Editing Fabulous Muscles

{{Infobox album
| name         = Fabulous Muscles
| type         = studio
| artist       = [[Xiu Xiu]]
| cover        = xiuxiu-fabulousmuscles.jpg
| alt          = 
| released     = {{start date|2004|2|17}}
| recorded     = 
| venue        = 
| studio       = 
| genre        = *[[Art rock]]
*[[synth-pop]]
*[[art pop]]
*[[Experimental music|experimental]]
| length       = 37:40
| label        = [[5 Rue Christine]]
| producer     = Cory McCulloch
| prev_title   = [[Fag Patrol]]
| prev_year    = 2003
| next_title   = [[Life and Live]]
| next_year    = 2005
}}

'''''Fabulous Muscles''''' is the third studio album by American experimental band [[Xiu Xiu]], released on February 17, 2004 on [[5 Rue Christine]]. The album marked a change in the band's sound, described as a [[Depression (mood)|depressive]] mix between [[experimental rock]] and [[synth-pop]].<ref name=allmusic/> It is considered to be more accessible than Xiu Xiu's previous two studio albums, ''[[A Promise (Xiu Xiu album)|A Promise]]'' and ''[[Knife Play]]''. ''Fabulous Muscles'' has received mostly positive reviews from critics.

==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>
}}

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" />

==Themes and lyrics==

''Fabulous Muscles'' is populated by dark themes, including [[Depression (mood)|depression]], [[physical abuse]], [[mental abuse]], and [[drug addiction]].<ref name=popmatters />

[[Jamie Stewart (American musician)|Jamie Stewart]] told ''Pitchfork'' that the tone of the album reflected the events of their personal life, which were "incredibly, incredibly violent, incredibly jarring and difficult to take... and personally and politically extreme in black and white ways".<ref name="Pitchfork 2006" /> Their next studio album, ''The Air Force'', reflects their experience internalizing the trauma of that period.<ref name="Pitchfork 2006" />

The album's title track was inspired by the [[Iceberg Slim]] novel ''Mama Black Widow'' and describes an abusive relationship between a [[Muscle worship|muscle-worshiping]] Stewart and a hyper-masculine man.<ref>{{Citation|title=Xiu Xiu - Fabulous Muscles + Drunk Commentary|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejhA2D4C6Wc|language=en|access-date=2022-01-15}}</ref> The song "Brian the Vampire" is based on a child Stewart encountered during their time as a preschool teacher in [[California]]. According to Stewart, "His whole family lived in one garage and his older brother ... was molesting Brian at night while the whole family was sleeping in the room."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.neumu.net/datastream/2004/2004-00020/2004-00020_datastream.shtml|title=+++ neumu [ datastream ]|website=Neumu.net|access-date=Feb 17, 2025}}</ref> The penultimate "Clowne Towne" sees Stewart reflect on the current statuses of friends from their teens and young adulthood (such as [[Perfume Genius|Michael Hadreas]] of Perfume Genius or fellow Xiu Xiu member Caralee McElroy) and how they compare to their own. "Mike" is a tribute to Stewart's late father [[Michael Stewart (musician)|Michael Stewart]], who committed suicide in 2002, while "Support Our Troops OH! (Black Angels OH!)" is about Stewart's distaste about soldiers serving in the [[Iraq War]].<ref name=BaltInterview>Goldberg, Michael. [http://www2.citypaper.com/music/story.asp?id=5327 For Xiu Xiu's Jamie Stewart, the Personal is Political is Permissible for Creative License]. 17 March 2004. Retrieved 1 July 2011</ref>

==Reception==
{{music ratings
| MC = 80/100<ref name=Metacritic>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/fabulous-muscles/xiu-xiu|title=Reviews for Fabulous Muscles by Xiu Xiu|publisher=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=July 1, 2011}}</ref>
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]] 
| rev1Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name=allmusic>{{cite web|last=Phares|first=Heather|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/fabulous-muscles-mw0000332342|title=Fabulous Muscles – Xiu Xiu|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=July 1, 2011}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]]''
| rev2Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite journal|date=April 2004|title=Xiu Xiu: Fabulous Muscles|journal=[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]]|issue=189|page=88}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Cokemachineglow]]''
| rev3score = 68%<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090815175348/http://www.cokemachineglow.com:80/record_review/1169/xiuxiu-fabulousmuscles-2004|title=Xiu Xiu - Fabulous Muscles|website=[[Cokemachineglow]]|last=Betz|first=Chet|date=February 24, 2004|access-date=April 27, 2025}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''
| rev4Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref>{{cite journal|date=May 2004|title=Xiu Xiu: Fabulous Muscles|journal=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]|issue=126|page=105}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev5Score = 9.0/10<ref name=pitchfork>{{cite web|last=LeMay|first=Matt|date=February 17, 2004|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/8826-fabulous-muscles/|title=Xiu Xiu: Fabulous Muscles|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|access-date=May 8, 2013}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Stylus Magazine|Stylus]]''
| rev6Score = C<ref name=stylus>{{cite web|last=Gottlieb|first=Akiva|date=February 25, 2004|url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/xiu-xiu/fabulous-muscles.htm|title=Xiu Xiu – Fabulous Muscles – Review|work=[[Stylus Magazine]]|access-date=July 1, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140330104952/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/xiu-xiu/fabulous-muscles.htm|archive-date=March 30, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Tiny Mix Tapes]]''
| rev7Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name=TMT>{{cite web|author=Amneziak|url=http://www.tinymixtapes.com/music-review/xiu-xiu-fabulous-muscles|title=Xiu Xiu – Fabulous Muscles|work=[[Tiny Mix Tapes]]|access-date=July 1, 2011}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[URB (magazine)|URB]]''
| rev8score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref>Ultimately, Xiu Xiu builds something sacred from tiny moments of pain. [Jun 2004, p.90]</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[The Village Voice]]''
| rev9Score = C<ref name=Christgau>{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=November 30, 2004|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgvts-04.php|title=Consumer Guide: Mine Enemy the Turkey|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|access-date=December 13, 2016}}</ref>
}}
''Fabulous Muscles'' received mostly positive reviews. On the review aggregate site [[Metacritic]], the album has a score of 80 out of 100, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".<ref name=Metacritic/> Critics were generally receptive to the album's more accessible sound.

Heather Phares of [[AllMusic]] wrote that ''Fabulous Muscles'' "might be the best expression of Xiu Xiu's unrepentantly original music; even if the world that the band creates isn't necessarily one you'd want to visit all the time, it remains fascinating."<ref name=allmusic/> ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''{{'}}s Matt LeMay also praised the album, writing, "Though there are many notable high points to ''Fabulous Muscles'', its overwhelming consistency is what cements its place as Xiu Xiu's finest. The album does not contain a single hiccup or yawn-- no extraneous noise, no potentially offputting histrionics, no throwaways and no dull moments." The album also received a "Best New Music" designation in the review.<ref name=pitchfork/> Adrien Begrand of ''[[PopMatters]]'' praised it as "more focused and direct" than ''A Promise''.<ref name=popmatters>{{cite web|last=Begrand|first=Adrien|date=March 1, 2004|url=https://www.popmatters.com/xiuxiu-fabulous-2496118811.html|title=Xiu Xiu: Fabulous Muscles|work=[[PopMatters]]|access-date=July 1, 2011}}</ref>

[[Robert Christgau]] of ''[[The Village Voice]]'' panned the album, writing, "The musical parsimony, cultural insularity, moral certitude, and histrionic affectations of these lo-fi artier-than-thous promise indie ideologues whole lifetimes of egoistic irrelevance."<ref name=Christgau/> ''[[Stylus Magazine]]''{{'}}s Akiva Gottlieb wrote, "Obviously, Stewart has a penchant for self-examination—some of it brilliant and incisive—but [their] work is also obnoxiously self-indulgent."<ref name=stylus/>

