Xiu Xiu does not create music you can easily ignore: love or hate, you will have an opinion. They are avant-garde, experimental, with every track like a sometimes-great, sometimes-insane recording session that the band was just enjoying too much to end.Singer Jamie Stewart’s voice is shaky, unstable, on the verge of complete breakdown. With spoken, sung, screamed, and whispered lyrics – sometimes all within the same song – screeching sound effects, and crashing, discordant piano, Xiu Xiu is never what you expect, and does not often go where you think. Yet they have an appeal, if only to see where they’ll lead you next. But a word of warning: don’t listen before going to sleep; they may give you nightmares. Try them out with I Luv the Valley OH!, and if you can manage it, catch them at the Mohawk this Saturday.
