This is awful and I refuse to be polite. Who said noise pop wasn’t pretentious, because guess what? It is. Xiu Xiu’s second album is “A Promise” which ultimately fails to deliver. A whispery, angsty male voice with electronic screeching and small technoesque thumping sounds, computerised clapping noises and tape samples make the whole thing a little too forced and a little too thin.
Granted, there is a sort of haunting quality to the overall music presented on “A Promise”, but unfortunately the material doesn’t follow through on the potential use of this atmosphere. I might be more moved by it if it weren’t for the ever-present feeling that these boys are taking me for a ride and laughing all the way to the bank while doing it.

Playing this, I just want to scream, “Make it stop!” It’s all dark and full of teenage angstiness, and just oozing of ‘Oh, I’m so depressed’ - well, you sure deserve a damn Award! Horribly ‘avant-garde’, in the most twisted sense of the word.

Year Released: 2003
Label: 5RC
Related Link: Xiu Xiu Official Site
Date Reviewed: 2003-12-25
Author: Andreas