Always

Xiu Xiu - Always
Critic Score
Based on 17 reviews
2012 Ratings: #290 / 1118
User Score
Based on 219 ratings
2012 Rank: #262
Liked by 37 people
March 6, 2012 / Release Date
LP / Format
Polyvinyl / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

90
Drowned in Sound

What Xiu Xiu demonstrate throughout Always, is the way in which they can lay down so starkly how terrible life can be and how fucked up one can feel and create something amazing, angry, political, fierce and defiant out of all of it.

83
A.V. Club

Always seems much more tempered than past efforts, extending the poppy sensibility of 2010’s Dear God, I Hate Myself.

80
musicOMH

Their ninth studio album, Always, is a riot; serving up its significant doses of ire, disgust and despair on a plate of pop-savvy, hook-laden electronica that somehow sounds both blithe and engaged, serious and ephemeral.

78
Paste

In total, though, Always might be both Xiu Xiu’s most approachable and most volatile collection.

73
Pitchfork

The album is front-loaded with these inviting juxtapositions, where horrific lyrical imagery collides with rich instrumentation and melodies that scrape the underside of catchy.

70
PopMatters

Stewart turned the noise down, the melodies up, and made – arguably for the first time in his life – a true pop record.

45
Beats Per Minute

Either we’ve heard this story too many times or it’s not quite up to the standards of our last hit.

mike_drop
70

Xiu Xiu - 9/17

EDIT: 80 - 70
A little forgettable but still good.

Despite that god-awful album cover, this thing was actually pretty damn great!

This is definitely Xiu Xiu's poppiest and most "accessible" project to date (keep in mind that I'm using that word very lightly, since this is still Xiu Xiu we're talking about). There are so many straight bops here that even someone unfamiliar with more experimental music could still have a decent amount of fun with the record. ... read more

kirumi
70

Hi Jamie.

This is probably going to be the shortest Xiu Xiu review that I do, as this is pretty much a direct follow up to Dear God, I Hate Myself. There's a heavy utilization of synths throughout this record, as was with the previous album. However, there's a bit more ambiance to the production this time around, adding more instruments such as pianos or strings makes a lot of the songs sound so much more lush and brighter than they were on Dear God, I Hate Myself. Now, while I really liked ... read more

surrealepiphany
68

Hello everyone. In case you cannot tell from my recent ratings, I have been tackling two artists rather extensive discographies: xiu xiu & swans. Both are artists I have loved dearly for a couple albums, and I thought it was high time I began to go through their whole catalogues.

So far, the xiu xiu albums have all been stellar. They have all either been excellent, or very far above average. Sadly, this one breaks said streak of stellar albums. At this point in their career, it feels like ... read more

cesardiosXO
92

The album with the ugliest cover ended up also feeling disjointed like Women as Lovers, but it's a much better album than that one. I was surprised by there being so many accessible sounding tracks here too.

merduardo
80

Menos experimental que o Dear God, aqui a banda lançou um álbum ~~quase~~ verdadeiramente pop, com produção e melodias realmente pegajosas. Tudo isso, é claro, sem deixar de lado o conteúdo lírico existencial e obscuro característico das composições do James, o que certamente dá um contraste interessante.

Fav tracks: Hi, Joey's Song, Honey - Suckle, Gul Mudin, Born to Suffer e Black Drum Machine
Least fav: Chimney's ... read more

Bladie
85

Great Xiu Xiu album. I really liked the themes on this one and I enjoyed the art pop sound on this one. Production sounds great and up to this release and before it's one of their best and essential albums. Jamie Stewart also really brings attention to some important issues around the world worth talking about. The more I hear of his voice and lyricism, it feels like he's helping me out more with self discovery and almost being like my therapist more. Overall, mostly great album that I can find ... read more

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Added on: January 9, 2012