Album Rating: 3.5

Awful is all….awful

Album Rating: 4.0

Revisiting this revealed some rather good things, but also some disappointments. It’s certainly not the boldest Xiu Xiu.

Album Rating: 4.0

Just now discovering this band and man do they have some compelling shit. First 3 records are all insanely good

Album Rating: 4.0

Yep. Knife Play is an all-timer. The Air Force still to come (oh boy, essential!) and don't skip Angel Guts

enormous discog tho, so take your time (I still haven't heard everything tbh)

Album Rating: 4.0

Noted, thanks! For some reason I made the mistake of thinking Fag Patrol was their first, which, while it is nice, the original versions of the songs on there are universally better. Band is so challenging in the best way, can’t wait to hear those records when I move past these first 3

Album Rating: 2.0

I liked this back in the day but I just can’t listen to it whatsoever now. Much prefer their latter day material

Album Rating: 4.0

Fabulous Muscles doesn't justify its standing, but otherwise the earlier stuff has a lot to offer including their top 2 releases, so nah.

The Air Force is fantastic

Knife Play is incomparable and devastating, incredible album

Album Rating: 2.0

I just don’t get what’s special about this one. Idk, it’s the Low thing all over again: think their earlier stuff pales in comparison to their last 3-4 albums and that def applies to these guys too. Far as I can tell, Oh No is better than any of their early day material and Ignore Grief is prob the best thing they’ve done that I’ve heard so far

Album Rating: 4.0

I get it with Low, happen to agree in fact (even though I do also really enjoy early Low)

I seriously cannot understand it with Xiu Xiu. Ignore Grief is cool, but missing a lot of the elements that made them special to begin with. It's good in a 'eerie background music' kind of way, but doesn't offer the wilful engagement of their peak. OH NO is a weird one for me. It's a hodgepodge of ideas that's almost equal part intriguing yet simultaneously throwaway, likely due to the struggle of tying it all together in any meaningful way - a singles album if anything.

If we're arguing for those albums over this one, then maybe I can contort my mind to see things in a different light, but to take their earlier stuff as whole, no chance. Knife Play is one of my fave all-time albums and I'm yet to hear anything with a comparable atmosphere

Album Rating: 3.5

i think their newer stuff is ok but none of it compares to songs like apistat commander, hives hives, i love the valley oh, etc

Album Rating: 2.0

I absolutely despise Apistat Commander but like the other two you mentioned. Their debut is actually pretty solid after listening to it a few times.



Their new album rly isn’t comparable to their stuff before it, but it’s their best for me. Not exactly accessible listening but I think what they managed to do was very impressive. Oh No has a few throwaway tracks for sure, altho far less than their first few albums imo

Album Rating: 3.5

what dont you like about apistat commander? i feel like its their most epic song and has some of the coolest use of electronics ive heard

Album Rating: 4.0

It does beat ass yeah

Album Rating: 4.5

Xiu Xiu is a lot more consistent quality (at least on the LPs) than they get credit for tbh



Don’t have a single album lower than a 3.5

Album Rating: 4.5

Apistat Commander is just about a perfect song yeah

Album Rating: 4.0

Knife Play is so monumental that it renders them inconsistent almost by default. It’s admittedly unfair to expect an adherence to such unrealistic standards tho

to be fair there’s at least like 4(?) Xiu Xiu albums I haven’t even heard, so I should probably get on with that (I’m legitimately awful at finishing ‘large’ discogs - started 15 years ago? Nah, not long enough for me)

In my defence there was a significant break until I revisited them a few years back, had only heard this and The Air Force (CDs) at that point in time

For me it's the middle period that's the weak link in their discography. Knife Play through Air Force, then Angel Guts through Ignore Grief, all bangers. Hell of a batting average tbh, what a band.

Album Rating: 4.0

Yep, that's the exact period I haven't yet heard (and that's probably why). I wanted to save myself the potential disappointment I guess?

It makes sense to at least find out because sometimes these things aren't always what they seem. Nothing ventured, nothing gained

Album Rating: 2.0

I just find the hook grating in Apistat, and the verses are basically nothing.



I think Knife Play is several orders of magnitude better than this, and it’s become my favourite of their first 4 albums (still working my way through)

Album Rating: 2.0

This fucking blowz lmao.