| 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 "generally favorable" 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 Wild". 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 film Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl, which has influenced the sound of their music, according to Stewart.
Fabulous Muscles is the third 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.
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.
Nina may refer to:
Knife Play is the debut studio album by American experimental rock band Xiu Xiu, released on February 19, 2002.
Chris Speed is an American saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer.
The Air Force is the fifth album by Xiu Xiu. It was released on September 12, 2006, and is produced by Greg Saunier of Deerhoof, who also performs on the album with band members Caralee McElroy and Jamie Stewart.
Sings the Blues is an album by singer/pianist/songwriter Nina Simone. This was Simone's first album for RCA Records after previously recording for Colpix Records and Philips Records. The album was also reissued in 2006 with bonus tracks, and re-packaged 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.
Mary Halvorson is an American avant-garde jazz composer and guitarist from Brookline, Massachusetts.
Mike Pride is an American, New York City based drummer/percussionist, composer & improviser, sometimes vocalist, and educator, born on July 7. He is known for the large number of bands he plays with, and has a significant reputation in a multiplicity of musical communities around the world. Time Out NY says of one album featuring him "Pride has backed brainy jazz legend Anthony Braxton as well as political punks Millions of Dead Cops. Those influences and countless others speed by here, but the flow of ideas is so continuous that the album never feels like pastiche.". Born and raised in Southern Maine, but based out of New York City since 2000, Mike Pride currently performs solo, leads modern-jazz quartet From Bacteria To Boys, the 7-drummer installation-band Drummer's Corpse, and the piano trio I HATE WORK. He also co-leads the ensembles Pulverize The Sound, and Period. Pride is renowned for his ability to excel in a wide range of genres and ensembles. He has worked with everyone from improvised music icon Anthony Braxton to punk legends Millions Of Dead Cops, toured extensively on four continents, appeared on more than 100 recordings, and is currently touring the world opening for comedian Amy Schumer with Jason Stein's Locksmith Isidore.
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.
Where the Wild Things Are: Motion Picture Soundtrack: Original Songs by Karen O and the Kids is the soundtrack to the 2009 film Where the Wild Things Are. It is performed by Karen O and the Kids. It was released on September 29, 2009, in CD, LP, and digital download formats.
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, Dan Weiss, Ingrid Laubrock, and Craig Taborn, among others.
Girl with Basket of Fruit is the eleventh studio album by American experimental band Xiu Xiu, released on February 8, 2019. It follows the band's 2017 album Forget and was co-produced by member Angela Seo and Deerhoof's Greg Saunier. The album is supported by the lead single "Scisssssssors", which was released with an accompanying music video. A second single, entitled "Pumpkin Attack on Mommy and Daddy", was also released with a music video on January 15, 2019.
Jon Irabagon is a Filipino-American saxophonist, composer, and founder of Irabbagast Records.
Oh No is a duets album and the fourteenth studio album by American experimental band Xiu Xiu. It was released on March 26, 2021, via Polyvinyl. It is described as a "duets album". Its lead single, "A Bottle of Rum" featuring Liz Harris was released on January 27, 2021.
Relative Pitch Records is an American independent record label specializing in free jazz and avant-garde jazz, free improvisation, and experimental music. Run by Kevin Reilly, Relative Pitch has been ranked among the top jazz record labels in The New York City Jazz Record and DownBeat year-end lists, and praised by publications and organizations including The Guardian, NPR Music, The Brooklyn Rail, and in Bandcamp Daily's label profile, "Relative Pitch is Built on Enthusiasm for Experimental Music".
