Dear God, I Hate Myself
Xiu Xiu
Score:69
Reviewer: Chris Familton
Label: Kill Rock Stars (USA)
Reviewed: Mar 9th '10, Released:2010
Jamie Stewart has operated under the Xiu Xiu moniker and variations of it for a decade now. Over this time his music has been defined by a fusion of disparate sounds and styles and this is continued on his latest, Dear God, I Hate Myself. Thankfully, even with the trademark genre shifts, the album also is one of his more accessible to date and is probably closest in spirit to 2004’s Fabulous Muscles.
Swinging drastically between guitar-driven, electro and elegant dark pop songs, Dear God is partly defined by its styles, but it's Stewart's voice that ties it all together. A recent touchstone for the effect of his singing is Antony Hegarty. While their voices are vastly different, both vocalists are the most important and definitive factors in their music. 'Grey Death', the track that opens the album, showcases this with Stewart’s voice riding on top of surging strums and orchestral piano and strings.
On Dear God Stewart puts his voice to good use with some melodic songwriting. Catchy choruses abound ('Chocolate Makes You Happy' is perhaps the best), and infectious melodies seem to emerge in even the most experimental of songs. But then with Xiu Xiu there is always a twist. And, as if not wanting to settle into a comfort level, Stewart will throw in a song like 'Apple For A Brain', highlighting the electronic aspects of his sound. While the bleeps and burbles serve as contrast, they undermine the pure pop accessibility in his songwriting.
Most of the rewarding moments on the album are found when Xiu Xiu keeps things simple. For example, the folk-pop song 'Cumberland Gap'. It's centred around a light-stepping banjo leading the melody over its brief duration. It is moments of restraint like this one, not so much those where Xiu Xiu really branch out, where Stewart is at his best. When he's in his 'mad inventor' mode, on tracks like the eccentric 'Secret Motel', his melodic touch is severely watered down. This makes certain songs difficult to listen to and reduces the impact of the album overall.
On Dear God, I Hate Myself, Stewart is bombastic, willfully discordant and occasionally melodic. While he doesn't always get the mix right, there are some good songs on the album that lift it above the pack. Sadly, some difficult moments stop it reaching any further than that.
