Xiu Xiu: Dear God, I Hate Myself (deluxe edition, silver vinyl) [KILL ROCK STARS]

Why you'll love it

This deluxe edition is remastered, pressed on silver vinyl and adds a seven-inch single with two previously unheard songs. It was the first Xiu Xiu album to put Angela Seo front and centre.

This edition

• Deluxe edition
• Silver vinyl
• Remastered
• Bonus 7" single with two previously unheard songs

About the album

New toys can change a band. Angela Seo had just joined Xiu Xiu, the group Jamie Stewart formed in San Jose in 2002, when she found a Korg synth made for the Nintendo DS, and its chirps and buzzes became the backbone of this 2010 album. Stewart wrote the songs on the move, in what he called transitory settings and moments, with the lineup in flux after Caralee McElroy's departure.

The result is Xiu Xiu at their most immediate. "Gray Death" sets the tone, "Chocolate Makes You Happy" and the title track tuck big pop melodies under the fizz, and "House Sparrow" and "Hyunhye's Theme" show the tender side, while "Secret Motel" and "Falkland Rd." keep the electronics pulsing. It was also their last album for Kill Rock Stars before the move to Polyvinyl and Bella Union, and the label has now given it the deluxe treatment.

It's a fine place to start with the band's catalogue. A handheld games console has rarely been put to such good use, and we say that as people who've lost whole weekends to one.

Also at Kops: more Xiu Xiu on vinyl · browse Alternative

Tracklist

Listen

On Kill Rock Stars (cat# KRS691), a reissue of the 2010 album.