Reviews (page 4 of 6)
Very inconsistent. Some songs and their production are honestly pretty amazing. Some songs are total duds. Overall I’m just like….man a lot of bands in the 90s were stuck trying to revive already-dead styles from the 60s and 70s. I do like XTC and I will probably love some other albums if they come up. This one’s just okay.
This is a Good Album, and I appreciate what XTC is doing here, but it's a little slow and navelgazey for my tastes. (Incidentally, this was the first thing to come up for me that wasn't available on Spotify. I'm hanging onto my subscription in large part to get through this project, so if this starts happening a lot I'll cut it loose. But 77:1 is a good ratio for them, for now.)
This was fine but I like their pre skylarking era LPs much more.
If I had to explain what this album by XTC sounds like, I'd have to say this album sounds like XTC. And by that, everyone knows what that means. It sounds like Partridge. No one else sounds like him. I'm not entirely sure why THIS XTC album is on the list. It's a 'lovely' album...nice acoustic/orchestral/brooding/meandering soundscape type of thing. Maybe this is Andrew's interpretation of Enya. I dunno. It's perfectly fine. But not really the XTC album I'd reach for if I wanted to listen to XTC.
Creative and pleasing.
"I said, Look, I don't think this is the album we should be making after six years. It's the vegetarian alternative and I've been on a diet for six years and I want curry"
I have never heard anything quite like this. Such a shame it’s mostly torn down by lyrics which sound as if they’ve been rejected from children’s songs.
Not available on Spotify. Rated on other XtC msterial.
I was annoyed that this was an XTC album from the 90s and that it wasn't on streaming platforms, but I quite enjoyed this, which was unexpected. It's whimsical for sure, but a nice change of pace.
I feel like I've run out of clever things to say about XTC. I once heard that the singer has awful stagefright, so they don't tour much.
can't listen to it right now, and based off of the reviews im not missing out on much. Sorry XTC, but you get a three since I can't no for sure its bad
No real review, couldn't get access to the albm
It was fine, nothing special.
Shame it’s not on Spotify, there’s a few songs that I really liked, very beatlesesque with a more orchestral sound, some songs were especially Beatlesy, favourites were the Easter one and the harvest festival one, all of them were pretty good though, the blending of the vocals into the trumpet outro in the last song was also really cool. Overall a high 3 (6/10).
The technicality in some of the arrangements were really well done on this. That first track was so asyncopated but it worked so good
What are these lyrics going for? I need to break down the lyrics on another listen. I'm all over on this one. Some of the songs are pretty good, others are fine with really strange lyrics, and some are just too eclectic for me to get. I'd Like That is messy, and the lyrics are either bad or confusing. "Make me grow up Really high, really high like a really high thing" feels lazy. On the other hand, I liked what Your Dictionary was trying to do, even if it felt a little stretched at points.
What a weird week for music. I like XTC, but this album is a bizarre choice. I guess it’s a good example of a late-stage pop act that doesn’t really care about radio play. In a lot of ways it sounds very much like XTC, but not a great representation of them as a band.
Interesting. A good listen. (21 known/37 new)
Not bad at all
I enjoyed a couple of songs, I found I’d Like That and Greenman stuck in my head after listening to this album. Beyond that it was okay, faded to the background quite easily. Impressive that this band had a long career.
enjoyed this, was a bit mad but the production sounded great with the music, small use of orchestral strings here and there without going overboard on it
Had to listen to this one on YouTube. Worth the effort.
Started out with promise…
This is my first time with this one. There is a lot going on in this record, so it will require a few more listening sessions to rate accurately. I was annoyed that this was not available on Amazon Music, and I had to listen to it on YouTube. There is an ad between every track. I'm not sure when I will get around to it again. This one has a Beatles feel, and several tracks were enjoyable. A few were uninvolving. So I give it a 3 for now.
Just a major major orchestra hijinks era Beatles pastiche, not ugly to listen to but executed with a little less finesse that makes me want to tune in for more.
I listened to this interspersed with some of their poppier material from earlier in their career and generally enjoyed those tracks more. I liked the raw emotional honesty of Your Dictionary but much of the rest was either too long or lacking in the melody department.
Good album. Not on Spotify.
