On Saturday, Xiu Xiu brought their riveting and visceral live show to the Middle East Downstairs, with New York-based indie pop band Twin Sister and tUnE-yArDs, the musical project of New England native Merrill Garbus.
Twin Sister started off the night with a psychedelic pastiche of sounds, drawing from various giants of the indie rock world such as Cocteau Twins and Stereolab, with lead singer Andrea Estella sounding like a more energetic Victoria Legrand of Beach House. They alternated bare-bones melodies with waves of shoegaze and, on the mesmerizing “Milk and Honey” from their recent EP Color Your Life, built layers of jagged guitars over a circular synth melody. Though this band is just starting out, their range and incorporation of the best elements of shoegaze and dream pop makes them worth watching.
Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner of tUnE-yArDs then took the stage, kicking off the set with a hushed, somewhat atmospheric “Real Live Flesh” from last year’s BiRd-BrAiNs. Garbus’ style is notable for her use of looping, as she often constructs songs based on loops of her own voice. The excitement of watching her put the pieces together is only outdone by her own energy.
tUnE-yArDs’ set was split evenly between album tracks and new songs, and though Garbus tore through some favorites such as “News” and “Fiya,” the highlights were the new cuts, which Garbus seemed much more excited to play. On “Gangsta,” or “Move to My Hood,” Garbus mimicked a police siren then looped other wordless melodies over it, yelping “Bang! Bang! Bang!” in between warnings of a dangerous neighborhood.
Another new song, “Business,” which Garbus launched into right out of live favorite “Hatari,” was the strongest of the set, featuring loops of bubbly birdcall-like vocals, upbeat percussion and a complicated, punchy melody, as Garbus pleaded, “What’s the business, yeah? Don’t take my life away!”
Garbus has incredible stage presence, even without Brenner backing her up. When she accidentally spiked the volume of the loops in the intro of “Hatari,” she laughed it off and said “Oh my god!” into the mic, diffusing the tension that often comes when a performer goofs up. Her live show is always a treat, and her attitude and spirit in performance leave the audience with a positive vibe.
Xiu Xiu’s show was marked by a completely different tone from the start. Jamie Stewart briefly thanked the audience for coming, then began playing a solemn non-album track, the title of which is unknown and which moved freely between sparse guitar parts and keyboard crashes. Stewart’s tortured vibrato was fully unleashed early on with this dark opening, hinting at incest and depression.
Though touring in support of the recently-released Dear God, I Hate Myself, the set drew from the band’s entire back catalogue. “Apistat Commander,” from 2003’s A Promise was explosive, with a controlled quiet/loud contrast between verse and chorus and an abrasive electronic break. The band then took on two songs from the last album: the more forceful, harder-edged “Gray Death” and the scathing, furious title track, both of which were driven by Stewart’s moving howl and heavy emphasis on the drum machine.
“Muppet Face,” from 2005’s La Forêt, was a powerful highlight, with one of Stewart’s sweetest melodies to date pierced by a blazing, intense chorus and a wall-of-noise bridge, creating a drastic contrast that only added to the beauty of the quieter bits.
Older songs benefited from new arrangements for just Stewart and new member Angela Seo: “Gayle Lynn,” the closer from 2008’s Women as Lovers, was carried by rumbling bass and a more subtle approach to the music, bringing out smaller melodies that were lost in the album version, and fan favorite “I Luv the Valley OH!” found Stewart using a Nintendo DS instead of a guitar, surprisingly adding up to a full, even bracing sound, gorgeously fleshed out with additional melodies.
Other highlights included Dear God tracks “This Too Shall Pass Away” and the catchy “Chocolate Makes You Happy,” two of the poppier cuts that, electrified by the live setting, translated like anthems, with Seo embellishing the former with sparkling keyboard and the latter with light arpeggios shining through electronic clutter. The band closed with a blaring take on “Boy Soprano,” which was divinely, crushingly noisy, as Seo hammered away on the keyboard and Stewart twiddled knobs.
Although Xiu Xiu’s most recent record crosses its experimental side with a much catchier pop influence, the live show featured some strange song choices, such as the anti-war speak-sing of “Guantanamo Canto,” and the screeching sheen on some songs made the show especially challenging, though rewarding. Of course, the strength of the material from the new album and most of the other selections prove Xiu Xiu to be one of the strongest bands in modern music, as well as one of the most cutting-edge.
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