Xiu Xiu 
La Foret
5 Rue Christine, 2005
By Andrew Nicholas McCann Smith
Xiu Xiu is one of the few fag bands around. The others remaining in the endangered species list are Peaches, Antony & The Johnsons, and The Hidden Cameras. Since emo took hold, male hipsters have become effeminate, metro, bi, and asexual: these hipster males are no longer aggressive mate-seekers and concert-goers. Blatant fag bands have become the reaction to this popular effeminacy. Xiu Xiu, a changing band under the direction of Jamie Stewart, has been at the forefront of the fag music movement since they began releasing shock albums such as Knife Play and A Promise, which features a naked Asian man on the cover holding a baby-doll to his genitals. Xiu Xiu’s genius seems to be the blend of touchingly sentimental shock lyrics and experimental recording techniques. Everything on a good Xiu Xiu album becomes blatant: from lyrics about dismembering parents and oral sex to hyperaware production of thick synthesizers and big percussion crashes.
La Foret is probably the tamest of their releases; it seems to lack the imagination and brilliance of earlier albums, like Fabulous Muscles from a year ago. The songs are not nearly as daring, and I swear there are moments where Stewart just copies sections of Fabulous Muscles. For instance, “Muppet Face” on La Foret maintains an almost identical chorus to “Crank Heart” on Fabulous Muscles. La Foret does succeed, in a kind of psychological closeness never quite felt in his earlier works. Knife Play was heavily distanced and character-driven; Fabulous Muscles was much more about the dynamics of a relationship. La Foret is an album of intimate pillow-talk and minor eruptions between a close couple. It begins with a sparse guitar and Stewart singing in his wispy voice. A xylophone enters with a cello. The melody is slow; harmonies are sparse; the song ends with a metallic crack of the xylophone. Thankfully, the production on this album is gorgeous: simple, effective, and clear. Other songs, like “Ale”, have just clarinets, vocals, and a bit of background noise.
Though La Foret is not shocking, its sincerity won me over quickly. Xiu Xiu’s sweet straining voice has left me listening to this album over and over — a strong release of 2005.
