EXPERIMENTAL ROCK
So is Stiletto the best Xiu Xiu? Hard to say, because there’s so much here that is divided from what the band usually explores. And not every song works – “Veneficum” is almost too goofy in its new wave, its melody contrasting too strongly with the track’s dark subject matter, while Bobby Bland’s complex audio collage almost seems part of a different project.
Fact remains, though, that the density of the record’s production allows listeners to come back repeatedly, finding hidden instrumentation that’s been clever mixed into the background. There’s a compositional mastery at play that many of their critics denied Xiu Xiu’s barebones electronic work. And the songs reverberate stronger than those on the group’s more recent albums.
