Pitchfork

5RC will soon ship off for that great big record store in the sky (where they have everything on vinyl), but not before treating discerning audiences to one last left-of-center indie gem-- and this one might as well be the Hope Diamond. On April 10, the KRS-affiliated imprint hits us with Remixed and Covered, a massive two-disc set packed with, you guessed it, remixes and covers of Xiu Xiu songs.

On disc one, spring tourmates Sunset Rubdown take on A Promise's "Apistat Commander", avant-hoppers Why? do The Air Force's devastating closer, "Wig Master", and melancholic folkie Marissa Nadler makes Fabulous Muscles jam "Clowne Towne" her own. Devendra Banhart's cover of "Support Our Troops OH!" (originally released on a split 7") crops up again here as well.

Alas, Tu Mi Piaci covers EP stars Pussycat Dolls do not return Xiu Xiu the favor.

Disc two boasts remixes from the likes of loop-happy Creepshow partner Grouper, slice'n'dicer Kid606, like-minded shrieker This Song Is a Mess but So Am I, club MC/producer Gold Chains, boundary-pushers To Live and Shave in L.A., and Xiu Xiu themselves.

Remixed and Covered is one of approximately 92 Xiu Xiu-related releases due this year. Others include the previously reported reprise of XXL, Xiu Xiu's collaboration with Italy's Larsen, whose Spicchiologi? drops May 29 via Important; the follow-up to PLUG award-winner The Air Force, which features a duet with Michael Gira; side projects with Deerhoof's John Dieterich and This Song Is a Mess; and a video collection and tour DVD.

That DVD should be available this spring, when, somehow, Xiu Xiu will find time for a month-long tour (be on the lookout for another Polaroid project as well). And! Perhaps inspired by all that Neon Bible toll-free hoopla, Xiu Xiu have set up their own "hotline", which you may dial up to hear effed-up, mostly indecipherable messages. For a good time, call (510) 587-3204.

Remixed and Covered:

Covered:

01 Larsen - "Mousey Toy"
02 Oxbow - "Saturn"
03 Sunset Rubdown - "Apistat Commander"
04 Marissa Nadler - "Clowne Towne"
05 Good For Cows - "Sad Pony Guerilla Girl"
06 Kid606 - "Fabulous Muscles"
07 Why? - "Wig Master"
08 Her Space Holiday - "I Luv the Valley OH!"
09 Devendra Banhart - "Support Our Troops, OH!"

Remixed:

01 Hello From Eau Claire (Gold Chains Remix)
02 Ceremony (Xiu Xiu Remix)
03 Suha (Warbucks Remix)
04 Ale (Cherry Point Remix)
05 Over Over (Son Remix)
06 Buzz Saw (This Song Is a Mess but So Am I Remix)
07 Bishop, CA (Kid606 Remix)
08 Tonite and Today (Grouper Remix)
09 The Air Force [Entire Album] (To Live and Shave in L.A. Remix)

Xiu Xiu:

03-25 Phoenix, AZ - Paperheart *
03-26 Tucson, AZ - Solar Culture *
03-27 Santa Fe, NM - College of Santa Fe *
03-28 Oklahoma City, OK - Conservatory *
03-29 Austin, TX - Emo's *#
03-30 Baton Rouge, LA - Red Star Bar *#
03-31 Birmingham, AL - BottleTree Cafe *#
04-01 Murfreesboro, TN - Casa Burrito *#
04-02 Durham, NC - Duke Coffee House *#
04-03 Wilmington, NC - Bella Festa *#
04-04 Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel *#
04-05 Baltimore, MD - Ottobar *#
04-06 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church *#
04-07 Cambridge, MA - T.T. the Bear's Place *#
04-08 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom *#
04-11 Montreal, Quebec - Club Lambi
04-12 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace ^
04-13 Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig ^
04-14 Bloomington, IN - WUIX Culture Shock at Indiana University ^
04-16 Denver, CO - Hi-Dive ^
04-17 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge ^
04-19 Seattle, WA - Neumos ^
04-20 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom ^
04-22 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill ^
04-23 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill ^
04-24 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour ^

* with Casiotone for the Painfully Alone
# with Shearwater
^ with Sunset Rubdown, Katie Eastburn (of Young People)