Editing Fabulous Muscles (section)

==Overview==
''Fabulous Muscles'' was Xiu Xiu's third album in two years. The album was recorded in [[Oakland, California|Oakland]] and [[Seattle]] and was produced by band member Cory McCulloch.<ref name=discogs>[http://www.discogs.com/Xiu-Xiu-Fabulous-Muscles/release/394443 Xiu Xiu – Fabulous Muscles (CD, Album)]. [[Discogs]]. Retrieved 1 July 2011</ref> The album's cover features band leader [[Jamie Stewart (American musician)|Jamie Stewart]] nuzzling a toy kitten.<ref name=popmatters />

Several reviewers found ''Fabulous Muscles'' to have a more accessible sound than Xiu Xiu's previous albums.<ref name=popmatters /><ref name=pitchfork /><ref name=TMT /> On recording the album, Stewart said:
{{cquote|
I think on ''Fabulous Muscles'' we really tried to write a pop record just because... We were on a lark and wanted to see how it would turn out.<ref name=popmattersinterview>Joseph, Peter. [http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/xiu-xiu-040429 I Can't Wait to Watch You Get Older: An Interview with Xiu Xiu]. [[Popmatters]]. Retrieved 1 July 2011</ref>
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Stewart contributed the title track to a tribute CD, ''The Ash Gray Proclamation'', for author [[Dennis Cooper]]. They said that they would not have been able to write a song like that without having read Cooper's books, since Cooper helped Stewart "to feel ... that it was possible to be more open" due to his "frankness".<ref name="Pitchfork 2006" />