Comments for XTC, Nonsuch

When I first bought this album, I couldn't stand half the songs on it. But after listening to it, I really love it! The exquisite pop of "The Dissapointed" or "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead," the amazing description of "Bungalow" and "That Wave," and just that great vibe from "My Bird Performs." Of course, "The Smartest Monkeys" should have been left unwritten; it's one of the worst excuses for a song I've ever heard. And I do think XTC needs to lay off a little on the "pro-active" songs (there are *five* on this album alone!)

WOW! Their best since "English Settlement".

the flugelhorn solo on "my bird..." is perfect. the disparity in rythm between guitar and drums on "Smartest Monkey's" is bizarre and makes the song well worth the listen. the contrasting sections of "Rook", characterized by simple chordal accompaniment, are subtle but, for the lack of a better word, rule. hail, hail xtc

Having been a must-buy band in my collection since "Drums And Wires", they truly reached new heights with this album. Not a big fan of mid-period XTC, I felt they turned a corner on the great album, "Mummer", charting a course for the pure pop delights of their nineties material. Since "Mummer", they have grown progressively better, climaxing their dense, smart, hyper-melodic (but not obvious!), crafty work with "Nonsuch", a seventeen-song spectacular. Each track is discreet, but the album is a stunning whole.