A landmark in experimental electronic music is without a doubt the second full length album by Jamie Stewart’s brain child, Xiu Xiu. Xiu Xiu is a band hailing from California that has had rotating band members and musicians for many years. Jamie Stewart has been the only consistent member and the main force pushing the group forward, although currently Angelo Seo is the only other current member that has been contributing since 2009 (‘A Promise‘ was made prior to her engagement with the band in 2003). Image features from left to right: Angelo Seo, Jamie Stewart (live).
With all that said, there really is no way to set the stage for the group or this album. It’s a very odd bunch of tracks and definitely has some strange lyrics and instrument choices. The most celebrated aspect of this album, besides Stewart’s chilling lyrics and vocals, has to be the synthesizers. Early Xiu Xiu is well liked for how expressive and unique the synth passages and ‘A Promise‘ is no exception. The synths themselves are almost speaking words the way they are played and put together. Some of the most shrieking sounds can be heard on ‘Apistat Commander’, and it evokes mass emotion being played under Stewart’s gut wrenching vocals.
The first track on the album ‘Sad Pony Guerrilla Girl’ has received the most traction out of all the songs on the album. It’s one of the two soft ballads on the album (the other is a Tracy Chapman cover of ‘Fast Car’) played over mostly acoustic guitar with little electronic additions. I mention this partly just to show the versatility of Xiu Xiu, they don’t choose to confine themselves to a specific instrument palette. Interestingly, Stewart has started doing many drunk commentaries on older and newer Xiu Xiu albums. On the drunk commentary for this album he explains this track was about a neighbor he had during the recording process for the record. This song in particular is an interesting narrative about a relationship this neighbor was in and feeling the need to keep it a secret.
Out of all the different variables and elements that contribute to this album, my favorite has to be the vocals though. The lyrics and absolute jaw dropping shock of Stewart’s voice has to be one of the most emotional deliveries I’ve ever heard. Whether he is singing quietly and softly about wanting to run away from home, like on ‘Fast Car’, or is yelling at the top of his lungs about an intimate story with his brother, like on ‘Brooklyn Dodgers’, you can tell he is strained. Everything about the way he is singing is purposeful, it’s a very determined and mindful way of expressing himself. As random and improvisational as the group is, there is such a purposeful tone about how a track on here comes together. A song that best shows this is ‘Blacks‘ where it seems chaotic and all over the place but when the chorus is reached, all of sudden, the instruments and chords merge to become a beautiful landscape while Stewart yells “That’s enough, that’s enough of even trying, that’s enough, no I wish it didn’t matter”.
At the end of the day, this album is most to do with the passing of Stewart’s father the year prior, the turmoil he felt, and all the environmental factors going on around him. These were the main contributors and inspiration for this album to exist. I recommend listening to it with an open mind and a half hour to kill. Who knows, Xiu Xiu may surprise you.
Sound Check Chuck 