13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips, colloquially referred to as 13", is the fourteenth studio album by American experimental band Xiu Xiu, released on September 27, 2024 by Polyvinyl.
| 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 27, 2024 | |||
| Studio | Nurse (Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 36:10 | |||
| Label | Polyvinyl | |||
| Producer | Angela Seo | |||
| Xiu Xiu chronology | ||||
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| Singles from 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips | ||||
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Background
edit13" was announced on June 25, 2024 with the lead single "Common Loon", which was accompanied by a music video featuring Alicia McDaid.[1] The singles "Arp Omni" and "Veneficium" were released on August 13, 2024.[2]
The album's title comes from a switchblade owned by band frontperson Jamie Stewart.[3] In an interview with Our Culture, Stewart explained, "Switchblades, since the 1950s, are an almost clichéd symbol of 'tough guy' aesthetics. But as an instrument of violence, they're pretty useless... Serving as a symbol for violence and fear while being pretty useless is a fascinating symbol of violence generally." Stewart said one driving force the record was "interesting uselessness", "a stupid contradiction that could have genuine consequences". They said that there were switchblades "around the studio or at our desks or whatever", which functioned as a sort of talisman, guiding the band throughout the production.[4]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 80/100[5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Far Out |   [6] |
| The Needle Drop | 8/10[7] |
| Beats Per Minute | 7.9/10[8] |
| Sputnikmusic |  [9] |
| Paste | 8.2/10[10] |
13" received generally favourable reviews on release. On the review aggregating website Metacritic, the album received a normalized rating of 80 out of 100 based on 10 critical reviews.[5] Dale Maplethorpe of Far Out praised the album for being an "unpredictable mesh of chaos," and wrote that it "is an absolute joy from start to finish."[6] The Quietus's Claire Biddles said the album "might be Xiu Xiu's best," further noting that it's "funny, terrifying, extreme, horny, embarrassing, relatable – everything that Xiu Xiu have ever been at once."[3]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Arp Omni" | 4:22 |
| 2. | "Maestro One Chord" | 3:38 |
| 3. | "Common Loon" | 3:31 |
| 4. | "Pale Flower" | 5:00 |
| 5. | "Veneficium" | 4:08 |
| 6. | "Sleep Blvd." | 3:15 |
| 7. | "T.D.F.T.W." | 3:24 |
| 8. | "Bobby Bland" | 3:57 |
| 9. | "Piña, Coconut & Cherry" | 4:55 |
| Total length: | 36:10 | |
Personnel
editCredits adapted from Polyvinyl.[11]
Xiu Xiu
- Jamie Stewart – vocals, guitar, bass, synthesisers, percussion, bajo quinto, drum machine
- Angela Seo – vocals, synthesisers, organ, sheet metal, percussion, piano, autoharp, production
- David Kendrick – percussion, drums
Additional musicians
- Soo Cho – violin
- David Kim – violin
- Min Kim – viola
- John Lee – cello
- Daniel Park – cello
Technical
- John Congleton – mixing
- Alan Douches – mastering[a]
Artwork
- Janelle Abad – design
Notes
edit- ^ The personnel list in the reference contains a typo; Douches' surname is incorrectly spelled as Douche.
Footnotes
editReferences
edit- Akler-Bishop, Ryan (2024-09-26). "Xiu Xiu on How Switchblades, Blixa Bargeld, the Roland CR-68, and More Inspired Their New Album '13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips'". Our Culture. Archived from the original on 2024-09-27. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- Biddles, Claire (2024-09-26). "Falling Into Place: Xiu Xiu's 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips". The Quietus. Archived from the original on 2024-09-27. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- Chelosky, Danielle (2024-08-13). "Xiu Xiu – 'Arp Omni' & 'Veneficium'". Stereogum. Archived from the original on 2024-08-13. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- Corcoran, Nina (2024-06-25). "Xiu Xiu Announce Tour and New Album, Share NSFW Video for New Song: Watch". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2024-06-25. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- DadKungFu (2024-10-04). "Review: Xiu Xiu - 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto..." Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
- Epstein-Gross, Casey (2024-10-08). "Xiu Xiu's 13" Is Another Gut-Punch of an Album From the World's Most Visceral Band". Paste. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
- Fantano, Anthony (2024-09-30). "Xiu Xiu - 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips". The Needle Drop. Archived from the original on 2024-10-01. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
- Maplethorpe, Dale (2024-09-26). "Xiu Xiu – '13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stilletto with Bison Horn Grips' album review". Far Out. Archived from the original on 2024-09-27. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- Wohlmacher, John (2024-10-02). "Album Review: Xiu Xiu – 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips". Beats Per Minute. Archived from the original on 2024-10-03. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
- "13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips by Xiu Xiu Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. n.d. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
- "13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips". Polyvinyl Record Co. n.d. Archived from the original on 2024-06-25. Retrieved 2024-07-23.