Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Christina Vantzou - No. 4 about 1 hour ago
  • The Fangasm: The Midnight Organ Fight by Frightened Rabbit about 3 hours ago
  • Laura Veirs - The Lookout 1 day ago
  • Eels - The Deconstruction 1 day ago
  • A Place To Bury Strangers - Pinned 1 day ago
  • "I am fascinated by art that asks a lot of questions": DiS Meets Jenny Wilson 1 day ago
  • Planet Gear: Erland Cooper 2 days ago
  • Evolution and Equilibrium: DiS Meets Wye Oak 3 days ago
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

Xiu Xiu

La Foret

Label: 5 Rue Christine Release Date: 18/07/2005

9094
Jordan_229_2 by Jordan Dowling August 4th, 2005

Most fans of Xiu Xiu know of the background story of Jamie Stewart, driving force of Xiu Xiu, of his dysfunctional upbringing and his obsessive documentation of his life as a child. Those who don't can Google-search, as there is enough to write of La Foret,the fifth full-length Xiu Xiu album, without commentating on the life of its creator.

That doesn't mean that personal experiences should be discredited. An album as honest and chilling as this one couldn't be written without a traumatic childhood. At a time where nu-metal and emo 'artists' trade false negativities for platinum albums Jamie's gloomy and fractured meditations ring true to a level previously untouched.

"So will it ever stop? Will it always be this hard?" he asks during 'Bog People'. The fact that this is one of the most light-hearted and conventional tracks on the album shows the depths that he goes into.

Jamie's vocals and his backing band (because he IS Xiu Xiu) are the perfect carrier to these tales of uncertainty and peril. On opener 'Clover' he creates the sound of Jeff Buckley's Lilac Wine being spiked with a near lethal combination of LSD and morphine. ‘Muppet Face' is the track that British Sea Power would create if they were manic-depressives instead of mild eccentrics.

Elsewhere his mumblings (to say he sings would be a stretch) bring to mind Tindersticks, but the music remains intriguing and entirely spontaneous. Wherever calming atmospherics lie, screaming synth parts and snappy drums haunt in the background, ready to pounce.

Comparisons to early Mogwai could be drawn in the way that some tracks effloresce at what seems like random moments, and others never do, leaving you on the edge of your seat for minutes on end.

If I were to judge this album on previous releases I would say that overall it doesn't reach the level that Fabulous Muscles or even Knife Play reached. But to judge a Xiu Xiu record in regards to anything else, even itself, is something that should not be done.

Easy listening this amn't, but if you want a rollercoaster ride into deep recessions and to be thrilled by the sounds that surround you, then this could be the perfect album for you.

  • 8
    Jordan Dowling's Score
Log-in to rate this record out of 10
Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


LATEST


  • Christina Vantzou

    No. 4


  • The Fangasm: The Midnight Organ Fight by Frightened Rabbit


  • Laura Veirs

    The Lookout


  • Eels

    The Deconstruction


  • A Place To Bury Strangers

    Pinned


  • "I am fascinated by art that asks a lot of questions": DiS Meets Jenny Wilson



Left-arrow

Nine Inch Nails

Only

Mobback
9096
9099

Chimaira

Chimaira

Mobforward
Right-arrow


LATEST

    review


    Christina Vantzou - No. 4

  • 105534
  • Column


    The Fangasm: The Midnight Organ Fight by Fright...

  • 105533

    review


    Laura Veirs - The Lookout

  • 105532
  • review


    Eels - The Deconstruction

  • 105531

    review


    A Place To Bury Strangers - Pinned

  • 105530
  • Interview


    "I am fascinated by art that asks a lot of ques...

  • 105529

    Planet Gear


    Planet Gear: Erland Cooper

  • 105528
  • Interview


    Evolution and Equilibrium: DiS Meets Wye Oak

  • 105527
MORE


    feature


    A Month in Records: August 2008

  • 33467
  • review


    Coldplay - Ghost Stories

  • 95631

    review


    Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

  • 7335
  • feature


    Cursive - Six Recorded Highlights

  • 45147

    review


    Sonic Youth - Nurse

  • 6044
  • review


    Kate Nash - Made Of Bricks

  • 26283

    DiScover


    DiScover: Friendly Fires

  • 93726
  • news


    DiS curates the #IndependentMusicMonday Playlist

  • 101788
MORE

Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2018 DROWNED IN SOUND