Xiu Xiu Launch European Tour, Plan Another Album
"Fabulous Muscles II: Back in Training" preps Guttenburg, Winslow, Goldthwait for comeback

Hey, Europe, you know what? Jamie Stewart is really, really miserable. And he's coming to your neck of the woods to do that austere, battered Morrissey voice, then have his bandname carelessly mispronounced while he wallows in his own crack-pop wretchedness. Poor guy. But, really, he should cheer up a bit. Pitchfork staffer Matt LeMay loved Fabulous Muscles so much that, without reservation, he called it "profound, innovative, and absolutely vital." And LeMay's sentiment was only trumped by our very own newsie, Joshua Sharp, who went so far as to say that, "Xiu Xiu may very well be the most important group making music today." Which is probably getting carried away, but wtf. Anyway, who cares if people call your band Jew Jew?

Kids, I'm gonna tell you this only once: Do something nice for yourself and catch the man while he's crying his goddamn eyes out all over your continent on his upcoming tour. It begins yesterday in Austria and winds down in Portugal at the crack of June. What's more, complimenting Stewart's intensely obtuse/obliquely pissy set on three of the dates will be booty-bouncin' Frisco natives Numbers. Hurting My Datehole:

04-14 Vienna, Austria - Chelsea
04-15 Zagreb, Croatia - Thirsty Ear Festival
04-16 Giais di Aviano, Italy - Velvet (w/Circlesouth)
04-17 Bologna, Italy - Covo (w/ To the Ansaphone)
04-18 Pescara, Italy - Ecoteca
04-19 Bari, Italy - TBA
04-20 Catania, Italy - Zo
04-21 Palermo, Italy - Candelai
04-22 Napoli, Italy - Teatro Instabie
04-23 Roma, Italy - Init
04-24 Verona, Italy - Interzona
04-25 Torino, Italy - Cafè Procope
04-27 Casalpusterlengo, Italy - Teatro Comunale
04-28 Massa, Italy - Tagomago
04-29 Genova, Italy - Milkshake @ Milk
04-30 Bienne, CH - Drahtwerk Areal
05-01 Hasselt, Belgium - Zaal Belgie *
05-02 Den Haag, Netherlands - TBA
05-03 Köln, Germany - Gebäude 9 *
05-04 Ghent, Belgium - TBA
05-05 Paris, France - La Ginguette Pirate
05-06 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
05-07 Hannover, Germany - Cafe Glocksee *
05-08 Offenbach, Germany - Moschee
05-09 Trier, Germany - Exhaust
05-10 Karlsruhe, Germany - Schlachthof
05-11 München, Germany - Harry Klein
05-12 Schorndorf, Germany - Manufaktur
05-13 Nürnberg, Germany - K4
05-14 London, England - Needles
05-15 Marburg, Germany - Cafe Trauma
05-16 Würzburg, Germany - AKW
05-17 Hamburg, Germany - Astrastube
05-18 Berlin, Germany - Bastard
05-19 Dresden, Germany - Scheune
05-21 Moskau, Russia - TBA
05-29 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Sound Festival
06-01 Lisbon, Portugal - TBA

* indicates performances with Numbers opening

Upon returning from his European excursion, Stewart will return to Seattle do record even more crazy songs. In the works are:

BULLET-POINT! A single in conjunction with Tomlab's "A Thru Zed" series, and;

BULLET-POINT! A single for the periodical Gum, which no one here has ever heard of; as well as

BULLET-POINT! The Devendra Banhart vs Xiu Xiu single, which features each artist covering one of the other's songs; which is not to mention

BULLET-POINT! Yet another frickin' album, slated for an autumn 2005 release.

Xiu Xiu: http://www.xiuxiu.org
5RC: http://www.5rc.com