| Nina | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 3, 2013 | |||
| Genre | Avant-garde jazz | |||
| Length | 49:10 | |||
| Label | Graveface | |||
| Xiu Xiu chronology | ||||
| ||||
Nina is a Nina Simone tribute album by Xiu Xiu. It was released on Graveface Records on December 3, 2013, to generally favorable reviews.
The idea for the album came while band leader Jamie Stewart was on tour with Swans. [1] Nina was recorded in a day. [2] The album features Stewart's voice, Ches Smith on drums, Tim Berne and Tony Malaby on saxophones, Andrea Parkins on accordion, and Mary Halvorson on guitar. [2] The latter four had experience in avant jazz. [1] The album reimagines rather than recreates Nina Simone's songs. [1] It was released on Graveface Records on December 3, 2013. [3]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 65/100 [4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Pitchfork | 4.7/10 [5] |
| Slant Magazine |  [3] |
| Under the Radar | 6.5/10 [6] |
Nina received a score of 65 (out of 100) from the ratings aggregator Metacritic, which indicates "generally favorable" reviews. [4] Nate Chinen from The New York Times described the album as accentuating Simone's "spooky, unsettling side". [2] He adds that Stewart's vocals add to the "psychodrama" in "Four Women" and "the wildness" in "Wild Is the Wind". Chinen thought the art rock Nina Simone covers field was already crowded before Nina. [2] Heather Phares of AllMusic considered Stewart's stylistic choices "provocative" and the album Stewart's "most avant-garde ... in years". [1] She added that the album considered the "more progressive aspects" of Simone's music. [1] Kyle Fowle of Slant Magazine thought the album to be Xiu Xiu's "most ambitious ... in years". [3] He thought Stewart's vocal style was out of place on "Don't Explain" and "Just Say I Love Him". [3] Billy Hamilton of Under the Radar wrote that Simone would approve of the album. [6] Mark Richardson of Pitchfork noted a mystical connection between Xiu Xiu and Simone as artists who perform raw emotions, but described the album as a "wasted opportunity" and "weirdly conservative". [5] For this, he blamed Stewart's vocals for being "theatrical" and insincere. [5] Richardson praised the album's selection of songs covered. [5]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Don't Smoke in Bed" | 4:48 |
| 2. | "Don't Explain" | 4:28 |
| 3. | "Wild Is The Wind" | 6:07 |
| 4. | "Where Can I Go?" | 4:06 |
| 5. | "See Line Woman" | 2:35 |
| 6. | "Just Say I Love Him" | 3:25 |
| 7. | "Four Women" | 4:13 |
| 8. | "Pirate Jenny" | 5:52 |
| 9. | "You'd Be So Nice" | 3:49 |
| 10. | "The Other Woman" | 2:54 |
| 11. | "Flo Me La" | 6:53 |
Additional personnel
Xiu Xiu is an American experimental rock band, formed in 2002 by singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart in San Jose, California. Currently, the line-up consists of multi-instrumentalists Stewart, Angela Seo, and percussionist David Kendrick. The band's name comes from the Chinese film Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl, which has influenced the sound of their music, according to Stewart.
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 depressive mix between experimental rock and synth-pop. It is considered to be more accessible than Xiu Xiu's previous two studio albums, A Promise and Knife Play. Fabulous Muscles has received mostly positive reviews from critics.
A Promise is the second studio album by American experimental band Xiu Xiu, released on February 18, 2003 by 5 Rue Christine.
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.
Knife Play is the debut studio album by American experimental rock band Xiu Xiu, released on February 19, 2002.
Big Science is the debut studio album by American performance artist and musician Laurie Anderson. It was the first of a seven-album deal Anderson signed with Warner Bros. Records. The album consists of a selection of musical highlights from her eight-hour production United States Live, which was itself released as a 5-LP box set and book in 1984.
Chris Speed is an American saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer.
Sings the Blues is an album by singer/pianist/songwriter Nina Simone. This was Simone's first album for RCA Victor after previously recording for Colpix Records and Philips Records. The album was also reissued in 2006 with bonus tracks, and reissued in 1991 by RCA/Novus as a 17-track compilation under the title The Blues.
Chris Lightcap is an American double bassist, bass guitarist and composer born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
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Mary Halvorson is an American avant-garde jazz composer and guitarist from Brookline, Massachusetts.
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Dear God, I Hate Myself is the seventh studio album by American indie rock band Xiu Xiu released on February 23, 2010. This is their first album since the departure of Caralee McElroy. The album features new member Angela Seo on piano, synthesizer and drum programming, with production by band leader Jamie Stewart and Deerhoof's Greg Saunier. This album marked a departure from the more analogue styles of Women as Lovers and The Air Force, and shifted stylistic choices to a more chiptune style, utilizing the Nintendo DS' KORG DS-10 software to program drum and synthesizer tracks.
Always is the eighth studio album by Xiu Xiu, released on February 28, 2012.
Pain Is Beauty is the third studio album from American singer-songwriter and eponymous band, Chelsea Wolfe released on September 3, 2013, through Sargent House.
James Stewart is an American musician and writer best known for their role in experimental rock band Xiu Xiu. They have appeared in other bands, including XXL, Former Ghosts, and Sal Mineo.
Snakeoil is an album by the American composer and saxophonist Tim Berne released on the ECM label in 2012.
David Breskin is an American writer, poet, and record producer. He has written nine books, including collaborations with the visual artists Gerhard Richter and Ed Ruscha. Beginning in the early 1980s, he produced albums by musicians including John Zorn, Bill Frisell, Ronald Shannon Jackson and Vernon Reid. In more recent years, he has worked with Nels Cline, Mary Halvorson, Kris Davis, Miles Okazaki, Dan Weiss, Ingrid Laubrock, and Craig Taborn, among others.
Jon Irabagon is a Filipino-American saxophonist, composer, and founder of Irabbagast Records.
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