''Fabulous Muscles'' has appeared on a few end of year lists. ''[[The Morning News (online magazine)|The Morning News]]'' named it the 7th best album of 2004.<ref name=morningnews>Womack, Andrew. [http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/opinions/the_top_10_albums_of_2004.php The Top 10 Albums of 2004]. [[The Morning News (online magazine)|The Morning News]]. 20 December 2004. Retrieved 1 July 2011</ref>  [[Pitchfork Media]] ranked ''Fabulous Muscles'' #50 on their list of the top 50 albums of 2004.<ref name=Top2004>Pitchfork Staff. [http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5934-top-50-albums-of-2004/ Pitchfork: Staff Lists: Top 50 Albums of 2004]. [[Pitchfork Media]]. 31 December 2004. Retrieved 1 July 2011.</ref> In addition, the same website ranked the song "I Luv the Valley OH!" #176 on their list of the Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s, with reviewer Brian Howe writing "A great Xiu Xiu song is like someone actually hurting himself, right in front of you. This ["I Luv the Valley OH!"] isn't their most violent effort, but it's their most scouring; a place where mortar-round drums pound down on rolling bass and chiming guitars, unsubtly conveying the painful insight that some dreams have to be razed, not realized."<ref name=Top500Tracks>Pitchfork Staff. [http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7686-the-top-500-tracks-of-the-2000s-200-101/3/ The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s: 200-101] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818054914/http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7686-the-top-500-tracks-of-the-2000s-200-101/3/ |date=2011-08-18 }}. 18 August 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2011.</ref> The album also placed 19th on Tiny Mix Tapes favorite albums of 2000-2009.

Brandon Stosuy of ''Pitchfork'' described the album as "brilliant" and a blend of "circus music and shattered death disco".<ref name="Pitchfork 2006"/> In a review of Xiu Xiu's recent album ''Oh No'', Brian Howe of Pitchfork described the title track as a "mini-masterpiece."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Xiu Xiu: OH NO |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/xiu-xiu-oh-no/ |access-date=2023-07-09 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Track listing==
{{track listing
|title1= Crank Heart
|length1= 3:19
|title2= I Luv the Valley OH!
|length2= 2:59
|title3= Bunny Gamer (b)
|length3= 2:40
|title4= Little Panda McElroy (b)
|length4= 4:25
|title5= Support Our Troops OH! (Black Angels OH!)
|length5= 4:46
|title6= Fabulous Muscles <small>(Mama Black Widow Version)</small> 
|length6= 4:10
|title7= Brian the Vampire
|length7= 2:38
|title8= Nieces Pieces <small>(Boat Knife Version)</small>
|length8= 3:33
|title9= Clowne Towne
|length9= 3:50
|title10= Mike
|length10= 5:13
}}

==Personnel==
The following people contributed to ''Fabulous Muscles'':<ref name=credits>[http://www.allmusic.com/album/fabulous-muscles-r675860/credits Fabulous Muscles - Credits]. ''[[AllMusic]]'', Retrieved 1 July 2011</ref>

===Xiu Xiu===
* Lauren Andrews - Synthesizer (2), Percussion (5)
* [[Jherek Bischoff]] - Bass (1/4), Guitar (2/5), Bass Drums (2), Violin (3), Upright Bass (5), String Arrangements (5), Synthesizer (5), Trombone (8)
* Cory McCulloch - Producer, Harmonium (5/8), Mandolin (1), Guitar (2), Bass Synthesizer (2)
* Sam Mickens - Guitar (1/2), Synthesizer (2), Percussion (2), String Arrangements (5)
* [[Jamie Stewart (American musician)|Jamie Stewart]] - Vocals, Guitar, Synthesizer (1/3/4/7/9/10), Beats (1/3/7), Bass (2), Percussion (9)

===Additional personnel===
* John Golden - Mastering
* Lorem Ipsum - Photography
* [[Caralee McElroy]] - Photography
* Gabriel Mindel - Electronics (5), Guitar (5), Synthesizer (5)
* Sprout Guy - Viola (5/9), Violin (5/9)
* Joe Stewart - Design
* Peter Swanson - Drum Machine (5), Electronics (5), Synthesizer (5)

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="Pitchfork 2006">{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/6305-xiu-xiu/ |access-date=July 13, 2014 |title=Xiu Xiu |last1=Stosuy |first1=Brandon |date=April 9, 2006 |work=[[Pitchfork Media]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140723092041/http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/6305-xiu-xiu/ |archive-date=July 23, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

==External links==
*[https://www.amazon.com/Fabulous-Muscles-Xiu/dp/B00019JQ5A Amazon.com listing]

{{Xiu Xiu}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Xiu Xiu albums]]
[[Category:2004 albums]]
[[Category:5 Rue Christine albums]]