¿Spicchiology? is a strange beast indeed, more of an ornate offshoot of Larsen than anything, tempered by Jamie Stewart’s always-worth-a-listen vocals, random tingles, and several instances of beats so bass-y my computer speakers can barely stand the ‘whoomp.’ This is not a discouraging development at all, but one wonders why the Xiu Xiu insignia is even stamped on this record; these cold, often cumbersome songs remind me more of Ten In The Swear Jar’s “Helsabot” than anything Stewart produced under his Xiu Xiu moniker.
Letting that small point slide, ¿Spicchiology? will be right at home on your shelf if you are, shall we say, ‘on-board’ with the sounds these bands have tailored in the past. Here we find Larsen’s Italian roots bubbling up more than ever (resisting an Italian food metaphor here was tough but I managed) and Stewart sounding more and more like Scott Walker with every nervy lilt and crest of his voice. We also find a lot of button-pushing, chime-clanking, and synth droning, but it’s all-good because we get plenty of organic instrumentation to win the Sound back from the robots.
And, truth be told, when XXL wed the appropriate sound to the appropriate mood, they hit upon a one-size-fits-all brand of indie-drone that is impossible to argue with. Just listen as the bells, doctored accordion, and percussive ‘clanks’ of “The Tale of Brother Cakes and Sugar Dust” form a hot, dry crust for the shy croons of Caralee McElroy to fill, an irresistible recipe that I wish would have transferred over to the rest of ¿Spicchiology?. Not that the indie co-op of sorts doesn’t grind out a few choice numbers, but the overall feeling of dread inexorably pinned to the album’s lapel never fades enough for anything especially interesting to happen.
There are several supple sounds to be found, multiple collage-like atmospheres to view from afar, but that’s just the problem; you’ll feel almost detached from the songs, too distant to really immerse yourself in the pathways the six-piece have forged. It’s one thing to gaze at the sky at night, but when you stare for days and only see one shooting star, it’s time to either buy a new telescope or move to the mountains of Colorado. Or you could just listen to the other XXL collab, or Larsen, or Xiu Xiu, or... well, you see what I’m getting at here...
More about: Xiu Xiu Larsen [XXL]
