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La Foret - Xiu Xiu
User Score
7.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 18 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 18
  3. Negative: 3 out of 18

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  1. AramisG
    Jul 14, 2005
    8
    Jamie, if you read reviews, I just want to say I love Xiu Xiu. It is a testament to your devotion to music that you put out an LP once a year. That is the way all the great old bands did it and I think that totally rocks. Your live shows are pretty awesome too, but I would add a live percussionist (3rd person) because the constant sequencing gets a little old. La Foret is pretty awesome and I love the way it is recorded. Overall it has a crispness that was missing on your previous efforts. However, with all the praise I could and should heap on Xiu Xiu, I am completely done with the whisper/ mumble type songs. Maybe it was “experimental” & “emotional” on the first three albums (& Fag Patrol, & Fleshlettes), but at this point it is starting to sound a little cliché and irritating. I got the reference loud and clear back them. I find myself forwarding past these songs to get to the meat of your albums. Think of it this way, you wouldn’t want to sit through a concert of whisper/ mumble songs would you? So why is it so prominent on La Foret? Suha is a way more powerful “slow” song than all of your whispering/ mumbling, slow, “emotional” songs put together. Just consider what I am saying on your next album. ***By the way you should tour Miami. There are way better looking boys in Miami (I am not even gay, that is just a fact). Why go to Tallahassee? Who the hell is in Tallahassee other than Jeb Bush?… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. markh
    Sep 3, 2005
    10
    good work xiu xiu. brave + original.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. Matt
    Oct 25, 2005
    3
    Ugh, I can't get into this. I'm sure some people will like it, but I just can't do it. I can listen to a lot, and I usually like the "weirder" music, but I can't sit through it here. And by the way, I don't listen to commercial radio or watch music videos.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. DonaldH
    Jul 12, 2005
    10
    I've been a giant Xiu Xiu fan, and what I've come to expect from them with each album is a sense of surprise, and I have to admit, I was -very- surprised by this album. It's subdued, to say the least. If Fabulous Muscles showed off his influence from bands such as the Smiths and Joy Division, this album shows off his classical art music bent, displaying a serious knowledge of John Cage and George Crumb. It's an amazing disc, and just like each of their other discs, it a charm and character that is uniquely its own. Give it quite a few listens, though. I doubt many people will truly digest it for the true quality it is at first.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. benjik
    Sep 13, 2005
    8
    scary and beautiful at the same time... "muppet face" is possibly one of the best songs ever written
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. AlexEiffel
    Sep 13, 2005
    0
    Xiu Xiu is contrived shit. Listening to this kind of music will not make you a more intelligent person.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  7. RobertD.
    Jul 14, 2005
    1
    xiu xiu is garbage. just cus it sounds different doesn't make it good. awful music, stop listening to it
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  8. MichaelS
    Sep 18, 2005
    8
    Just as good as Fabulous Muscles. Xiu Xiu haven't disappointed me yet, and I doubt they ever will. Good stuff! And to the naysayers: don't bash Xiu Xiu just because you can't comprehend music that's not forcefed to you by ClearChannel and MTV.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 21 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 21
  3. Negative: 1 out of 21
  1. PopMatters
    70
    By bringing in more musical variation into the mix, Stewart has managed to keep things interesting enough again, the arrangements making his frantic outbursts more palatable than ever.
    Read full review
  2. Splendid
    80
    In the best possible way, the album is a painful listening experience, forcing the listener into immediate and excruciating catharsis: you look into the eyes of a cold stranger, and see nothing but ugliness and painful regret.
    Read full review
  3. Tiny Mix Tapes
    80
    It's business as usual, but there is not a damn thing wrong with that when it comes to this group.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »