Merzbow + Xiu Xiu Review

Merzbow + Xiu Xiu
Merzxiu
Kingfisher Bluez Records

Merzxiu is the result of a Record Store Day exclusive collaboration between legendary harsh noise producer Merzbow and experimental rock art-rock outfit Xiu Xiu. This recording was pressed 1,000 times on splatter vinyl for the 2015 holiday. Some of Merzbow’s famous collaborations with doom metal act Boris and more recently hardcore act Full of Hell have seen the Japanese producer create walls of creeping sound in the background while the band takes center stage. This collaboration with Xiu Xiu could not be further from that precedent. Merzbow brings his uncomfortable harsh noise style to the forefront on both of these tracks entitled Merzxiu A and Merzxiu B. These two tracks that both clock in at just under 20 minutes are not for the faint of heart. Both tracks are cramped, uneasy, and tense in a way that only Merzbow can be. While Jamie Stewart’s Xiu Xiu are not exactly known for positivity either, the lighter synths that tend to balance Stewart’s dark subject matters were left behind for this recording.

This record is an experiment in drone. The pieces are brooding, gloomy, and ominous. The tracks move slowly through this evil void giving the listener a feeling of anxiety that only can be associated with hopelessness and death. Devoid of the abrasive melodies that Jamie Stewart and Xiu Xiu are typically known for, it is hard to see where exactly Xiu Xiu’s influence is on this record initially.  It appears that Xiu Xiu completely embraced the harsh noise style typically associated with Merzbow. However, the listener will catch the occasional creeping of color in the background that give Merzbow’s atmospheres a bit more depth and dimension that likely can be attributed to Jamie Stewart. Merzxiu A and Merzxiu B are swirling atmospheric tracks that are at times rhythmic before taking a dark and screeching turn. The noise is caustic and unpredictable which is exactly what the two artists are going for on this record. 

Merzxiu A features a pulsating rhythm that sounds like a heart beating quickly and out of control while white noise and aggressive distorted static fills in at incremental points.  This track is also filled with feedback and recordings of machinery that are typical to the Merzbow sound. The track then fades with that rhythmic beat and the sound of machinery at the forefront of your mind. Merzxiu B is largely a feedback laced machinery track. No longer is there a fast paced beat to guide the listener, the listener is left to wander through this piece alone. The machinery is accompanied by what sounds like a long note played on church organs that adds a bit of divine sanctity to this track. This organ that likely was an addition by Jamie Stewart seems to fade as quickly as it arrived and the listener finds themselves back in a state of uncertainty and disarray until the track fades out in a somewhat traditional manner. 

While these two tracks are by no means a comfortable listen, Merzbow and Xiu Xiu create a unique ambiance that seems to have come from a place you would not wish any of your loved ones to find themselves in. If you’re a fan of Xiu Xiu or Stewart’s work but unfamiliar with Merzbow this is going to be a challenging listen, but the thoughts and emotions that are created with these two tracks are not completely out of the realm of a Xiu Xiu recording. These two artists are able to amplify the droning defeated nature of each other’s work into heights they likely could not achieve on their own. 

6.5/10 

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Tom K. 

4/21/2015