#sad mezcalita

[ringmodulation]

I have only ever been special to you

You were so much more than only special to me

[demoarchivedagain]

sad mezcalita

[cloevr]

[kalaharidown]

♫ heyyyy

don't shoot (i'm a man) by devo

tug of war by calva louise

winterbreak by muna

sad mezcalita by xiu xiu feat. sharon van etten

forrest gump by frank ocean

[exile-on-uwustreet]

you're so much more than only special to me

[ohrenoir]

Xiu Xiu - Sad Mezcalita

[feversxmirrors]

@alsophila-grahami tagged me to spell out your url with song titles, thank you love!

fly on the windscreen by depeche mode

easy/lucky/free by bright eyes

valley by perfume genius

entertain me by soft cell

road by nick drake

sad mezcalita by xiu xiu and sharon van etten

xxoplex by a.g. cook

most beautiful bitter fruit by la dispute

i got the hots by the soft boys

roadrunner by the modern lovers

romanesque by buck-tick

on my fingers by iceage

right round the clock by sorry

spark by tori amos

tagging whoever wants to do this! just make sure to tag me in your post so i can see it (•:

[dustedmagazine]

Xiu Xiu — Oh No (Polyvinyl)

OH NO by Xiu Xiu

If you’ve heard “A Bottle of Rum,” the dreamy first single from Oh No featuring Grouper’s Liz Harris, then you may have been suckered into imagining Xiu Xiu are going soft on us. No such reprieve (the clue is there in the title). An album of duets, Oh No is as prickly and confrontational as much of Xiu Xiu’s discography, with the guest vocalists blending into Jamie Stewart and Angela Seo’s nightmarish soundworld to such an extent that it can be difficult to discern outside involvement. Though there’s no mistaking the voices of Liz Harris, Liars’ Angus Andrew, or Owen Pallett, for example, many of the other vocalists integrate seamlessly with Jamie Stewart’s polarizing vibrato and the largely bleak musical vocabulary of these songs.

Xiu Xiu have a reputation for keeping you poised on the edge of your seat, like watching a horror movie and waiting for the boogie man to jump out of the shadows. Being averse to music that’s overtly confrontational, I tend to be drawn to the songs that are more conventionally beautiful. Though Sharon Van Etten’s vocal performance on opener “Sad Mezcalita” sounds a little like she’s trying to ape Jamie Stewart’s vocal style, the song is genuinely affecting. Circuit Des Yeux’s Haley Fohr has a tremulous vocal timbre that blends beautifully with Stewart, which makes “The Grifters” an eerie standout. Owen Pallett sounds right at home on the brooding, banjo-spiked melodrama of “I Dream of Someone Else Entirely.” And the cover of The Cure’s “One Hundred Years,” featuring Chelsea Wolfe, is a relatively straight interpretation of the goth-rock classic.

One of Xiu Xiu’s most frustrating tendencies is the way they purposefully, and often gleefully, derail a song with horrifying sounds. “Goodbye For Good,” featuring Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier, who co-produced the album, is genuinely haunting up until its final moments, when it’s overwhelmed by a storm of cymbals and jarring dissonance. The title track’s chiming autoharp lulls the ear, only for the song to periodically erupt with screams and shrieks. “It Bothers Me All The Time,” which features Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater and Loma, is interrupted by what sounds like air rushing out of the neck of dozens of balloons. Though “Rumpus Room,” featuring Liars’ Angus Andrew, has an absurd, lurching gait (“Don’t trip on your skates!”), it somehow works because the guitar-and-drum groove is strangely catchy, plus it clearly doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Xiu Xiu are perpetually walking a knife edge, never shying away from the difficult work of exploring all facets of human experience, from tenderness to cruelty. Oh No isn’t quite the onslaught of 2019’s Girl With Basket of Fruit, nor is it as accessible as 2017’s Forget, which favored a relatively conventional synth-pop sound palette. There are plenty of moments among these 15 songs that are devastating in a way that’s unique to Xiu Xiu, but also moments that leave me frustrated and baffled. Essentially it’s business as usual for this brilliant yet confounding band. They challenge you to turn away, yet reward the brave and patient listener with flashes of startling beauty.

Tim Clarke

[abductionradiation]

This week, Xiu Xiu announced that they will be releasing their 12th studio album Oh No on March 26 via Polyvinyl. To celebrate, the duo released their new single “A Bottle Of Rum” featuring Liz Harris. The track spans just over 3 minutes long and its swirls of dreamy layers will have you entranced. Harris provides her warm vocals, giving “A Bottle Of Rum” a heavenly glow. The music video is directed by Xiu Xiu’s own Angela Seo and she shared:

“This video, as often is with Xiu videos, is an amalgamation of things that I want and am into lately. When I was a kid, I always wanted a video camera and was fascinated with tapes, but couldn't afford one. I'm an adult now, and can buy what I want, so I bought a used mini DV camera. I like how the tapes look, the specific way they capture color, and also the tactile feeling of inserting and ejecting a tape.” She adds: “Also, I've always had a love for noir films and their penchant for shadows, fate, doom, and drama. Our friend and superb drummer David Kendrick (Sparks, Devo, Xiu Xiu) wrote a three part noir story and this is part 1. In keeping with the times, most of this was intentionally DIY, shot alone or with just a couple of friends and a tripod.”

Tracklist:

1. Sad Mezcalita (Sharon Van Etten) 2. I Cannot Resist (Deb Demure / Drab Majesty) 3. The Grifters (Haley Fohr) 4. Goodbye For Good (Greg Saunier / Deerhoof) 5. OH NO (Susanne Sachsse) 6. Rumpus Room (Angus Andrew / Liars) 7. Fuzz Gong Fight (Angela Seo / Xiu Xiu) 8. I Dream of Someone Else Entirely (Owen Pallett) 9. One Hundred Years (Chelsea Wolfe) [The Cure cover] 10. A Classic Screw (Fabrizio Modonese Palumbo) 11. It Bothers Me All the Time (Jonathan Meiburg / Shearwater) 12. Saint Dymphna (George Lewis Jr. / Twin Shadow) 13. Knock Out (Alice Bag) 14. A Bottle of Rum (Liz Harris) 15. ANTS (Valerie Diaz)

Xiu Xiu · A Bottle of Rum

Connect with Xiu Xiu:

Official Site | Facebook | Instagram

[musicdiaries]

Xiu Xiu - Sad Mezcalita (feat. Sharon Van Etten)

[laszonasabisales]

Xiu Xiu - Oh No

[musicpromoapp]

Watch Xiu Xiu and Sharon Van Etten’s New “Sad Mezcalita” Video

Watch Xiu Xiu and Sharon Van Etten’s New “Sad Mezcalita” Video

Xiu Xiu have released a music video for their new song “Sad Mezcalita.” The track appears on OH NO, the group’s new LP of duets that also arrived today. “Sad Mezcalita” features Sharon Van Etten, who makes a cameo in the music video directed by Xiu Xiu’s Angela Seo. Check it out below. In a statement, Seo said that the spare, noir style of the video is a “tribute to the loss, crime, bleakness,…

[losangeleslovesyou]

XIU XIU : SAD MEZCALITA