I can’t believe it’s been nearly 10 years since the release of Xiu Xiu’s first album, Knife Play. Maybe it’s just me, but doesn’t it feel like it’s been more around eight years? Strange how time works! Anyway, while it’d make much sense for Jamie Stewart to release his 10th album during the 10th year of Xiu Xiu’s existence, he is going to instead release his 7th album, Always. Not only does this mean that, on March 6, you’ll be hearing a new 12-track Xiu Xiu album (courtesy of Polyvinyl), but it also means that he kinda sorta owes us two more albums.
Whether or not he’ll release two more new albums between now and March 6 is still up in the air (but likely, says my friend Joe who reads The New York Times every single day), but Always is most definitely brought to you by yet another new lineup, which includes Angela Seo, Bettina Escauriza, Marc Riordan, and Devin Hoff. The album will reportedly tackle such topics as sexual objectification, murder, family tragedy, incest, and molestation. Now, I’m all for having a laugh, but sometimes I wish Stewart would take on some serious issues. I can only laugh at incest so many times, you know? Anyway, check out the album’s first single, “Hi,” right here:
Stewart will also be releasing A Neo Tropical Companion, a haiku book, in March via Uitgeverij (you can order through Polyvinyl too), while a world tour is in the works for spring. We’ll keep you updated about the tour and those two albums that my friend Joe assures us will be coming out soon.
Always tracklist:
01. Hi
02. Joey’s Song
03. Beauty Towne
04. Honeysuckle
05. I Luv Abortion
06. The Oldness
07. Chimneys Afire
08. Gul Mudin
09. Born to Suffer
10. Factory Girls
11. Smear the Queen
12. Black Drum Machine
• Xiu Xiu: http://xiuxiu.org
• Polyvinyl: http://www.polyvinylrecords.com
[Photo: Jeremy Lange]
