Fabulous Muscles
Studio album by
Xiu Xiu
ReleasedFebruary 17, 2004 (2004-02-17)
Genre
Length37:40
Label5 Rue Christine
ProducerCory McCulloch
Xiu Xiu chronology
Fag Patrol
(2003)		 Fabulous Muscles
(2004)		 Life and Live
(2005)

Fabulous Muscles is the third album by American experimental band Xiu Xiu, released on February 17, 2004 on 5 Rue Christine. The album marked a change in the band's sound, described as a depressive mix between experimental rock and synth-pop.[1] It is considered to be more accessible than Xiu Xiu's previous two studio albums, A Promise and Knife Play. Fabulous Muscles has received mostly positive reviews from critics.

Overview

Fabulous Muscles was Xiu Xiu's third album in two years. The album was recorded in Oakland and Seattle and was produced by band member Cory McCulloch.[2] The album's cover features frontman Jamie Stewart nuzzling a toy kitten.[3]

Several reviewers found Fabulous Muscles to have a more accessible sound than Xiu Xiu's previous albums.[3][4][5] On recording the album, Stewart said:

I think on Fabulous Muscles we really tried to write a pop record just because... We were on a lark and wanted to see how it would turn out.[6]

Stewart contributed the title track to a tribute CD, The Ash Gray Proclamation, for author Dennis Cooper. He said that he would not have been able to write a song like that without having read Cooper's books, since Cooper helped Stewart "to feel ... that it was possible to be more open" due to his "frankness".[7]

Themes and lyrics

Fabulous Muscles is populated by dark themes, including depression, physical abuse, mental abuse, and drug addiction.[3]

Jamie Stewart told Pitchfork that the tone of the album reflected the events of his personal life, which were "incredibly, incredibly violent, incredibly jarring and difficult to take... and personally and politically extreme in black and white ways".[7] His next studio album, The Air Force, reflects his experience internalizing the trauma of that period.[7]

The album's title track was inspired by the Iceberg Slim novel Mama Black Widow and describes an abusive relationship between a muscle-worshiping Stewart and a hyper-masculine man.[8] The song "Brian the Vampire" is based on a child Stewart encountered during his time as a preschool teacher in California. According to Stewart, "His whole family lived in one garage and his older brother ... was molesting Brian at night while the whole family was sleeping in the room."[9] The penultimate "Clowne Towne" sees Stewart reflect on the current statuses of friends from his teens and young adulthood (such as Michael Hadreas of Perfume Genius or fellow Xiu Xiu member Caralee McElroy) and how they compare to his own. "Mike" is a tribute to Stewart's late father Michael Stewart, who committed suicide in 2002, while "Support Our Troops OH! (Black Angels OH!)" is about Stewart's distaste about soldiers serving in the Iraq War.[10]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Alternative Press4/5[12]
Mojo[13]
Pitchfork9.0/10[4]
Stylus MagazineC[14]
Tiny Mix Tapes4/5[5]
The Village VoiceC[15]

Fabulous Muscles received mostly positive reviews. On the review aggregate site Metacritic, the album has a score of 80 out of 100, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".[11] Critics were generally receptive to the album's more accessible sound.

Heather Phares of AllMusic wrote that Fabulous Muscles "might be the best expression of Xiu Xiu's unrepentantly original music; even if the world that the band creates isn't necessarily one you'd want to visit all the time, it remains fascinating."[1] Pitchfork's Matt LeMay also praised the album, writing, "Though there are many notable high points to Fabulous Muscles, its overwhelming consistency is what cements its place as Xiu Xiu's finest. The album does not contain a single hiccup or yawn-- no extraneous noise, no potentially offputting histrionics, no throwaways and no dull moments." The album also received a "Best New Music" designation in the review.[4] Adrien Begrand of PopMatters praised it as "more focused and direct" than A Promise.[3]

Robert Christgau of The Village Voice panned the album, writing, "The musical parsimony, cultural insularity, moral certitude, and histrionic affectations of these lo-fi artier-than-thous promise indie ideologues whole lifetimes of egoistic irrelevance."[15] Stylus Magazine's Akiva Gottlieb wrote, "Obviously, Stewart has a penchant for self-examination—some of it brilliant and incisive—but his work is also obnoxiously self-indulgent."[14]

Fabulous Muscles has appeared on a few end of year lists. The Morning News named it the 7th best album of 2004.[16] Pitchfork Media ranked Fabulous Muscles #50 on their list of the top 50 albums of 2004.[17] In addition, the same website ranked the song "I Luv the Valley OH!" #176 on their list of the Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s, with reviewer Brian Howe writing "A great Xiu Xiu song is like someone actually hurting himself, right in front of you. This ["I Luv the Valley OH!"] isn't their most violent effort, but it's their most scouring; a place where mortar-round drums pound down on rolling bass and chiming guitars, unsubtly conveying the painful insight that some dreams have to be razed, not realized."[18] The album also placed 19th on Tiny Mix Tapes favorite albums of 2000-2009.

