Fabulous Muscles
Encyclopedia
The track "Brian the Vampire" is based on a child Stewart encountered during Stewart's time as a preschool teacher in California. "Mike" is a tribute to Stewart's late father Michael Stewart
, who had committed suicide in 2002, while "Support Our Troops OH! (Black Angels OH!)" is about Stewart's view on soldiers serving in the Iraq war.
, the album has a score of 80 out of 100, indicating "Generally favorable reviews." Critics were generally receptive to the album's more accessible sound.
Heather Phares of Allmusic wrote "Fabulous Muscles might be the best expression of Xiu Xiu's unrepentantly original music; even if the world that the band creates isn't necessarily one you'd want to visit all the time, it remains fascinating." Pitchfork Media
's Matt LeMay also praised the album, writing "Though there are many notable high points to Fabulous Muscles, its overwhelming consistency is what cements its place as Xiu Xiu's finest. The album does not contain a single hiccup or yawn-- no extraneous noise, no potentially offputting histrionics, no throwaways and no dull moments." The album also received a "Best New Music" designation in the review.
Robert Christgau
gave the album a C grade, writing "The musical parsimony, cultural insularity, moral certitude, and histrionic affectations of these lo-fi artier-than-thous promise indie ideologues whole lifetimes of egoistic irrelevance." Stylus Magazine
's Akiva Gottlieb also gave the album a C grade, writing "Obviously, Stewart has a penchant for self-examination—some of it brilliant and incisive—but his work is also obnoxiously self-indulgent."
Fabulous Muscles has appeared on a few end of year lists. The Morning News
named it the 7th best album of 2004. Pitchfork Media
ranked Fabulous Muscles #50 on their list of the top 50 albums of 2004. In addition, the same website ranked the song "I Luv the Valley OH!" #176 on their list of the Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s, with reviewer Brian Howe writing "A great Xiu Xiu song is like someone actually hurting himself, right in front of you. This ["I Luv the Valley OH!"] isn't their most violent effort, but it's their most scouring; a place where mortar-round drums pound down on rolling bass and chiming guitars, unsubtly conveying the painful insight that some dreams have to be razed, not realized."
Michael Stewart (musician)
Michael “Mike” Stewart was the guitarist for We Five. He was also the brother of John Stewart , a one-time member of The Kingston Trio and later a very successful singer/songwriter, and the father of Jamie Stewart, frontman of popular avant-garde group Xiu Xiu...
, who had committed suicide in 2002, while "Support Our Troops OH! (Black Angels OH!)" is about Stewart's view on soldiers serving in the Iraq war.
Reception
Fabulous Muscles has received mostly positive reviews. On the review aggregate site MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, the album has a score of 80 out of 100, indicating "Generally favorable reviews." Critics were generally receptive to the album's more accessible sound.
Heather Phares of Allmusic wrote "Fabulous Muscles might be the best expression of Xiu Xiu's unrepentantly original music; even if the world that the band creates isn't necessarily one you'd want to visit all the time, it remains fascinating." Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
's Matt LeMay also praised the album, writing "Though there are many notable high points to Fabulous Muscles, its overwhelming consistency is what cements its place as Xiu Xiu's finest. The album does not contain a single hiccup or yawn-- no extraneous noise, no potentially offputting histrionics, no throwaways and no dull moments." The album also received a "Best New Music" designation in the review.
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
gave the album a C grade, writing "The musical parsimony, cultural insularity, moral certitude, and histrionic affectations of these lo-fi artier-than-thous promise indie ideologues whole lifetimes of egoistic irrelevance." Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
's Akiva Gottlieb also gave the album a C grade, writing "Obviously, Stewart has a penchant for self-examination—some of it brilliant and incisive—but his work is also obnoxiously self-indulgent."
Fabulous Muscles has appeared on a few end of year lists. The Morning News
The Morning News (online magazine)
The Morning News is a U.S.-based daily online magazine founded in 1999 by Rosecrans Baldwin and Andrew Womack. It began as an email newsletter and in the fall of 2000 evolved into a news-oriented weblog with a New York focus...
named it the 7th best album of 2004. Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
ranked Fabulous Muscles #50 on their list of the top 50 albums of 2004. In addition, the same website ranked the song "I Luv the Valley OH!" #176 on their list of the Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s, with reviewer Brian Howe writing "A great Xiu Xiu song is like someone actually hurting himself, right in front of you. This ["I Luv the Valley OH!"] isn't their most violent effort, but it's their most scouring; a place where mortar-round drums pound down on rolling bass and chiming guitars, unsubtly conveying the painful insight that some dreams have to be razed, not realized."
Track listing
Xiu Xiu
- Lauren Andrews - Percussion, Synthesizer
- Jherek Bischoff - Bass, Bass (Upright), Drums (Bass), String Arrangements, Synthesizer, Trombone, Violin
- Cory McCulloch - Guitar, Harmonium, Mandolin, Producer, Synthesizer Bass
- Sam Mickens - Guitar
- Jamie StewartJamie StewartJames "Jamie" Cyrus Stewart is the front-man of the American musical group Xiu Xiu , a former front-man of IBOPA and Ten in the Swear Jar and a current member of Former Ghosts. He was also a member of 7 Year Rabbit Cycle which has since disbanded...
- Bass, Beats, Guitar, Synthesizer, Vocals
Additional personnel
- John Golden - Mastering
- Lorem Ipsum - Photography
- Caralee McElroyCaralee McElroyCaralee McElroy is a Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist who has played in the bands Xiu Xiu, XXL, and Cold Cave.-Biography:...
- Photography - Gabriel Mindel - Electronics, Guitar, Synthesizer
- Sprout Guy - Viola, Violin
- Joe Stewart - Design
- Peter Swanson - Drum Machine, Electronics, Synthesizer