Fabulous Muscles is the third studio 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. The album's cover features band leader Jamie Stewart nuzzling a toy kitten.

Stewart contributed the title track to a tribute CD, The Ash Gray Proclamation, for author Dennis Cooper. They said that they 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". The song "Brian the Vampire" is based on a child Stewart encountered during their 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." The penultimate "Clowne Towne" sees Stewart reflect on the current statuses of friends from their teens and young adulthood (such as Michael Hadreas of Perfume Genius or fellow Xiu Xiu member Caralee McElroy) and how they compare to their 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.

Reception

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".

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." Pitchfork Media ranked Fabulous Muscles No. 50 on their list of the top 50 albums of 2004. In addition, the same website ranked the song "I Luv the Valley OH!" No. 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." 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".

Track listing

Personnel

The following people contributed to Fabulous Muscles:

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

  • Amazon.com listing