Fabulous Muscles, like the best of Xiu Xiu's catalog, is challenging not because it's particularly dissonant or noisy, but rather because it addresses you in a manner. Fabulous Muscles is the third album by Xiu Xiu, released on February 17, 2004 on 5 Rue Christine. The album marked a change in the band's sound, as the album was considered to be more accessible than Xiu Xiu's previous two albums. Fabulous Muscles has received mostly positive reviews.

Contents • • • • • • • • Overview [ ] Fabulous Muscles was Xiu Xiu's third album in two years. The album was recorded in and and was produced by band member Cory McCulloch. The album's cover features frontman nuzzling a toy kitten. Several reviewers found Fabulous Muscles to have a more accessible sound than Xiu Xiu's previous albums. 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.

” 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.'

'Mike' is a tribute to Stewart's late father, who committed suicide in 2002, while 'Support Our Troops OH! (Black Angels OH!)' is about Stewart's view on soldiers serving in the. 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'. His next studio album, The Air Force, reflects his experience internalizing the trauma of that period. Stewart contributed the title track to a tribute CD, The Ash Gray Proclamation, for author. 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'. Reception [ ] Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating (9.0/10) (Favorable) (C) C Fabulous Muscles has received mostly positive reviews. On the review aggregate site, the album has a score of 80 out of 100, indicating 'Generally favorable reviews.' Critics were generally receptive to the album's more accessible sound.

Heather Phares of wrote ' 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.' '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. Sam Naprawiam Mercedes W203 Download here. ' The album also received a 'Best New Music' designation in the review. Gave the album a C grade, 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.' 's Akiva Gottlieb also gave the album a C grade, writing 'Obviously, Stewart has a penchant for self-examination—some of it brilliant and incisive—but his work is also obnoxiously self-indulgent.'