Xiu Xiu’s divisive. Just look at the comments for their take on Björk’s “Isobel” for Enjoyed. The beauty? You know they expect it. As the band’s promos shots and Jamie Stewart’s Dennis Cooper, Mishima, and Céline-referencing lyrics suggest, those folks read “transgressive” books. They know about difficult art. Fittingly, the Stewart-directed video for “F.T.W.” shuffles through pages (fiction, non, Céline, witchcraft, aviary, sociological) along with other everyday objects — plants, branches, floors, shoes, windows, cartoon pandas. The most arresting images are various limbs, including the crease where two bare legs meet, echoing Women As Lovers‘ bedtime bondage album art.

XX’s video for “I Do What I Want, When I Want” involved backyard wrestlers and the band mugging for the camera (including Jamie’s awesome solo dance), but this is more about quick flashes, little fragments you need to follow closely for the narrative to pop up. There are cute and fluffy cats, but the thing ends with triumphant bloodletting. Because this is Xiu Xiu.

For the win. Or, right, more likely, fuck the world.

Xiu Xiu | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Xiu Xiu: Air Force
Xiu Xiu
Xiu Xiu « Facing the Music
New Generation of Music Fans Give Vinyl a Spin
Anguish, humor, conflicted love and a dose of playfulness are all ingredients in the music of experimental rock band Xiu Xiu. As Xiu Xiu pushes the rock genre forward, it gives a nod to its experimental brethren from another era: Its fans can listen to the ...
How To Dress Well Covers Xiu Xiu For 'Ad Hoc' Comp
How to Dress Well may have hit the net earlier this morning talking about his new album, but he already has new music hitting now too. It's not from his sophomore album: It's from a compilation to raise money for Ad Hoc, the magazine the former editors of ...
Comments (3)
  1. Michael  |   Posted on Apr 11th, 2008

    I always thought “FTW’ stood for “Fuck that whore?” What is the real answer to this acronomical question.

    Xiu Xiu 4 Life.

  2. Olivia  |   Posted on Apr 11th, 2008

    It means ‘for the win’ usually, I think/

  3. trevor b.  |   Posted on Apr 11th, 2008

    but in biker culture and also punk rock it has mean EFF THE WORLD

Leave a Reply

Login

You must be logged in to post, reply to, or rate a comment.

%s1 / %s2