Brandon Stosuy of Pitchfork described the album as "brilliant" and a blend of "circus music and shattered death disco".[7] In a review of Xiu Xiu's recent album Oh No, Brian Howe of Pitchfork described the title track as a "mini-masterpiece."[19]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Crank Heart"3:19
2."I Luv the Valley OH!"2:59
3."Bunny Gamer (b)"2:40
4."Little Panda McElroy (b)"4:25
5."Support Our Troops OH! (Black Angels OH!)"4:46
6."Fabulous Muscles (Mama Black Widow Version)"4:10
7."Brian the Vampire"2:38
8."Nieces Pieces (Boat Knife Version)"3:33
9."Clowne Towne"3:50
10."Mike"5:13

Personnel

The following people contributed to Fabulous Muscles:[20]

Xiu Xiu

  • Lauren Andrews - Synthesizer (2), Percussion (5)
  • Jherek Bischoff - Bass (1/4), Guitar (2/5), Bass Drums (2), Violin (3), Upright Bass (5), String Arrangements (5), Synthesizer (5), Trombone (8)
  • Cory McCulloch - Producer, Harmonium (5/8), Mandolin (1), Guitar (2), Bass Synthesizer (2)
  • Sam Mickens - Guitar (1/2), Synthesizer (2), Percussion (2), String Arrangements (5)
  • Jamie Stewart - Vocals, Guitar, Synthesizer (1/3/4/7/9/10), Beats (1/3/7), Bass (2), Percussion (9)

Additional personnel

  • John Golden - Mastering
  • Lorem Ipsum - Photography
  • Caralee McElroy - Photography
  • Gabriel Mindel - Electronics (5), Guitar (5), Synthesizer (5)
  • Sprout Guy - Viola (5/9), Violin (5/9)
  • Joe Stewart - Design
  • Peter Swanson - Drum Machine (5), Electronics (5), Synthesizer (5)

References

  1. 1 2 3 Phares, Heather. "Fabulous Muscles – Xiu Xiu". AllMusic. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  2. ↑ Xiu Xiu – Fabulous Muscles (CD, Album). Discogs. Retrieved 1 July 2011
  3. 1 2 3 4 Begrand, Adrien (March 1, 2004). "Xiu Xiu: Fabulous Muscles". PopMatters. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 LeMay, Matt (February 17, 2004). "Xiu Xiu: Fabulous Muscles". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
  5. 1 2 Amneziak. "Xiu Xiu – Fabulous Muscles". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  6. ↑ Joseph, Peter. I Can't Wait to Watch You Get Older: An Interview with Xiu Xiu. Popmatters. Retrieved 1 July 2011
  7. 1 2 3 4 Stosuy, Brandon (April 9, 2006). "Xiu Xiu". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on July 23, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  8. ↑ Xiu Xiu - Fabulous Muscles + Drunk Commentary, retrieved 2022-01-15
  9. ↑ "+++ neumu [ datastream ]".
  10. ↑ Goldberg, Michael. For Xiu Xiu's Jamie Stewart, the Personal is Political is Permissible for Creative License. 17 March 2004. Retrieved 1 July 2011
  11. 1 2 "Reviews for Fabulous Muscles by Xiu Xiu". Metacritic. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Xiu Xiu: Fabulous Muscles". Alternative Press (189): 88. April 2004.
  13. ↑ "Xiu Xiu: Fabulous Muscles". Mojo (126): 105. May 2004.
  14. 1 2 Gottlieb, Akiva (February 25, 2004). "Xiu Xiu – Fabulous Muscles – Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on March 30, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  15. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (November 30, 2004). "Consumer Guide: Mine Enemy the Turkey". The Village Voice. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  16. ↑ Womack, Andrew. The Top 10 Albums of 2004. The Morning News. 20 December 2004. Retrieved 1 July 2011
  17. ↑ Pitchfork Staff. Pitchfork: Staff Lists: Top 50 Albums of 2004. Pitchfork Media. 31 December 2004. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  18. ↑ Pitchfork Staff. The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s: 200-101 Archived 2011-08-18 at the Wayback Machine. 18 August 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  19. ↑ "Xiu Xiu: OH NO". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  20. ↑ Fabulous Muscles - Credits. Retrieved 1 July 2011
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