"Orchustic" is indeed a good way to describe it like the Wikipedia text mentions. I dig it.
Wow, that first song gave me a headache and now it's going to be hard to listen to the rest of this album. There are some interesting orchestral arrangements every now and then, but most of the album is just really cheesy. Why is every song on Spotify marked as explicit? I don't think they swore once. I guess he spelled it out. This is one of those albums I wish I could rate with 1/2 stars, because this is the ideal middle of the road 2.5. Low 3.
Another case of “these guys wish so badly that they could be the Beatles.” A couple decent songs.
I like the orchestral component, sad to know it was rush recorded and there was a lot of behind-the-scenes beef.
My overall thoughts on this is that it's a bit weird, but nice enough. There's some skill there, but it's unusual, and not something I really vibe with that much.
Was expecting a bit new wave punk, but ended with a cross between Beatles and Paul Simon. I do actually quite like a lot of this, half the record is really really good. Especially river of orchids, id like that, easter theatre, harvest festival. It does get a bit much at times though, and there’s a few daft lyrics, but I do quite like it. Solid 3.5, not quite a 4
Can't remember the last XTC album very well, my review said it was eclectic so there's a chance it was a bit like this. I'd say this was strange but had a fairly cohesive sound of it's own. Reminded me of a musical or film soundtrack maybe. Worth a listen but I know it won't grow on me. 2.5
Hmm, wasn't aware these guys were still going in the late 90s.... Probably a bit different to what I was expecting and some of it I thought was quite good, but unfortunately there was more that I didn't get on with so well. Quite varied I guess Think it was "Easter theatre" that I enjoyed the most. Shouldn't think I will be back, but probably better than I was expecting. 2.5
Reveal reaction: I LOVE the song Dear God, but I don't really know anything about them. I thought they were an 80s band, but this was released in 1999. So either they're not an 80s band, they had a longer career than I thought, or this is one of those late career "experimental" albums that completely change and refine their signature sound. We'll see. The first song is brilliant. Very lush, and layered. The second song sounds like an outtake from a Pretenders album. Which is to say annoying, but oddly catchy. The rest of the first half of the album swings between very interesting and very catchy in a pop-y sort of way. Which is to say, it's very good. I thought I was heading for a 4 star review. Then, starting at song 7, Your Dictionary, it just gets...boring. It's hard to put my finger on exactly why, because there's nothing egregious, there's no dramatic shift to the vibes, or a change in musical philosophy - it just kinda sucks. Fruit Nut might be the worst song on the record, it sounds like a crappy, organ-y, bouncy, spearmint gum commercial jingle. Even the best song of the back half of the album, I Can't Own Her, is just sort of bland. in fact, the last three songs are sort of interchangeable drone. I know I've spent more words describing why I don't like the second half of the album, but that's only because I'm trying to work out what's *actually* wrong with it. I think the bottom line is that for whatever reason, it just didn't connect like the first half. Overall, solidly decent album.
Before starting this project I wouldn't have been able to tell my XTC from my ABC, my MC5, or my ZZ Top (well, maybe ZZ Top), but thanks to the generator I now can: progress! And my verdict is that XTC compares favourably with all the above. This album's lush orchestral sound and experimental spirit remind me a bit of Talk Talk's later work, but more poppy. The experiments don't always pay off but it I'd say more than half the time the results are pretty successful, and I applaud them for giving it a go anyway.
Weird but I liked it. In my head I call this type of sound “Circus-Rock”. It’s ephemeral but in a low-gravity sort of way and not a “spirit of the forest” kind of way, if that makes sense. It’s bouncy and catchy and at first I was pleasantly surprised and thinking a 4 but if I can also describe the album as tedious then I have to take that into consideration as well. A 3.5 would be more accurate but alas.
Bizarre, elliptical, sort of stupid… but memorable. The production is pretty dense, the melodies are pretty good, and I come away uncertain but interested. Best song: I Can’t Own Her
Het klinkt een beetje alsof de broer van Paul McCartney een plaat heeft gemaakt. Dus op zich is dit wel in mijn straatje, jammer van de iets te opzichtelijke nepinstrumenten uit het keyboard. Bovendien blijft het allemaal teveel in het rip-off-hoekje zitten zonder al te veel originaliteit. De echte Paul kan dit een stuk beter.
