The Air Force

iTunes Review

There are reasons that Jamie Stewart, the singer-songwriter behind Xiu Xiu who has toured and performed with Devendra Banhart, has only marginally been included in all of those articles about weirdo folk, beardcore and the allegedly "new weird America." He's too weird, not to mention too interested in electronic music, and too emotionally invested in what he does. Few singers can make you as worried for their emotional well-being quite like he can; after listening to one of his albums, it's tempting to send a note to the dude, asking, "Are you alright, man?" Stewart's voice wavers atop the somber, jarring keyboards and off-beat drum sounds on The Air Force, and it's the sound of a man losing his, um, stuff. These are, of course, all wonderful things: having not been included in the chosen musical movement of the day, he has far less chance of being outdated and reacted against later. And especially during a time of war, it's awesome to hear such histrionics, especially when they're as eloquent, and as strangely erotic, as Stewart's.