I listened to this album before I went to sleep last night. After falling asleep, I had a dream that all of my friends hated me. I woke up at 3 a.m. and couldn�t get back to sleep for an hour, then slept until about 11:30 (I went to sleep last night around 10:30). When I opened up my CD player, I found a dead fly under the CD.
        I really didn�t expect anything less.
        Ten In The Swear Jar (or XITSJ for the cool kids) is basically Xiu Xiu before they were Xiu Xiu, although a cursory glance at the cover may make you think otherwise.  With an album titled Accordion Solo! and songs such as �I Don�t Play the Drumz� and �Gauntlet of Thor the Destroyer� one might almost expect this band to be nothing like the Xiu Xiu they later became.
        All doubts I had were dispelled once I actually listened to the album. Although the band�s lineup is different, everything that you loved about Xiu Xiu is here, from the varied instruments, including synth, mandolin, saxophone, and accordion, to Jamie Stewart�s emotionally loaded vocals, which can range from broken whispers to frantic outbursts in the course of seconds.
        Released on Asian Man Records, Accordion Solo!  Encompasses most of 3 albums, one unreleased, as well as a few live recordings. While many of the earlier songs are fairly straightforward structured, as the album progresses you can almost hear the band taking on the disjointed experimental sound that later became so characteristic of Xiu Xiu.
        While this album isn�t for everyone, it�s definitely worthwhile for those who are willing to try something different, and is a must for Xiu Xiu fans, offering a glimpse into a project that lasted a year before disbanding and re-emerging as, well, Xiu Xiu.
...
L.B. '05
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       ACCORDION SOLO!
        Asian Man Records

1) Malafuquana Espana
2) Hot Karl
3) San Jose Fight Song
4) I Don't Play the Drumz
5) Gauntlet of Thor the Destroyer
6) Fort Awesome Drunk Tank
7) Helsabot
8) Famine
9) I Love the Valley
10) Leg Show
11) King Earth
12) Melon
13) When You Write
14) Worry Boy
15) Sita Deth
16) House Quake II
17) Sad Girl
18) In the Blue Trunks J.H.
19) Accordion Solo!
20) Gauntlet of Thor the Destroyer (live)
21) I Love the Valley (live)
22) House Quake II (live)
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Band Website