Whoohoo. Ik heb het boek gewonnen. Dus hop, voor de eerste keer sla ik het open tussen het luisteren en het schrijven. Staat XTC niet in mijn editie.... Dan moet ik het maar doen met de klanken. Het begint wat intrigerend. Het eerste nummer doet me niet gelijk opveren, maar het wekt zeker interesse. Dromerige klanken met een prima opbouw. Deze kwaliteit komt helaas niet meer terug op het album. De kwaliteit zit hem dan ook niet in de losse nummers. Het album is vooral een goed totaalwerk. Waarbij er veel variatie zit tussen de nummers, maar dat prima samengaat. Het is een soort brede knipoog naar de jaren '60. Met wat psychedelisch of experimenteel werk, wat standaard Beatlesachtige klanken, wat klassieker strijk en tokkelwerk en dan weer duidelijke keyboard-klanken. Het is een album dat je smaak moet zijn, maar het is zeker een originele kwaliteitsplaat.
An earlier album would be better. XTC is a great band though so 4 stars minus one for being inessential.
Very good!
Neat
Not available.
Meh. There's probably a reason this isn't available on streaming services.
didnt listen as unavailabe
Enjoyable. 3*
Meh mér finnst þetta ekkert sérstaklega skemmtilegt.
Not available. Other songs cool
Creative, diverse and interesting from time to time, but the execution could be better.
Had to listen on YouTube, which is not ideal. It wasn't awful, but will not ever be listening to again.
Rare that albums are not streamed as listeners have inevitably encountered. XTC first two albums are not on traditional streaming platforms. The rest are label owned rights… I listened on YouTube but disjointed with ads between every song. Decent for a first listen.
Sikäli löysin YT:sta oikean levyn niin viihdyttävä setti.
A brilliant idea in search of a home. Hmph. Sniffy, I am. I forget that this is the groups that made ‘Dear God’. That excuses them everything…
The word that sprang to mind when listening to this one was 'whimsy'. Inoffensive but not hugely gripping
I like the orchestral string music. It feels fresh. The lyrics on the other hand, they are pretty bad. The last couple songs lose the musical momentum too, leaving me with a bad feeling.
G-O-O-D, is that how you spell "weird" in your dictionary? It gave me a fever dream version of The Beatles vibes. Favorite Song: "Greenman".
внимательно слушала и формулировала, но прошла ещё одна ночь и я забыла. кажется что-то грустное и романтичное но в целом не захватило
I was prepared to rate it worse, it felt like the vocals and instrumentals didn't mesh well together. But as the album progressed, it grew on me enough to give it a 3.
Nie nazwał bym tego kapelą rockową, ale w zasadzie to całkiem niezłe do lecenia w tle. Na pewno nie przeszkadza. 3/5
Well I did not expect this I have to say. I cannot criticise for being samey - incredibly varied album. I found it a bit mad! Very cooky.
Yeah I quite enjoyed it. Can't say it was amazing but it was definitely interesting and different.
Something wonderfully melodic about XTC. Do need to explore it more
Let's start at three stars. +1 star for the ambition -1 star for the messiness +1 star for the creativity -1 star for the occasional cheap midi sounds +1 star for Easter Theatre being great -1 star for the corny lyrics of Your Dictionary I guess that lands us right back at a solid, yet slightly confusing three stars.
Love the album cover. Enjoyed the mellowness of the music and similar Paul McCartney-like sounds on some of the songs.
Not really sure. I liked the song writing. It's well done, but some of it was just too slow/melancholy. It's like listening to a Sting xmas album.
Album 556 of 1001 XTC - Apple Venus Volume 1 (1999) Rating : 3 / 5 One of those kick back and chill albums. Nothing that is going to get you moving or into a grooving mood but still an enjoyable listen. Classified as Rock/Pop but not sure I would put it in either.
Started off well but got a bit pretentious. Solid three stars.
Not on Spotify.
Been sitting on this album for over a week now, as until now I wasn’t in the mood to listen to an album on YouTube. It’s sad this album isn’t on any other streaming sites, as this is actually pretty good. Ok maybe a bit too beatlesque but still worth a listen and worthy of this list.
