Oakland Band Xiu Xiu 1/29 Release "Women As Lovers": Reviewed, Live Cuts, Video

(Video for "I Do What I Want When I Want")
(Link to buy the album)
Going to an Oakland noise-rock show by Xiu Xiu (shoo-shoo) will be loud, quiet, a little emo, a little embarassing, and kind of ballsy. That's because Xiu Xiu makes Art with a capital A, which is good for people who need challenging music, and everyone else can fuck off. Here's an excerpted review of "Women as Lovers":

I guess there is no need for dramatic changes since the band’s sound is already so original and the music is always so engaging. It is interesting though to hear saxophone on their cover of "Under Pressure" as I don’t ever recall hearing the saxophone on any Xiu Xiu songs – the saxophone addition sounds like something out of the Lost Highway soundtrack. The bottom-line is, if you are a longtime Xiu Xiu fan, you will enjoy Women as Lovers; however, if you were never a fan of Xiu Xiu’s music, you are probably not going to be crazy about this release.

A link to samples of all songs from "Women as Lovers".

Legal links to tracks:
I Do What I Want When I Want
http://www.krs5rc.com/krs/bands/xiuxiu/audio/IDoWhatWantWhenIWant.mp3
FTW
http://www.krs5rc.com/krs/bands/xiuxiu/audio/FTW.mp3

More reviewage:

Lots of mixed emotions, a continuum of morose atmopheres, and drop-in vocal arrangements really make this album rather easy on the ears.

An an excerpt from a recent interview repost from uberdrivel:

“I feel really mixed about it. Downloading something for free is stealing from a store or a merch table. It’s inherently disrespectful,” says Stewart. On the other hand, the accessibility of the internet has created fans of Xiu Xiu in areas of the world where albums wouldn’t necessarily be available in physical form. “We played at Guadalajara and Serbia, which wouldn’t have happened unless someone had ripped us off,” says Stewart.

Upcoming local date: Apr 12, Bottom of the Hill san francisco, California

Link to where you can download an 8-song live Xiu Xiu set featuring two songs off the new release.