Xiu Xiu Prep New LP, Tour the States

The unstoppable duo of Micah C. Harding and Aaron Mandel report:
Like the ticking of a clock-- an unnerving clock, fascinated only by self-destruction and strange musical instruments-- each new year brings another Xiu Xiu album from Jamie Stewart and company. According to the band's official website, they hope to finish the record in February and release it in August, with working title La Foret. "La foret", of course, is French for "the forest", although after listening to "I Luv The Valley OH!" we have no reason to believe Jamie Stewart knows that. Preliminary track listing:

01 Black Phoebe
02 Bog People
03 ALE
04 Dangerous You Shouldn't Be Here
05 Saturn
06 Pox
07 Rose Of Sharon
08 Muppet Face
09 Mousy Toy
10 Yellow Raspberry

According to the website, there will also be a European version of La Foret, featuring the bonus track "Clover". Or else the album actually contains a song called "The European Version Will Have The Bonus Track Clover". We aren't jumping to any conclusions.

Meanwhile, everyone's favorite scary art rockers (though we have to admit, it's getting hard to choose a favorite) have announced another extensive U.S. tour. They'll be heading out this march for a 20-date engagement that will take Xiu Xiu from Tallahassee to Seattle and many places in between. The band just finished a productive 2004, with many a tour date kept and their most recent album, Fabulous Muscles, placing on many a year-end best-of list, including The San Francisco Bay Guardian, Dusted Magazine, Artforum International, and, well, you know...Pitchfork. The dates:

03-03 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
03-04 Los Angeles, CA - Echo
03-05 La Jolla, CA - Che Café<br> 03-07 Los Angeles, CA - UCLA, The Cooperage
03-08 Phoenix, AZ - Modified Arts
03-10 Denton, TX - Hailey's
03-11 Austin, TX - Church Of The Friendly Ghost
03-12 Houston, TX - Mary Jane's Fat Cat
03-15 Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder
03-14 St. Augustine, FL - Café Eleven
03-16 Atlanta, GA - The Drunken Unicorn Room at MJQ Concourse
03-18 New York, NY - Knitting Factory
03-19 Alfred, FL - Powell Knight Club
03-20 Boston, MA - Remis Auditorium, Museum of Fine Arts
03-24 Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge
03-25 Iowa City, IO - Gabes Oasis
03-26 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock
03-28 Missoula, MT - Otherside
03-29 Seattle, WA - The Paradox
03-30 Portland, OR - Meow Meow