Xiu XiuUnclouded Sky
Polyvinyl

- Jamie Stewart must have some kind of loyalty card down at his local pressing plant with his latest full length Unclouded Sky marking his third release in less than six months and that's not including his other Record Store Day best of release. From the start, Unclouded is clearly a bit of a different venture for Xiu Xiu, made up of nine tracks (plus nine interludes) recorded largely on a pretty nice guitar in Sigur Ros' personal studio in Iceland, over the course of just one day.

Blood of the Lamb opens the album and the song shows Stewart in a more open and simplistic light, but on this record it is perhaps the closest thing to Xiu Xiu there is, as Stewart rounds out the track with a confronting delivery in amongst a dynamic, shifting guitar and general atoms. I'll Fly Away shifts into an oddly positive vibe which is a recurring thing on this record. It's a pleasant listen, which, in the world of Xiu Xiu is kinda what the fuck?! Lonesome Valley follows in the same vein: a warming, campfire sing-along, with a naturalistic pleasance that Stewart pulls off quite well, despite his oddball vocal delivery.

Wreck on the Highway is a stand out on here: a rather moving and desolate piece, making the use of some nice room reverb and a dense, immersive environment, but still simplistic at its core. There's a sense in which it capitalises on some of the finer moments of Nina. Title track, Unclouded Sky, is another moment of note. Clocking in at under two minutes it is a far more authentic take on blues and folk than all those carpetbaggers overcrowding the Mumford and Sons genre wish they could write. All Fo' You is another moment that could quite easily be interpreted as a warped love song and is just, simply, another powerfully evocative chapter on this record. Closer Just As I Am is the perfect way to conclude: incorporating almost all of the elements used on here and ending with about two minutes of pure, reflective silence.

With all the Black Dicks and Adult Friends that traumatised Angel Guts: Red Classroom, Undisclosed Sky it makes you question whether Stewart has had some kind of toxic reaction to all the gravity and depravity of his previous outings; has Xiu Xiu become a cliche he wants to escape? For the record, Stewart stated that he 'wanted to connect...spirituals to religion and spirituality in Iceland'. It feels like he has done just that, and, in the process, penned another deep but mystifying chapter in the Xiu Xiu saga.

- Brad Armstrong.

Xiu XiuUnclouded Sky

Chris CobcroftNew Releases Show

Slowdiveeverything is alive

Schkeuditzer KreuzNo Life Left

Magic City CounterpointDialogue

Public Image LimitedEnd Of World

SejaHere Is One I Know You Know

DeafcultFuture of Illusion

CorinLux Aeterna

FingerlessLife, Death & Prizes

Jack LadderTall Pop Syndrome

LIVE
100