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written by Chris Familton

Jamie Stewart has been rolling with the Xiu Xiu moniker and variations of it for a decade now and the complex fusing of disparate sounds and styles has become his trademark.

Dear God, I Hate Myself is one of his more accessible albums, probably closest in spirit to 2004’s Fabulous Muscles. It swings masochistically between indie guitar, rewired electronic outbursts and elegant dark pop.

Grey Death opens the album on a surging strum and some soaring piano and strings with Stewart’s passionate voice riding on top of it all. His voice is his greatest asset, much in the same way Antony uses his. The drama is high and a pleading desperate tone colours his every word. Stewart’s intonations are part of a certain lineage that includes Mark Hollis (Talk Talk) and David Sylvian.

Catchy choruses abound and perhaps the best is found on Chocolate Makes You Happy. Stewart seems to find it hard to remain in the eclectic as the infectious melodies seem to emerge in even the most experimental songs. As soon as you find yourself locking into the music he gives us a song like Apple For A Brain which highlights Xiu Xiu’s eclectic melding of electronic bleeps and burbles as if he is willfully looking to undermine any pure pop accessibility in his songs.

The diversity of Dear God, I Hate Myself is the strength Stewart has worked to and exceled at yet one of the most rewarding moments on the album is the folk -based pop song Cumberland Gap that is centred around a light-stepping banjo leading the melody over its brief 1.35 duration. It is moments like this where he shows that he has that special songwriting touch.

Elsewhere on the album the mad inventor approach continues with the Dan Deacon madness of Secret Motel and it highlights why Xiu Xiu may fall into no mans land for many listeners. One minute he is harnessing indie bombast and the next he is being willfully discordant and caustic with the sounds and structures he employs. For some this is the genius of Stewart, for others it may prove to be a frustrating mix.

This review first appeared on Wireless Bollinger