13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto With Bison Horn Grip - Xiu Xiu: Review
Review by Lavender:
Xiu Xiu are a California-based experimental music outfit with more than two decades of critical acclaim under their belt. Since a 2016 covers album of the Twin Peaks soundtrack they've re-ignited critical praise for their music, highlighted by 2019's harrowing Girl With Basket Of Fruit. The last time we heard from the band was on last year's Ignore Grief, an album whose sonic darkness and expanse didn't resonate with all of their fans, even though I liked it quite a bit. Now in their hilariously titled new album 13' Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto With Bison Horn Grip we have a spiritual successor to 2017's Forget. It's a catchier and more accessible version of the band's defining sound, but one that still delivers their gritty production and chaotic arrangements.
I had a pretty strong feeling this album was going to be good based on the singles alone. First came "Common Loon", which I like a lot despite the fact that it may be my least favorite of the three singles. I should get it out of the way immediately that the guitar lick on the song sounds so much like Alice Longyu Gao's "Come 2 Brazil" to me that my opinion on it shouldn't even be trusted. Regardless I like it a lot with the fluttering guitar lines and crashing drums amid an array of shimmering instrumentation.
Next came a split single, both sides of which I absolutely adore. "Arp Omni" is an eerie creeping ballad that serves as the opening track. The song has a great understated vocal performance at its core with the lyric "I've done almost nothing right in my entire adult life" being one of the most memorable things I've ever heard on a Xiu Xiu song. Somehow the B-side "Veneficium" is even better. It's a masterpiece with an unforgettable wiry lead guitar riff and anxiety inducing walls of keys. On top of it all the song is just extraordinarily catchy.
The highlights run into the deep cuts as well. "Buddy Bland" is a thematic standout that sees Xiu Xiu dipping back into their darkness. It has this strange muttering breakdown where Jamie is breathing directly into you ear right in the center with these toy piano keys that all sounds like Ignore Grief. I similarly love "Maestro One Chord" which kicks off in pretty stark contrast to the opening track with a punchy drum beat and these crunchy distorted guitars and screaming transitions. It's very chaotic and yet it piles on catchy moments with each new instrumental addition working wonders.
"Sleep Blvd." is similarly intense with these resilient riffs and distant pounding drums but it features refrains that perfectly cut through all the chaos. The closer "Pina, Coconut & Cherry" features a much stiffer drum line with this horrifying repetition of "fantasy" and later "this is mine, you are mine." It's a great blend of Xiu Xiu stylings both old and new to end the record off on.
I will say the record isn't perfect. "Pale Flower" eventually gets to a pretty interesting conclusion when walls of distortion and booming tribal drums rush in. But unfortunately, it comes after a pretty underwhelming first few minutes. "T.D.F.T.W" is probably my least favorite track on the record as after figuring out it stands for "The devil forgiven, that's why" there isn't much intrigue that remains.
But for the most part, wow. Xiu Xiu continues to drop not just great music but unflinching and strikingly unique great music. They way they've shifted the sonic and thematic approach to their sound over the years while remaining so recognizable is nothing short of amazing. Even though this album feels like a spiritual sequel to Forget, it's a sequel that improves upon the foundation of what came before it and deployed the lessons learned by the band in the years since expertly. Xiu Xiu has been so good for so long that it's almost cliche to say it at this point, but they've done it again. 8.5/10
For more experimental music check out my review of Colin Stetson's The love it took to leave you
