Xiu Xiu

The kings and queen of raw, naked pain and quavering, sheltered emotionalism will bring their irresistibly precious brand of experimental indie pop to the Valley next Sunday. Songwriter Jamie Stewart, his cousin Caralee McElroy, and drummer Ches Smith come in advance of the April 10 release of Remixed & Covered, a platter of classic Xiu Xiu tunes entertainingly regurgitated and re-envisioned by friends and well-wishers including Devendra Banhart and Marissa Nadler. But don't go see Xiu Xiu for their beautiful melodies and haunting synth lines. Go for the theatrics. This is probably your one chance of the year (who knows? maybe of your life) to witness the trembling genius of lyrics such as "Cremate me after you cum on my lips," along with the straight-faced, self-righteous solemnity of doozies like "You're a jock who was too greedy and too stupid . . . why should I care if you die?" Xiu Xiu will be joined by Owen Ashworth, a.k.a. Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, a one-man act whose name explains everything you'd ever need to know about his music.