Xiu Xiu - Knife Play

I believe that it would be fair to assume that the majority of true art delivers its virility with a sense of cathartic release – previously restrained emotion finally seething into our tangible world. However, Xiu Xiu [pronounced “show show” or “shoe shoe”] take art and warp it into insanity and dismantle catharticism into utter dementia. At least in the first few tracks of Knife Play - their latest release on oddity independent imprint 5RC - that is. Although as Knife Play progresses you hear vocalist Jamie Stewart calm down to off kilter whispers beneath avalanches of converging synth-noise, Knife Play’s first two tracks would drive away the weak hearted and light stomached alike. “Don Diasco” and “I Broke Up” are truly the sound of a man’s consciousness breaking the stitched seams of saneness with lyrics such as [and I am not making this up], “This is the worst vacation ever/ I am going to cut open your forehead with a roofing shingle.” As sadistic as it is, lines such as that imbed mystery and desire to unravel the truths behind such lunacy. However, after you sink your ears into the tumultuous synthesized drum machines and dementia influenced vocal tendencies, Xiu Xiu compiles seemingly aimless bells, horns, vibraphones and keyboards into chasms of orchestrated cacophony. Knife Play resides as a haunting confluence of noise abstraction that is seemingly doomed to little more than cult status due to the outlandish lyrical content and eccentric notions of junk-tronica. Xiu Xiu acts as a blender of an obtuse angle of instruments that are mixed together in a fashion that is not pretty or beautiful by any means, but cohesive enough to flesh out a complete album of dark motifs and odd rhythms. If nothing else, it’s an interesting listen – but replay of such an obtrusion wears thin. [www.xiuxiu.org]