XIU XIU

DEFEND YOURSELF!

By LUCY BARBER

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Since their 2002 debut album Knife Play, Xiu Xiu (pronounced "shoe shoe") has made more than their niche in the post punk apocalyptic universe of sound. Known for tackling morbid topics like sexual abuse and working with cacophonous noise samples, masthead and lyricist Jamie Stewart has spent his six year musical career making listeners uncomfortable. With the band's newest album, Women As Lovers, Stewart tries pop and poetry on for size.

I BOUGHT ONE OF YOUR T-SHIRTS WITH "XIU XIU" SPELLED OUT IN CUM AND MY MOM FOUND IT AND CUT IT UP.

We haven't done that shirt since that tour and we're doing it again.

I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE HAIKU PROJECT.

On our website, if someone sent in a copy of them holding a copy either of an iPod or CD or LP of the new record and filled out a questionaire about themselves, I would write a haiku about them. So far I think 200 people have sent in entries and so far I think I've done only about 40 of them. I'm completely haikued out.

WELL IF YOU NEED TO FORWARD THEM MY WAY, I'LL BE YOUR GHOST WRITER. I LIKE THE IDEA THAT YOU CAN TALK ABOUT MASTURBATION IN A POP SONG.

People say that we talk about masturbating a lot. I don't think we've ever mentioned masturbation ... Oh wait, there is one ,"Yellow Raspberry," on La Foret. Of course we have lots of songs about sex. You have to be careful when you talk about masturbating in music because there's always the concept of not literal masturbation but aesthetic masturbation—which is something we'd like to think that we're above. We're not above literal masturbation of course.

[Xiu Xiu with Thao Nguyen and The Get Down Stay Down at the Museum of Fine Arts, Fri. 3.21. 7:30pm/all ages/$15/$12 members. 465 Huntington Ave. 617.267.9300. mfa.org]