Forget (Xiu Xiu album)

Forget
Studio album by
Xiu Xiu
ReleasedFebruary 24, 2017 (2017-02-24)
StudioNurse
Genre
Length43:57
LabelPolyvinyl
ProducerJohn Congleton, Greg Saunier, Angela Seo
Xiu Xiu chronology
Plays the Music of Twin Peaks
(2016) 		Forget
(2017) 		Girl with Basket of Fruit
(2019)

Forget (stylized in all caps) is the tenth studio album by experimental band Xiu Xiu, released on February 24, 2017.[3] Produced by John Congleton, Greg Saunier, and Angela Seo, it features contributions from Charlemagne Palestine, Kristof Hahn, Vaginal Davis, and Enyce Smith.[3]

Background

The album cover bears Arabic calligraphy that translates to "we forget". Xiu Xiu leader Jamie Stewart has stated that the album cover has no meaning besides that "it looks beautiful" and is not meant as a political statement: "in hoping to depoliticize it, I suppose that it becomes political."[4] "Petite" and "Faith, Torn Apart" are about women used in sex trafficking on Backpage.

The title was further explained by Stewart: “To forget uncontrollably embraces the duality of human frailty. It is a rebirth in blanked out renewal but it also drowns and mutilates our attempt to hold on to what is dear.”[5]

In a press release, the album was marketed as the band's "most direct engagement with pop music".[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.1/10[7]
Metacritic78/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The A.V. ClubB[9]
Drowned In Sound8/10[10]
The Irish Times[11]
Exclaim!8/10[12]
Pitchfork6.4/10[13]
PopMatters[14]
Tiny Mix Tapes[15]
Under The Radar[16]

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 78 based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[8]

Andrew Paschal of PopMatters gave the album 8 stars out of 10, calling it "one of Xiu Xiu's poppiest and most accessible works to date".[14]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."The Call"3:17
2."Queen of the Losers"4:23
3."Wondering"4:12
4."Get Up"5:00
5."Hay Choco Bananas"3:48
6."Jenny GoGo"3:57
7."At Last, At Last"3:12
8."Forget"4:11
9."Petite"4:01
10."Faith, Torn Apart"7:56
Total length:43:57

Personnel

Xiu Xiu
  • Jamie Stewart – vocals, guitar, modular synthesizer, organ, programming
  • Angela Seo – synthesizer, organ, percussion
Additional personnel
  • Vaginal Davis – vocals
  • Kristof Hahn – guitar
  • Tanisha Hall – vocals
  • Devin Hoff – double bass
  • Chiara Lee – vocals
  • Charlemagne Palestine – carillon
  • Greg Saunier – bass guitar, percussion, guitar, synthesizer, vocals, organ
  • Enyce Smith – commentary
  • Federico Zanatta – vocals

Charts

Chart Peak
position
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[17] 24

References

  1. ^ a b Phares, Heather. "Forget - Xiu Xiu". AllMusic. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  2. ^ "Forget - Xiu Xiu". Rate Your Music. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Slingerland, Calum (November 16, 2016). "Xiu Xiu Return with 'Forget'". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  4. ^ Massaro, Michael (16 March 2017). "Q&A: Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu talks Forget and his songbook". Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  5. ^ Minsker, Evan (16 November 2016). "Xiu Xiu Announce New Album FORGET, Share New Track "Wondering": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  6. ^ Geslani, Michelle (16 November 2016). "Xiu Xiu announce new album, FORGET, share "Wondering" — listen". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  7. ^ "Forget by Xiu Xiu reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Forget by Xiu Xiu". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  9. ^ Mincher, Chris (February 24, 2017). "On Forget, Xiu Xiu achieves accessibility without much sacrifice". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  10. ^ Lukowski, Len (March 2, 2017). "Xiu Xiu: FORGET". Drowned In Sound. Archived from the original on July 27, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  11. ^ Kane, Siobhan (February 17, 2017). "Xiu Xiu: FORGET". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  12. ^ Brennan, Mark Anthony (February 15, 2017). "Xiu Xiu: FORGET". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  13. ^ Walls, Seth Colter (March 1, 2017). "Xiu Xiu: FORGET". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  14. ^ a b Paschal, Andrew (February 21, 2017). "Xiu Xiu: Forget". PopMatters. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  15. ^ Scott, Jazz (February 21, 2017). "Xiu Xiu: Forget". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  16. ^ Shafer, Cody Ray (February 24, 2017). "Xiu Xiu: Forget". Under The Radar. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  17. ^ "Xiu Xiu - Chart history - Vinyl Albums". Billboard. Retrieved April 15, 2017.