Either one falls in love with Xiu Xiu's over sincerity or detests the group's contrived theatrics. I strongly fall in the former camp. Jaime Stewart is one of the few people today that actually makes interesting music. He loves to throw unexpected turns at his listeners with little regard who will stay on the road with him. Yet it seams for the last few albums, Stewart has been in a bit of rut. After perfecting Xiu Xiu's twisted pop with the brilliant Fabulous Muscles, the band still has made little progress in its recent output. Women as Lovers continues this trend. Xiu Xiu loses much of the shrieks and drum machines they made their name on replacing them with live drums and brass. These new elements give the album a much more organic feel and would probably work great in a live setting. The album is a bit front-loaded and tends to lose momentum as it enters the second half. The back to back of "F.T.W." and "No Friend Oh!" is easily the records high moment and yet there is nothing here that even comes close to the fantastic "I Luv the Valley OH!" or as carthatic as "Apistat Commander". So it comes down to whether or not you are a fan of Xiu Xiu in the first place. Long time listeners will find something to love while those who just can't stomach Xiu Xiu will continue to ignore one of the better bands around.
Score: 7.2
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