at a glance...

Hometown: Swindon, England
Formed: 1976

Members:
Andy Partridge -vocals, guitar, songwriting
Colin Moulding -vocals, bass, songwriting
Dave Gregory -guitar, synthesizers, backing vocals

Bands in the family :
The Dukes of Stratosphear, Thomas Dolby, Blur, The Tubes, Todd Rundgren, The League of Gentlemen, Shreikback, Martin Newell, Mark Owen, The Colonel, Aimee Mann

You wrote XTC off, didn't you? Just because they went on strike against Virgin for five years, got dropped and had to start their own label to get a deal and because Andy's marriage broke up and he went partially deaf for a while and had prostate problems and his wife left him for another guy and Colin's wife was sick so he stayed home to take care of her and then Dave left the band, you thought they didn't matter anymore. Well, XTC always matters, and this album matters all over the place.

Mind you, it doesn't ROCK, so don't play this around your Korn-loving roommate. (Rocking stopped being the point about 15 years ago to XTC anyway.) This is intimate and serious music, as comfortable with violins and horns as it is with acoustic guitar and percussive thigh-slapping. "River of Orchids" is the first track, and between the drops of water, the pointillist stabs of orchestral strings, and the hiccupping brass circles, it's hard to think that this is the same Andy Partridge who wrote "Complicated Game" or "Reign of Blows." But the point of this entire album is that Andy and Colin aren't the same guys they used to be. The album's original title was "The History of the Middle Ages," and its songs are so personal it's embarrassing at times. Whether its Colin's "Fruit Nut," about how he really really likes his gardening shed, or Andy's "Your Dictionary," about how he really really hates his ex-wife, every song here is real and true and pretty much about being middle-aged. And, unlike all the other crappy boomers who sing about that subject (stand up, Sting), XTC don't wallow in self-pity about it. Hell, "The Last Balloon" urges us to throw old people overboard "like so much sand." This is a mature record by two amazing musicians and friends who have weathered a lot and seem to be okay, all things considered.

So if you're a callow youth who doesn't want to think about all that old-dude stuff, or a shallow person who wants something more "normal," go buy some other album, or wait for Apple Venus Volume 2, due in the spring of 2000, and reputed to be "the rockin' one." Me? I'll be listening to this album until I die, because it's quite beautiful, and it's nice to have role models like these.

If you like XTC, check out:
XTC Homespun
XTC Skylarking
XTC Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2)
Talk Talk The Spirit of Eden
The Flaming Lips The Soft Bulletin
Stevie Wonder Songs In The Key Of Life
Tindersticks Tindersticks
The Beach Boys Pet Sounds

-- Matt Cibula