Review of "XTC"

XTC

Pop

England

http://www.chalkhills.org

very beatlesesque pop music with brightly depressing lyrics.

very beatlesesque pop music with brightly depressing lyrics.

XTC has evolved, for sure, during their 25+ years in existence, but they're as wonderful today as ever. Wasp Star, their newest release, is pop-rock at its finest, with soaring melodies and guitar riffs that won't keep you in your chair long. for older stuff, Nonsuch is a perennial favourite, as are Oranges & Lemons and English Settlement (the latter holding the ubiquitous single, "Senses Working Overtime").

"If depth of feeling is a currency..."

If you were in high school in the late Eighties and you had a problem sleeping, you heard about a lot of bands from college radio and MTV's 120 Minutes. That show changed a lot after "alternative" became big money, but it was a fine font of fulmination in 1989. My first exposure to Killing Joke, Trashcan Sinatras, and Husker Du came from that program. 120 Minutes was where I first saw XTC's video for 'Dear God'. Many Americans received their first exposure to XTC from this song, which Todd Rundgren produced and Andy Partridge (lead singer) did not want out on the album. To date, it's the closest thing they ever had to a hit in America. XTC do not tour, and haven't since 1980. Partridge has intense stage fright but an amazing mind. XTC had to evaporate from working for seven years because of a contractual dispute with their label from '92 to '99. Now they're back to blowing minds and singing pop tunes about depressing stuff. Don't get me wrong; they aren't a purely bummer scene, and not by a long shot. It's just that most bands couldn't turn tales of suburban conformity ('Respectable Street') and guilt from masturbation ('Pink Thing') into snappy licks. Let all other bands be jealous.

Pop/rock at its finest, infused with quirky and thoughtful lyrics.

This band stays with me. With every phase I go through, XTC remains one of my top three favorite bands. I love a band that can set bitterness to a tune you can't help but dance to. Or one that can make scathing social commentary without sounding preachy. They can give you a pop song of brilliant satire one moment, and the next give you an orchestral marvel of lyrical impressionism. Start at Apple Venus 1&2(wasp star) and work your way on backwards!

Brit-pop's best

XTC combines everything that is right about British music into one easy-to-swallow caplet. Andy Partridge has a voice that resonates with pop shallowness one second and turns on its ear to deliver a very pointed musical attack on the wrongs of the world. Best tracks include "The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead" (Nonsuch), "The Mayor Of Simpleton" (Oranges & Lemons), and "Dear God" (Skylarking)

Peter Pumpkinhead! :)

Ya gotta love that song :) I went in to the store to buy that song, not knowing another group had covered it. I left the store, listened to it, and liked it even more than the cover that I had originally went in to buy :)

pleased to bend down for the ones called XTC

When I was a wee one, I used to sneakily listen to my older brother and sister's vinyl when they weren't home. My sis owned a copy of "Skylarking," and consequently, XTC became one of the first bands I ever liked. Yay Andy Partridge and YAY to the Apple Venus comeback.

Thanks to Fruheads on the wall, I finally got into XTC this year. Catchy pop music, clever lyrics, fun- to-imitate vocals...what more can I say?

music for people that thumb their nose at people that thumb their nose at people that like their music to think.

.... Woop, blanked out for a second...

Hmm.... I donno how linked XTC is to Fruvous, but I do know that I love Fruvous and I love XTC. soooo... I guess it makes sense, pah. Drums and Wires is some nice composery, go out and listen to some XTC, even if it's off napster or somethin, I'm sure they don't mind. Yeah, we got that comb.

What better music is there to grow up on.

Just an all-around great band, with a lot of songs that just make me happy when I listen to them. Skylarking is my favorite album of all time, with its pleasant pastoral sounds and poetic lyrics. If you prefer something with a little more rock to it, I'd recommend Drums and Wires or Black Sea. They're still around now, and their music is still excellent.

This is pop!...the way it was meant to be! Today "pop" is synonymous for mindless pap, but not so long ago pop was the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and other artists of that ilk. XTC continues in the finest traditions of those bands. Come for the melodies and Dave Gregory's mind-blowingly gifted guitar-work. Stay for the poignant and meaningful lyrics of Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding. XTC is my favorite band. Few others can even come close!