Xiu Xiu - Tu Mi Piaci EP

Xiu Xiu
Tu Mi Piaci EP
Acuarela, 2006
Deconstructed pop: 5/10
Diversity of song selection: 10/10
Overall: 6/10

The one thing I've always loved about Xiu Xiu is their (or Jamie Stewart's) ability to approach the standard song structure and deconstruct it beyond recognition.

This EP crosses some sort of line though. The second—and highlight—track, a cover of the Pussycat Dolls "Don't Cha," doesn't seem to have any basis in reality. Definitely scoring points for a surreal experience, the song quickly disregards its pop roots and opts for some other sort of "cover" that most people aren't familiar with.

When I was in high school, I was a big REM fan, and I bought Surprise Your Pig, a collection of covers. One of the covers, "We Walk," performed by Steel Pole Bath Tub, took the first seconds of the original—the sound of pool balls being broken—and extended it to almost four minutes. At the time, I thought it was weird, but noteworthy. Now Xiu Xiu is trying the same trick. This time, though, they forgot to pick out the most interesting part of the tune to deconstruct. Instead, they take the whole awful Pussycats song and stretch it to four minutes. By my personal estimation, there is only about 10 seconds worth of a song there. I wish Jamie Stewart and company would've thought about it just a little more.

Besides that, though, the rest of the covers are okay interpretations of great songs. Covering Nina Simone's "He Needs Me" is exactly what I expected from Xiu Xiu right after Knife Play came out. Bauhaus's "All We Ever Wanted Was Everything," gets the best treatment here. Mostly because of the fantastic noise that ends the EP.

That's really the best reason to listen to Xiu Xiu anyway, all that noise.