A log of albums I have listened to.
Rating System:
☆☆☆☆☆ = An album that is foundational to my tastes and artistic sensibilities.
☆☆☆☆ = An excellent album that I love and you should listen to.
☆☆☆ = A good album that I recommend.
☆☆ = An album that has some merit, but also has some fatal flaws.
☆ = Skip this.
| Title | Artist | Year | Rating / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dear God I Hate Myself | Xiu Xiu | 2010 | ☆☆☆☆☆ - In my opinion, Dear God I Hate Myself took what Xiu Xiu was doing with Fabulous Muscles and ran with it. There's an almost chiptune quality to the music thanks to the Nintendo DS KORG synthesizer they used. Lyrically, this album has some of the most devestating and disturbing storytelling in their entire discography. Nevertheless, this album has some fucking bops. Highlights: Chocolate Makes You Happy, Apple for a Brain, House Sparrow, Hyunhye's Theme, Dear God I Hate Myself, This Too Shall Pass Away (For Freddy) |
| Fabulous Muscles | Xiu Xiu | 2009 | ☆☆☆☆ - Continuing the same trend as Women As Lovers, this album is very listenable yet still avant-garde. The synthesizers and drum machines are back in full force, and this time they're accompanied by some solid hooks and really nice soundscapes. Highlights: Crank Heart, I Luv the Valley OH!, Fabulous Muscles, Nieces Pieces, Clown Towne |
| Women As Lovers | Xiu Xiu | 2008 | ☆☆☆☆ - Probably the most pleasant sounding Xiu Xiu album. The percussion, horns, guitars, it all sounds very 'organic'. Highlights: I Do What I Want When I Want, F.T.W., No Friend Oh!, Under Pressure |
| La Forêt | Xiu Xiu | 2005 | ☆☆☆ - Here we start to get some bops. Muppet Face remains one of my favorite Xiu Xiu songs, period. Highlights: Muppet Face, Pox, Baby Captain, Ale |
| Fag Patrol | Xiu Xiu | 2003 | ☆☆ - An album of acoustic Xiu Xiu and Ten In The Swear Jar covers. It's nice to see a lot of these songs in a more mellow context. Highlights: Helsabot, King Earth, Dr. Troll, |
| A Promise | Xiu Xiu | 2003 | ☆☆☆☆☆ - This album is strange in that it moves in two directions at once; There are songs here that are much more conventionally structured than in Knife Play. At the same time, there are more low-key and downright bizarre songs in this album. Synthesizers and drum-machines start to shine more. Apistat Commander is a standout song to me that starts off very mellow, and then builds and builds until it crescendos into this explosion of sound. This album also contains the second-best cover of Fast Car. Highlights: Sad Pony Guerilla Girl, Apistat Commander, 20,000 Deaths for Eidelyn Gonzales, 20,000, Deaths for Jamie Peterson, Sad Redux-O-Grapher, Blacks, Brooklyn Dodgers, Fast Car |
| Knife Play | Xiu Xiu | 2002 | ☆☆☆☆☆ - Xiu Xiu's debut album, and appropiately it's where I began with their discography. Knife Play isn't the most approachable album (especially compared to their later work), but it serves as a perfect introduction to who Xiu Xiu is and what their music stands for. Every song is made up of raw vocals, harsh instrumentation, and unconventional production. All of it comes together to deliver unfettered, messy emotion. In a day and age where earnest experimentation and unapolegetic feelings are often met with accusations of "pretentiousness" or "performativity", Knife Play serves as a reminder that self-conscious policing will never survive in the face of unabashed expression. It certaintly won't be everyone's cup of tea, but this album is very special to me. Highlights: Don Diasco, I Broke Up, Hives Hives, Dr. Troll, Suha, Poe Poe |
| Accordion Solo! | Ten In The Swear Jar | 2005 | ☆☆☆ - Indie rock with accordion and saxophone, XITSJ is a Jamie Stewart deepcut. You've got early Jamie's vocals paired with a full-band sound. You can find some early versions of Xiu Xiu tracks here, but I also really like some of the songs here that never made it. Highlights: Hot Karl, San Jose Fight Song, Helsabot, I Love the Valley, When You Write, Worry Boy, Sad Girl |
| Ye | Kanye West | 2018 | ☆☆☆☆☆ - A very short album, and one of his best. Highlights: No Mistake, Ghost Town, Violent Crimes |
| No Idols | Domo Genesis & The Alchemist | 2023 | ☆☆☆☆ - A hard-hitting mixtape from Domo Genesis and produced by The Alchemist. Good flows over good beats, there's not much else to say. There are some very good features here from Earl Sweatshirt, Freddie Gibbs, and SpaceGhostPurp among others. Highlights: Prophecy, Fuck Everybody Else, Elimination Chamber, Me And My Bitch, Till The Angels Come |
| My Back is Killing Me Baby | Car Seat Headrest | 2011 | ☆☆☆☆☆ - Lofi losercore meets The Beach Boys. The rough production adds to the sonic waves in songs like happy news for the sadness. Amidst the low-fidelity, however, are really well-written rock and pop songs with very catchy hooks. As far as I'm concerned, this is the pinnacle of Bandcamp-era CSH. Highlights: the drum, sunburned shirts, something soon, no passion, strangers, p.o.w. |
| Alien Lanes | Guided by Voices | 1995 | ☆☆☆☆☆ - An album of short, well-composed lofi rock songs. This album is a rapid-fire barrage of ideas, and before you know it the album is over. Highlights: As We Go Up We Go Down, Game of Pricks, A Good Flying Bird, Motor Away, My Valuable Hunting Knife. |