La Forêt

La Forêt
Studio album by Xiu Xiu
Released July 12, 2005 (2005-07-12)
Genre Art rock, experimental, post-punk
Length 44:11
Label 5 Rue Christine
Producer Cory McCulloch
Xiu Xiu chronology
Life and Live
(2005)
La Forêt
(2005)
The Air Force
(2006)

La Forêt is the fourth studio album by Xiu Xiu, released on July 12, 2005 on 5 Rue Christine. The album features John Dieterich of Deerhoof and Devin Hoff as contributors.[1][2]

Contents

Overview

La Forêt's sound has been described as more subtle and less pop sounding than Xiu Xiu's previous album Fabulous Muscles.[3][4] The album was seen as a return to Xiu Xiu's earlier sound.[3][5]

The track "Saturn" deals with Jamie Stewart's frustration with then president George W. Bush and was inspired by Francisco Goya's Saturn Devouring His Son, while the track "Bog People" was written during a bout of sadness Stewart experienced while sitting alone on a coach during a storm.[6]

Track listing

No. Title Length
1. "Clover"   5:13
2. "Muppet Face"   3:25
3. "Mousey Toy"   3:29
4. "Pox"   4:10
5. "Baby Captain"   3:43
6. "Saturn"   3:21
7. "Rose of Sharon" (Grey Ghost Version)"   5:05
8. "Ale"   5:41
9. "Bog People"   3:21
10. "Dangerous You Shouldn't Be Here"   3:53
11. "Yellow Raspberry"   3:06

Personnel

The following people contributed to La Forêt:[1][2]

Xiu Xiu

Additional personnel

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [3]
Entertainment Weekly (A-) [7]
Pitchfork Media (7.9/10) [4]
PopMatters (7/10) [5]
Stylus (A-) [8]

La Forêt has received mostly positive reviews. On the review aggregate site Metacritic, the album has a score of 82 out of 100, indicating "Universal acclaim."[9] La Forêt is also Xiu Xiu's highest rated album on the site.[10]

Stylus Magazine's William S. Fields gave the album a grade of "A-," writing "La Forêt has the sort of courage-minus-contrivance that is exceedingly (and ironically) rare in music of its dramatic and thematic ilk. For this reason, though I have enjoyed and admired many records this year, this is one of the few I genuinely care about."[8] Jordan Dowling of Drowned in Sound also gave the album a positive review, writing "Easy listening this amn't, but if you want a rollercoaster ride into deep recessions and to be thrilled by the sounds that surround you, then this could be the perfect album for you."[11] Allmusic's Heather Phares wrote "La Foret may be more delicate and less immediate than some of Xiu Xiu's other work (especially Fabulous Muscles), but at its best, it may have even more impact because of that."[3]

Joe Darling of Delusions of Adequacy, on the other hand, gave the album a negative review, writing "Unfortunately, the mere manufacture of unique sounds isn’t enough to rescue them on La Forêt. If Xiu Xiu would only come to a greater understanding of its own volatility, the band would be enabled to create truly memorable compositions. Hopefully these folks will reach this realization before they become completely entangled by devices of their own resistance."[12]

References

  1. ^ a b La Forêt - Credits. Allmusic. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
  2. ^ a b Xiu Xiu – La Forêt (CD). Discogs. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d Phares, Heather. La Foret Review. Allmusic. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  4. ^ a b Howe, Brian. Album Reviews: La Foret. Pitchfork Media. 14 July 2005. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  5. ^ a b Begrand, Adrien. Xiu Xiu: La Foret. Popmatters. 11 July 2005. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  6. ^ Pitchfork Interviews: Xiu Xiu. Pitchfork Media. 9 April 2006. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
  7. ^ Gunatilaka, Timothy. La Foret Review. Entertainment Weekly. 18 July 2005. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  8. ^ a b Fields, William. Xiu Xiu - La Forêt - Review. Stylus. 22 July 2005. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  9. ^ Critic Reviews for La Foret. Metacritic Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  10. ^ Xiu Xiu Profile. Metacritic. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
  11. ^ Xiu Xiu - La Foret. Drowned in Sound. 4 August 2005. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
  12. ^ Darling, Joe. DOA - Xiu Xiu - La Forêt. Delusions of Adequacy. 1 August 2005. Retrieved 9 July 2011.