Experimental/Art Rock is a very difficult tightrope for some people's nervous systems to traverse. Personally, I love such artists as Frank Zappa, Throbbing Gristle, Jim O'Rourke and Deerhoof, but some would rather stick sharpened pencils into their ear canals than subject themselves to the above noise. On the other hand, I would gladly pull a Van Gogh and slice off an ear just to never hear bollocks like Animal Collective, Lightning Bolt, or Hair Police ever again. Noise Rock is all in the ear of the beholder I suppose.

Xiu Xiu used to be in that latter category for me. On their first couple of albums, I couldn't grasp why anyone would intentionally listen to Jamie Stewart's whiny incessant shrieking for three fourths of an hour. But on last year's more accessible Fabulous Muscles record, something wonderfully unexpected happened. Stewart toned down the shrieking, and turned up the erratic synth work and voila! All the sudden Xiu Xiu stopped feeling like the soundtrack to wicked hangover, and I finally understood the appeal.

This year's new album La Foret delves even deeper into the realm of sonic science, and makes for one hell of a headphone record. If you can get past some inevitable moments of Stewart's blubbering, what awaits is a symphonic wash of harmonium, double bass, cellos and autoharps thrown in a blender and set for 'Stun.' "Pox" and "Bog People" will have your ears glued to the speakers, and "Rose Of Sharon" with its string work and layers or synth has to be one of the most frightening and ghastly tunes I've come across in quite some time. La Foret isn't as easy a nut to crack on first listen as Fabulous Muscles was, but stick with it, and I promise that musically this album is far more rewarding.