Inscrutable, voyeuristic, cathartic; the music of Xiu Xiu lies solidly in a negative space between pure art experimentation and accessible rock bloodletting.
Originally formed in 2002 by Jamie Stewart, the band has existed in many forms with members joining and departing. With Stewart remaining the core member, Xiu Xiu has solidified into a three-piece of Stewart, Angela Seo and David Kendrick.
The band churns out difficult albeit melodic music reminiscent of Yoko Ono, Throbbing Gristle and early Sonic Youth, while holding art-rock royalty status alongside contemporaries like Perfume Genius and Anonhi. Their breakthrough album, 2004's Fabulous Muscles, secured their place as masters of intense, personal and oft-disturbing music that rejected instantly quantifiable genre descriptions.
During our phone interview ahead of this weekend's show at Conduit, we inquired about the quintessential Xiu Xiu fan. "Our audience is an incredibly broad group of people interested in goth, industrial, deep experimental music, serious noise," says Stewart, "and some people interested in pop are also in there."
Twenty years into recording and performing, Xiu Xiu just released its 17th studio album, 13" Frank Beltrame Stiletto With Bison Horn Grips, for the Polyvinyl imprint. When asked what inspires them to continue recording and touring they offered up this insight: "I think it is something that is biological that compels me to do it. Also, frankly, I am completely nuts and it is the thing that allows my mind to be organized in a constructive rather than a self-destructive way. So it is as much as an obsession as it is self-preservation."
Xiu Xiu's sound has evolved and morphed in many ways throughout their career, ranging from sparse atmospherics to maximalist juggernaut rage. Every album offers something unexpected, yet remains within a recognizable Xiu Xiu milieu. The latest record does not fail to deliver on that unpredictability.
"I remain surprised we made a guitar record," muses Stewart. "We never try to argue with what the musical universe is presenting to us and just try to get out of the way and allow what's going to happen to happen. And what seemed to be happening with the record is a lot of riffs, which is kind of antithetical to my musical interests but at the same time I don't want to argue with the muse. And that was what she was presenting."
With their recorded work often densely layered with distorted and synthesized sounds, it can be difficult to bring those songs to the stage. When pressed about how the live show sounds in relation to the studio recordings, Stewart was quick to respond. "We never feel beholden to what a record sounds like. ... The music is deceptively difficult to play and requires a tremendous amount of rehearsal. The parts aren't all that difficult, but the arrangements have a lot of subtlety and a lot of push and pull. It is extraordinarily rehearsed but within that we always try to leave some room for spontaneity."
While Stewart admits that their drive to be in the studio recording edges out his desire to perform, they understand the importance of live connection. "We make records and play shows so that people can get something out of them, whatever that may be, and hopefully individual to them," says Stewart. "The point of playing live is to connect with the people who are there ... that back-and-forth of two parties."
Xiu Xiu have consistently challenged themselves to expand the parameters of what being a rock band can mean, whether it be clandestine museum performances, long-form compositions or dirty barroom floors.
"Any opportunity to explore a topic creatively is an extraordinary stroke of good fortune, and we basically say yes to almost anything. We work in performance art, we've done a bit of film scoring, we've done some music for dance and obviously played a trillion concerts and made a lot of records," says Stewart. "It's not all from the same place, but it is for the same reason. To participate and connect with whatever the muse is laying out there and experiment with that. Any form of that is worth exploring."
When asked what all that experimentation and exploring has revealed, Stewart presents a bon mot of wisdom.
"Music is completely an ingenious and unsolvable puzzle, both boring and extraordinarily exciting. As long as you mean it, it doesn't matter what it is; as long as it is done honestly, the form is irrelevant," explains Stewart. "It is about content and intent. People can relate to any form as long as you put yourself into it. It could be Morton Feldman or it could be AC/DC. I am surprised that anything good happens in life ever, but I mostly feel incredibly fortunate that we get to interact with people who are interested in what we do."
At the very least, there will be something good happening in life for Orlando on Saturday night at Conduit (Oct. 5).
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