What if Jamie Stewart has tricked us all? Maybe he’s pulled a fast one with Xiu Xiu’s upcoming album, Always? For all I know, he’s been strolling down sidewalks with wagons of puppies and reading The Lorax to kindergartners and maybe writing songs about unicorns dancing in fields of ice cream cones. Hell, what if Always is downright cheerful?
It’s not (surprise!). Stewart discussed his inspirations for each track over at Spin and mentioned topics such as “living a rotted punk house in Seattle” and “feeling impossibly imperiled by the fragility and cruelty of Earth.” I’m just going to hazard a guess and say this means he won’t be zipping around in a cloud mobile with Care Bears when Xiu Xiu embarks on their world tour in March, but Dirty Beaches will be along for the ride, and so will Yamantaka // Sonic Titan as well as Father Murphy.
Speaking of Dirty Beaches, who earned the #17 spot on our end-of-the-year list with Badlands (TMT Review) — how about pairing Alex Zhang Hungtai’s lo-fi rockabilly with Xiu Xiu’s noisy freakouts? They’ll be releasing a limited-edition split 7-inch for Record Store Day — just a little music for those times you feel like wandering through swamps at midnight with the ghost of Elvis.
Before that, however, Xiu Xiu will release RARE, which includes 16 songs off various 7-inches and compilations as well as a few bonus tracks, all ranging from 2002-2011. The album also includes three EPs: Fag Patrol, Tu Mi Piaci (acoustic covers), and Creep Show (a collaboration with Grouper). RARE will see a March 6 release via Xiu Xiu’s website, the same day as Always, which will be out via Polyvinyl.
Xiu Xiu/Dirty Beaches 7-inch:
A. “Always” (Xiu Xiu covering Erasure)
B. “Tu Ne Dis Rien” (Dirty Beaches covering Francoise Hardy)
Tourdates:
03.11.12 - Den Bosch, Netherlands - FebriQ Festival
03.12.12 - Bristol, UK - The Fleece
03.13.12 - Manchester, UK - The Ruby Lounge
03.14.12 - Glasgow, UK - The Captain’s Rest
03.15.12 - Brighton, UK - Sticky Mikes Frog Bar
03.16.12 - London, UK - Rich Mix
03.17.12 - Lille, France - La Peniche
03.18.12 - Paris, France - Point Ephemere
03.19.12 - Strasbourg, France - Stimultania
03.21.12 - Bordeaux, France - Le Saint Ex
03.22.12 - San Sebastian, Spain - Lugaritz
03.23.12 - Murcia, Spain - Microsonidos
03.24.12 - Barcelona, Spain - Sala Be Cool
03.25.12 - Santander, Spain - Black Bird
03.27.12 - Madrid, Spain - Teatro Lara
03.28.12 - Valencia, Spain - El Loco
03.29.12 - Seville, Spain - Malandar
03.31.12 - Marseille, France - Grim
04.01.12 - St. Gallen, Switzerland - Grabenhalle
04.02.12 - Bologna, Italy - Locomotiv Club
04.03.12 - Milan, Italy - Salumeria della Musica
04.05.12 - St. Petersburg, Russia - Zal Ozhidaniya Club
04.06.12 - Moscow, Russia - Avant Fest
04.07.12 - Istanbul, Turkey - Salon IKSV
04.09.12 - Vienna, Austria - WUK
04.10.12 - Munich, Germany - Kranhalle
04.11.12 - Berlin, Germany - Festsaal Kreuzberg
04.12.12 - Hamburg, Germany - Kampnagel
04.13.12 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Stengade 30
04.14.12 - Stockholm, Sweden - Strand
04.16.12 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - OT301
04.17.12 - Brussels, Belgium - Botanique
04.18.12 - Ghent, Belgium - Vooruit
05.01.12 - Raleigh, NC - Kings Barcade
05.02.12 - Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel *
05.03.12 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church *
05.04.12 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom *
05.05.12 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East Downstairs *
05.07.12 - Northampton, MA - Iron Horse *
05.08.12 - Portland, ME - SPACE Gallery *
05.09.12 - Montreal, QC - La Sala Rossa *
05.11.12 - Ottawa, ON - Mavericks *
05.12.12 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Place *
05.14.12 - Pontiac, MI - Crofoot Ballroom - Pike Room *
05.15.12 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Pyramid Scheme *
05.17.12 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall *
05.18.12 - Madison, WI - Memorial Union Terrace *
05.19.12 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Social Club *
05.21.12 - Omaha, NE - Waiting Room *
05.22.12 - Lawrence, KS - The Jackpot Saloon
05.23.12 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater *
05.24.12 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge *
05.27.12 - Seattle, WA - Neumos (Barboza room) ^
05.28.12 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret ^
05.29.12 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge ^
05.31.12 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill ^
06.01.12 - Los Angeles, CA - Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock ^
06.02.12 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar ^
06.05.12 - Marfa, TX - Padre’s ^
06.06.12 - Austin, TX - The Mohawk ^
06.07.12 - New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks ^
06.08.12 - Birmingham, AL - Bottletree ^
06.09.12 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl ^
* Dirty Beaches, Father Murphy
^ Yamantaka // Sonic Titan, Father Murphy
• Xiu Xiu: http://xiuxiu.org
• Dirty Beaches: http://dirtybeaches.blogspot.com
• Polyvinyl: http://www.polyvinylrecords.com
