Description
Dreams’ most thrilling parts are the familiar fragments that collide into the strange, turning our sense of knowledge upside down. This unnerving thrill is at the core of Xiu Mutha Fuckin’ Xiu: Vol. 1, a collection of covers from band Xiu Xiu. Jamie Stewart, Angela Seo, and David Kendrick distort classics from decades and genres, from 1950s rock to new wave, Robyn to Throbbing Gristle.
Xiu Xiu, known for interpretation, honors artists they admire, like New Order, Bowie, and Queen, through tribute albums such as Nina Simones and Twin Peaks music. Since 2020, theyve released monthly covers via Bandcamp, showcasing their universe and respect for artists across time.
For Xiu Xiu, covers are about reverence, not improvement. Stewart explains they seek to learn from the music that inspired them, as if each artist were a creative deity, making a small homage to the muse that created us.
Some covers shadow the original, emphasizing its aura: The Runaways Cherry Bomb is bratty and rebellious, transformed with industrial pulses; Psycho Killer is reborn with 60s organs and reverbed vocals, sounding older. Others, like Robyns Dancing On My Own, reveal new views of modern hits.
Certain songs challenged them: In Dreams tested Stewart’s vocals; Coils Triple Sun connected them to a band often linked to them; Stewart was moved to tears recording Daniel Johnstons Some Things Last a Long Time, recognizing his honest voice. On XMFX, Xiu Xiu turns echoes of pop into sances and sonic rituals, reviving musics past through a sustainable practice.
- Psycho Killer [Talking Heads]
- Warm Leatherette [The Normal]
- I Put a Spell on You [Screamin Jay Hawkins]
- Hamburger Lady [Throbbing Gristle]
- In Dreams [Roy Orbison]
- Sex Dwarf [Soft Cell]
- Dancing on My Own [Robyn]
- SPQR [This Heat]
- Lick or Sum [Glo Rilla]
- Some Things Last a Long Time [Daniel Johnston]
- Triple Sun [Coil]
- Cherry Bomb [The Runaways]
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