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\u00a0<\/em>The idea that beauty can be extracted from suffering is a bristling comfort, but a comfort nonetheless. Jamie Stewart has mastered this alchemic process in his 15-year post as Xiu Xiu<\/a> founder and frontman. As we await impending doom \u2013 perhaps a nuclear fiasco, the severing of civil rights, or xenophobic federal doctrines \u2013 the thought that artistic expression has always withstood tragedy is a bite-sized bit of optimism. In a way, Xiu Xiu\u2019s music is an anthem for this tiny silver lining.<\/p>\n

Xiu Xiu\u2019s latest record FORGET <\/em>pulses with the blood of creative perseverance despite despair. Stewart summons a broad palette of emotion throughout, with the help of Xiu Xiu\u2019s Angela Seo and Shayna Dunkelman, as well as appearances by Deerhoof\u2019s Greg Saunier, Charlemagne Palestine, performance artist Vaginal Davis and more. What some have dismissed as \u201cexasperating\u201d and \u201cpredictable\u201d<\/a> is in fact a dynamic and stimulating work, straddling the gamut of Xiu Xiu\u2019s sonic potential.<\/p>\n

FORGET <\/em>kicks off in a brash way, with crass rap snippets by Enyce Smith on opening cut \u201cThe Call.\u201d This jolt of agitation displaces us before the Xiu Xiu-typical gothic fog has even rolled in. Stewart\u2019s gloomy croon glides over us, recalling Peter Murphy of Bauhaus \u2013 its sex appeal justifying its dreary malevolence. Smith\u2019s snarling raps weave throughout \u201cThe Call,\u201d adding provocative discordance. Though the effect might not work on paper, it is successful in sound.<\/p>\n

Despite being the record\u2019s most melodic, even uplifting track, \u201cWondering\u201d triumphs as Xiu Xiu\u2019s most strident \u201cfuck you;\u201d defying their own experimental legacy with a glittering pop song. Only Xiu Xiu could write a song so infectiously catchy and dance-enhancing that you don\u2019t realize the words you are singing along with\u2026namely: \u201cDown on your knees\/Swallow defeat<\/em>.\u201d It may be muffled, distorted, and strange, but Xiu Xiu\u2019s unconventional production doesn\u2019t rob the track of any sweetness. Without a scrap of hyperbole, one might call \u201cWondering\u201d among the best pop songs ever written.<\/p>\n