Classic Albums: Dear God, I Hate Myself by Xiu Xiu

I just must or need to included Xiu Xiu in my fave albums list! I think the title of this album is pretty self-explanatory but it’s totally pure genius of an album. So if you’ve never heard of them before now, it’s officially pronounced “shoo shoo” but other ways have been used.

So it’s from the year 2010 but is the seventh LP also their first album since the departure of Caralee McElroy. This album features the then new member Angela Seo and off coarse the only constant member Jamie Stewart the singer-songwriter. The styles or genres they are like: experimental rock, art rock, experimental, noise pop etc. Plus his obsessions with negative self-image, violence, and mental disorder continue but some do say have lost some of their shock value since the early 2000’s.

For me this is album that everything works right or prefect even with that point blank zero album title, leaves nothing to the imagination and the music just can take over or something? As far as I know they have played once in Perth at festival in the UWA grounds and that was pretty much my intro to them, I think I knew of them by name but never listen to them before and it was the best set that day and I’ve been a big fan ever since.

Just warning to the video clip to the title track is were Angela Seo is self-induced vomiting, by the end she does vomit on Jamie Stewart who’s just out of frame but is eating chocolate bars the whole time.

This just below wins my prize, award for greatest commentary ever, cut & paste from their bandcamp page:

Jamie Stewart, after hearing the Pet Shop Boys track by track commentary for their album “Yes” decided to do a drunk, track by track commentary for the aforementioned Xiu Xiu release.
Before starting he was a drink and half in and then drank a tall and strong cocktail every two songs.
By turns the commentary becomes funnier, much more depressing, nonsensical and then surprisingly lucid.
As well, his voice becomes higher and even weirder sounding and
a surprise guest bum rushes the “project” towards the end.
It was originally proposed as a bonus track for “Dear God, I Hate Myself.” But due to warranted embarrassment, the idea was scraped.
Through the passage of time, embarrassment has turned to pity.

Don’t preview this. Just buy it. Drinking and Regrets are made for each other.

All the tracks were written by Jamie Stewart except for Cumberland Gap which is an old Traditional song.

Might be the best spot to finish up my post on! So got to ask do you have fave Xiu Xiu album too so which one is it?

Dear God, I Hate Myself track listing:

1. “Gray Death” – 2:56
2. “Chocolate Makes You Happy” – 3:55
3. “Apple For A Brain” – 3:24
4. “House Sparrow” – 2:39
5. “Hyunhye’s Theme” – 3:31
6. “Dear God, I Hate Myself” – 3:06
7. “Secret Motel” – 2:07
8. “Falkland Rd.” – 3:06
9. “The Fabrizio Palumbo Retaliation” – 3:00
10. “Cumberland Gap” – 1:34
11. “This Too Shall Pass Away (For Freddy)” – 3:34
12. “Impossible Feeling” – 4:10
Bonus tracks:
13. “The Ropes Have Pulled Tight” – 3:35
14. “Cute Pee Pee” – 3:18

Maybe random but because it’s extra special me fuckin’ about with my blog post yet again today and with now Dear God, I Hate Myself by Xiu Xiu as my 104th album post on basically my own fave albums list! I’ve re-ordered the whole list by most popular albums/posts recorded by hits from my stats page, back on top is my very first blog post ever!

Off course, some posts have been about longer, some have more fans eg: re-posts or shares on facebook or something? If you have a fave album/s that you think should be higher up in my charts? Do whatever the hell you like with it, if you think it will help! God knows, if and when I’ll do this chart thing again?

Cheers 🙂