Xiu Xiu: A Promise (Colored Vinyl) Vinyl LP

OG Sad boys 2003. On what is still probably the most resonant Xiu Xiu release to date, frontman and principle songwriter Jamie Stewart weaves dark tales over tense, hypersexual electronic arrangements that spike and bubble back down into softness. The quiet, whispered passages are as compelling as the noise rock freakouts. Highlights include “Pink City,” “Walnut House,” “Blacks,” “Brooklyn Dodgers,” “Ian Curtis Wishlist” (Stewart: "an Ian Curtis wish list is a list of things that you have convinced yourself that you want to have happen, but you know that are never going to happen”) and “Fast Car,” which somehow manages to sound even more vulnerable than Tracy Chapman’s version. Don’t put this on in the background; this is a record that demands a close, attentive listen, one of those rare albums that’s perfectly suited for the vinyl format. This pressing replaces the original NSFW sleeve with new artwork, including the original baby doll but not the original naked Vietnamese prostitute. Full-color printed inner sleeve contains photos and extensive liner notes written in 2017 by Jamie Stewart.

• magenta + clear splatter split colored vinyl
• full color printed inner sleeve
• 2017 liner notes by Jamie Stewart
• limited edition
• music label: Graveface Records 2018

reviewed by frau farbissina 03/2018