Not cohesive at all each song was so wildly different. Great production value and some cool ideas but wouldn’t listen again
There are too many ideas going on for just two men. I didn’t know what was going to happen next but not in a good way. Some parts were cool
Albumi #52, 18.09.2024 Legendaarisen englantilaisbändin orkestraalinen albumi nojaa sovituksiltaan pitkälti akustiseen kitaraan sekä kosketinsoittimiin. Jouset ja vaskipuhaltimet ovat myös edustettuna tällä albumilla. Erityismaininta mielenkiintoiselle kappaleelle "Easter Theater".
Rubber Soul for Pitchfork writers. Sometimes it’s really good, sometimes it’s really try-hard, but for the most part, it just feels like a series of intros, mid-album cuts, and outros. It’s almost like I’m listening to a bunch of lead-in songs, songs to ramp up the momentum before the album really gets started, something emotional to ease me in before the band busts open the door. Of course, that never happens, so I’m left with an album that just doesn’t feel complete. It’s almost there, and I see the vision, but it never fully crosses over into something I’d ever really want to fully sink my teeth into, especially when the low points are so obnoxiously art pop that I can’t help but roll my eyes. And even its high points are more witty than clever, and never feel as deep as I think XTC thinks they do. Let’s just hope this is a bad starting point for XTC.
Onekligen ett udda uttryck, men tyckte det var kul lyssning och att det fanns en hel del godbitar.
Some parts I really liked but some was boring
This is a pretty audibly stunning album all around...and it gets let down by a few of the dumbest lyrics I've ever heard. Your Dictionary...woof
Not nearly as horrific as I was expecting, but...also...not that great? With almost every song, I found myself enjoying it until either some musical choice or some stupid lyric threw me off. An interesting listen, though. 3.5...ish?
This is an odd album. I remember XTC as as kid and bought their records in the late 70s/early 80s. I didn't know they still existed. Quite bland but very well performed and in such a lowkey way. Reading the History behind the band's enforced silence and arguments recording this there's nothing in the music to hint at it. What's going on behind the music is more interesting to be honest.
Fine
Most meh album ever. Made me feel like I was a weirdo with no friends only weird music for comfort
Not my favorite XTC album; it's not bad but it did not draw me in.
Man Who Sailed Around His Soul was retro but also current. A World Wrapped In Grey also good.
Wasn’t on Spotify, so I didn’t listen to this one. But the wiki article didn’t really make it sound appealing to me.
Couldn’t find this specific record.
Quirky but rather brilliant at times.
Just not my sound
Odd. Not bad. But odd.
No jopas. Hyvin mielenkiintoinen alku. Ja sinänsä pitää otteessaan loppuun asti, vaikka b-puolella himmaillaankin enemmän. ”Aasia”-flirttailut olisi voinut jättää välistä. Erittäin laadukasta työtä paitsi sävellykseltään myös tuotannoltaan. Erittäin.
3.75 YouTube
Fruit Nut and The Last Balloon are the highlights. Wish it was on Spotify so I could revisit it later/easier to see if they were growers
like the beatles, but more proggy and not quite as good
"Greenman" is a banger! Otherwise, I was rather underwhelmed.
It was fine
I didn't like the first few songs, but then I started to get into the album on "Greenmail" and "Your Dictionary." Enjoyed the music but not the biggest fan of the singer's voice.
In this album I hear the precursor to Vampire Weekend and a continuation of the Beatles. There is a heavy dose of Simon and Garfunkel as well as this album plays with sounds, timing and rhythms. It’s fun, but seems like a novelty to me. They’re having fun and creating cool, well-produced sounds, but not much soul or intimacy shining through. The dictionary song was kind of laughable, but also kind of slapped.
One of those albums I wish I could give a 2.5, but know that a 2 out of 5 is too mean. The album is fine, but its just not my style of music. I honestly thought on the first track I was going to enjoy it, but it never got there.
Some of it is super catchy and some of it is super corny. There are also some really beautiful parts of songs but only Easter Theatre was solid all the way through for me.
Empezó aburriéndome un poco, pero me dejó buena sensación al terminar el disco. Con curiosidad para conocer más discos del grupo.
Disco suave e bom de ser ouvido em dias tranquilos.
