If you don’t know Xiu Xiu, (Pronounced: Shu-Shu) you will probably fear for your life and wonder if Jamie Stewart is mildly schizophrenic. If you do know Xiu Xiu, your heart gets torn out by his songs, danced on, and then put back in your body when you are reminded he probably is mildly schizophrenic.

His wild, atonal moaning vocals are backed this time around by a much more lush full sound that is different from La Foret’s electronic glitchiness or previous albums eerie silences. Similar to other hard-hitting albums, Women as Lovers deals with topics from abortion to nationalism to child abuse. The album is as creepy as it is poignant and emotionally challenging. But what can you expect from the morose geniuses that are Xiu Xiu?

Personally I found this album much more listenable than many of the previous, with the rich sound of the first track and its free jazzy breakdown starting the record strong. While sometimes I just can’t take any more of his vocals, I feel they are used much more deliberately than in other more frantic compositions.

And really, you should at least listen to this album for the Xiu Xiu/ Michael Gira (Angels of Light/Young God Records) collaboration covering David Bowie’s “Under Pressure.” It makes you want to sing along, but has a desperation and anxiety about it unique to the Xiu Xiu sound.

As always, surreal; and here is a beautiful Xiu Xiu cover by the lovely Melissa Nadler.

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