musical majesty heading our way. [4.5/5]
‘Maestro One Chord’: As we settle into the album, thanks to the tranquil nature of ‘Arp Omni’, Xiu Xiu grab our presence and throw it into an electronic, distorted abyss. With broken-up breakbeats, a fuzzy electronic backdrop and overdriven vocals, the song is unrelenting from start to finish, as the listener is never given a chance to come up for air and remains subdued in this chaotic blend. [4/5]
‘Common Loon’: Staying on a similar level to that established in ‘Maestro One Chord’, ‘Common Loon’ also has aggressive electronic bass but is also packed with melody, provided by oscillating keys, a light sounding synth and occasional electric guitar licks. The vocals remain subdued, but the instrumentation is more uplifting. It still rides on the chaos that has already been established but also gives the listener something new. [4/5]
‘Pale Flower’: A slight break in proceedings. A persistent synth sound hits, and an organ plays out-of-tune keys as the vocals sound like they are questioning the existence of the song itself. It’s as if the band are unsure whether they want to sing low or high and remain undecided throughout the track. It all adds to the off-kilter feel of it. More depth is given later on in the track, but this is a relatively light-sounding number compared to those that came before. [3.5/5]
‘Veneficium’: One of the most rock-heavy tracks on the album. Imagine if the Phantom of the Opera collaborated with Led Zeppelin; you would get something like this. Organ sounds mimic electric guitars, and the bass runs, despite their complexity, merge into one long alternating note because of the unprecedented levels of distortion and fuzz added to them. [4/5]
‘Sleep Blvd’: A Jekyll and Hyde of a song. You have subdued, slow and serene to start, which transforms to aggressive and unpredictable in parts. The steady plucking guitar and tranquil lyrics that make up most of the song are interrupted by banging drums, distortion and screams. This isn’t a song to listen to if you want to feel a particular way. This is a journey through sound that you can strap in for and enjoy. [3.5/5]
‘T.D.F.T.W’: If you’ve never heard a track that sounds like it’s in a hurry, you will do with this—a fugue state of an experience that passes you by quickly. Synths are off-piece and menacing, lyrics are sung with little rhythm attached and any change in melody is dismissed as quickly as it’s introduced. ‘T.D.F.T.W’ is certainly the kind of song that will divide audiences, but if you like messy and aggravating music that still has great talent at its core, you’ll love it. [4.5/5]
‘Bobby Bland’: “A mother and father don’t have to be a biological disaster” is sung hesitantly on a song that is cut off after 40 seconds in favour of disassociated noise, electronic water droplets and random out-of-key hits on a piano. Rhythm is found again slightly after, but any beat provided by drum machines, any lyrics, are all heard with trepidation, as the unpredictability throughout this track truly gives it its edge. [3.5/5]
‘Piña, Coconut & Cherry’: Another healthy heap of sonic rebellion to see us on our way. The final song is much calmer than others on this album, mostly made up of toned-down vocals and a steady beat. That being said, there are moments of unease, screams of “fantasy” over a more distorted bass and a break in proceedings as lazar cannons are heard firing, reminding us of the album we’re trapped inside. You can revel in or despise it, but the former is much more fun. [4/5]
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