Orchestral Pop sounding like a sound deep-pile carpet. Unfortunately Not available in Deezer.
Always liked their sound!
Some of it is awful. Some of it is interesting. I hated some songs and enjoyed others. So, I give it an indecisive 3. 3 instead of 2 bc of the Beach Boys sounds.
Had to seek it out on YT, so couldn't look at lyrics etc. I'm glad this album exists; it's unusual and appealing. Some tracks did meander off a bit but I enjoyed the overall sound, and would be putting "Green Man" on a playlist if it was on Spotify! Hurrah for British quirkiness.
It's too bad it's not on Spotify (why it took me so long to listen to it). Not a bad album, with a few songs I would definitely listen to again.
XTC is hit and miss for me. I dig Skylark good, but not so much Apples and Oranges. This fell more on the latter side. Good music that doesn't hold Mt attention.
Cut-rate beatles. Pretty enjoyable, nice and chill. Youtube only. 66/100
As it went along, I got a bit bored. Very Beatles-like sound. I didn't dislike it, but it didn't inspire any strong emotions or thoughts. Perfectly meh. I saw one review say they knocked it a full star low for the dumb lyrics of your dictionary, and I can't say I blame them. I won't do that, but it was tempting.
3-
This was a really interesting and varied album, by a group I feel I should know a bit better. Might come back to this if I can be bothered finding it again on youtube.
I couldn't find this album on Spotify so I didn't listen to it yet :( Love the album cover though!
Not available on Spotify right now. Found on YT. Melancholic and interesting.
Sounded like an album of failed sitcom theme songs, which is a shame because I know XTC can be better.
Not on streaming? Automatic 1 star. Just kidding. This band is cool but I've never heard this album until now while being semi familiar with \"English Settlement\" and \"Skylarking\" and there's a lot of cool world influenced rock/pop stuff on here. I'm not even sure how you'd describe it. Reminds me of Brian Eno's stuff a lot in terms of the production choices and the general vibe but if he tried making Graceland maybe since there is so much world influence vibes on here? Immaculate in production for sure and really all over the place with the instruments. Really unique.
I had vague memories of having another XTC album and not being quite sure what to make of it. This about hit the same spot. Some interesting moments but its clear that those aren't the main direction for the album and they'd rather have some naff vocals over the whole thing instead. Critic is in my dictionary by the way.
Ok album. This one was kind of cool. Lyrics were a little too cutesy, but some good songs and arrangements—clearly studio rats. ***
Not available on Spotify (at the moment).
Chamber pop. Ni fu ni fa.
Empezó aburriéndome un poco, pero me dejó buena sensación al terminar el disco. Con curiosidad para conocer más discos del grupo.
So this definitely isn’t my kind of thing but I’ve truly never heard anything like it and it does seem well composed. I have to give it credit even if I’ll never listen to it again.
Prog pop/rock. I love XTC and have since "Traffic Light Rock" but can't listen to this on Spotify so it's hard to judge. Found a couple of the tracks from this album on YouTube and seems much more orchestral than earlier stuff.
It really sucks that this one is so hard to get a definitive version of to listen to, but what I did hear didn't surprise me. In the eternal debate of Adam Ant vs. XTC I do tend to choose Ant because his vocals always give my ears something interesting to linger on. But XTC is cool in their own way too.
I can see the talent but this just didn’t really click with me…
You might check Your Dictionary, but The Last Balloon that went up was carrying a Green Man.
This was interesting. I heard of XTC before, but I can't remember if I ever listened to a record of them. The production, arrangements, music, and lyrics range from weird to surprising to excellent. Nevertheless, this is nothing I would listen to regularly.
There were some good and interesting moments on this album but overall it was nowhere near to the level of some of their earlier albums. It's wasn't bad in any way but it didn't capture me either, it was a pleasant listen, this is all, nothing more.
"Apple Venus was originally planned as a double album, but the group did not have enough money to record all the material they had stockpiled" ... Thank God. I mean, it's not bad, and "River of Orchids" and "Greenman" are actually incredible, but it drags on for far too long, getting lost up its own ass along the way. Also, why is this not on Spotify exactly?
