LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥 Since its inception more than two decades ago, the experimental rock band Xiu Xiu has danced between extremes. They鈥檝e made music 鈥 drenched in synthesizers, breathy vocals and distorted guitar 鈥 that is somehow both cacophonous and beautiful, frightening yet poignant, avant-garde yet (mostly) melodic.
In other words, Xiu Xiu鈥檚 music can鈥檛 be placed neatly into a box, something the band鈥檚 leader, Jamie Stewart, knows a thing or two about.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 say this in a self-aggrandizing way, but I am a very weird person,鈥 Stewart said. 鈥淚 wish I wasn鈥檛. It鈥檚 not fun operating in the world in a way that doesn鈥檛 really fit.鈥
As the prolific band gears up to release their 18th LP, out Friday, Stewart recognizes the ways in which these feelings of otherness have been meaningful for their art and their audience.
鈥淴iu Xiu is certainly not for everybody. But it is for very specific people, generally for people who are, in one way or another, kind of on the edge of some aspect of life,鈥 Stewart said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the group of people that we are and that is the group of people for whom we are trying to make records.鈥
But even as they've stayed weird, Stewart admits there was a shift on 鈥13'' Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips鈥 鈥 a reference to one of Stewart鈥檚 switchblades that served as a kind of 鈥渢alismanic item鈥 during the recording process.
鈥淎lmost every single track is set up in the very traditional way that Western folk songs are organized 鈥 as a bridge, as a verse, as a chorus. So, in that way, because it鈥檚 a style of organizing music that people in the Western world have been aware of for 200 years, it is probably accessible,鈥 they said. 鈥淚t seems to happen with every record we have ever done where somebody says, 鈥業t鈥檚 their most accessible record,鈥 which sort of implies to a lot of people that our records must therefore be inaccessible.鈥
But that accessibility is varied, from the anthemic, easy-listen lead single, 鈥淐ommon Loon,鈥 to 鈥淧i帽a, Coconut & Cherry,鈥 the record鈥檚 final song that culminates with Stewart belting bloodcurdling screams about a love that makes them insane.
That variation is a reflection of the types of artists Stewart loves, which ranges and folk musicians to people who make the most 鈥渄ifficult music that has ever been recorded.鈥
The band currently comprises Stewart 鈥 the sole remaining founding member 鈥 along with David Kendrick and Angela Seo, who joined in 2009. Seo says collaborating with any creative partner for 15 years takes work but that her respect for Stewart鈥檚 vision and creativity serve as a kind of anchor to keep them together, even when they fight over Stewart being 鈥渟uper picky鈥 about every detail in the studio and on stage.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 frustrating, but ultimately we both are like, 'Yeah, that's the goal.' The goal is just to make this the best show possible. And that kind of helps us stick with it,鈥 Seo said.
After living as roommates in Los Angeles for a decade, Seo and Stewart moved together through an artist residency program that helped them get visas and paid for their housing during their first few months there. And while living in Berlin has been more practical and financially sustainable, Stewart said it's been a bigger adjustment than expected.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a little boring,鈥 Stewart admitted. 鈥淚t鈥檚 much safer. I鈥檓 much, much, much less stressed out. I don鈥檛 have to have a car, which is great. If I have a major health problem, it鈥檚 going to be totally fine. Those things are great. The adult parts are great."
鈥淗orn Grips鈥 is the band's first album since their move to Berlin, and that change of scenery has inevitably informed the album's sound. How it does so in future albums is something Stewart is thinking about.
鈥淚鈥檝e been struggling with that a little bit and am just realizing that my external environment for a long time was a big point of inspiration,鈥 Stewart said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel like my creativity is stifled, but it is going through a period of needing to adjust, which is a good thing.鈥
