xiu xiu - forêt

I had such hopes for this local act. The previews for this album made me think this could be the next coming of Talk Talk, but on caffeine. I didn't count on Xiu Xiu sucking so bad. Maybe it was the 7th-grader lyrics, maybe the electronic-for-electronica's-sake music, or maybe I just wanted the lead singer to sing in a real key and not an "I'm emotionally fragile" whisper.

I buy and listen to a lot of music, so I'm used to being disappointed by something that didn't live up to expectations, but this is a step beyond -- if normal disappointment is meeting Rachel Ray, then listening to Xiu Xiu is like meeting Rachael Ray's less-talented twin sister. I can only hope this took 30 minutes to make.

dls