I liked the XTC I'd heard from the 80s and didn't realise they were still releasing music by this time. Lots of good tunes and glad to hear the terrible lyrics were still there
I think I may have heard of XTC in passing before (I love eighties music, and I think I've heard people talk about Skylarking), but I'm completely unfamiliar with their music. I wasn't sure what to expect from this album, but I thought this album okay. Parts of it were mildly interesting, and had some really nice string and horn arrangements, but other parts of it were pretty dull and felt like they dragged on. "River of Orchids" was didn't really pull me in immediately; I initially found the repetition of the arrangements to be kind of annoying, but as the song went on, I enjoyed it more. The lyrics about wanting nature to reclaim what we've built (at least that's how I interpreted it), were really well served by the bright tones of the music. I didn't care for the verse on "Easter Theatre," but the chorus had some really bright arrangements that I liked, and I liked how the bridge slowed down and provided a softer sound than the bright chorus and anxious-sounding strings of the verse. "Greenman" was the point on the album where I started to come around and appreciate the album's overall sound more. I loved the string arrangements and percussion; they really created this feel that sounded like renaissance meets eighties sophisti-pop. Even though I grew to like the sound of this album, the love songs were my least favorite part. "I'd Like That" had some nice lyrics and a great sound, but "Your Dictionary" felt really out of place, with its cheesy angst, and "I Can't Own Her" felt like enlightened-pop schlock. This album was fine, and I definitely enjoyed certain parts of it more than others, but I'm scratching my head as to why it was included on this list. It's not something I think I'd return to. Hopefully Skylarking is better.
I really enjoyed this. XTC had moments of pop brilliance with some bits that were too obscure to really engage with. This sits neatly in the middle as a kind of prog album. It's one I hadn't heard before and it was a real pleasure.
Of all the albums I’ve heard here so far, this is the first that I was unfamiliar with that I actually liked. I had heard of XTC way back in the day, but never heard anything by them. I once almost bought one of their albums just to fill the missing “X” entry in my alphabetically organized CD collection. If their other stuff is similar I may have actually liked it and listened to it more than once. I found it hard to put my finger on what made this music familiar…at one point i thought I heard Who influences, and another sounded like it almost belonged on Genesis’ Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. That’s actually unexpectedly high praise. It mostly kept me engaged, but at some points I lost interest. All in all, I could see listening to this album again. I think that’s still the only spot that didn’t get filled. Bummer.
Not on Spotify, will circle back
Even though this came out in 1999 it has a very 80s sound. I cant imagine this was super important to anyone but XTC fans when this came out
Unavailable on Spotify, (but thank you to Sam next door for a CD copy). I had to laugh at Nigel's comment "I think secretly Andy Partridge would like to join the Beach Boys", but I misread this as Alan Partridge and couldn't stop laughing, A-HA! The album was alright, but I'd probably pick Skylarking as a better XTC album.
Probably a strange choice for the list, but still quite a good listen. I must have this buried in my CD collection somewhere because I knew the songs. It's music for grown ups to listen to on the couch - nothing too challenging dynamically but some intricate melodies.
3 - I didn't like this as much as Skylarking, but I still liked it and it may grow on me a bit with time. It's pretty, from what I remember.
Chamber pop. Ni fu ni fa.
Quirky album, but not as clever as they think they are with it.
A very nice and surprising album for XTC, an outcast from 1999. I don't why it's here, but I enjoyed it. Thank you.
Not the XTC album I would choose to tell someone that they absolutely HAD to listen to before they die. But. I like XTC and I like that this album is in their catalog, even if it has a lot of Paul McCartney similarities.
Not too sure on this one. Some interesting experimental songs and snice enough vocals, feel I should re-listen but wasn't interesting enough to do so.
Maybe because it was recorded at Abbey Road, but I got really strong Beatles vibes from this album. That’s not entirely a bad thing. It’s kitschy and witty and tongue in-tongue in cheek, so I could get down with that, even if the arrangements made me screw my face up a bit.
Я поржал с двух фактов: 1) XTC попали в этот список с 13 альбома (долго мучались) 2) додики здесь ставят 1 балл альбому за то, что его нет на спотифае (просто долбоебики, привыкшие к хорошей жизни)
Loses points for not being on Spotify. Really loses some allure when a Temu advert comes on mid album. I'm not paying for more than 1 service for this.
This was a weird album: it was like modern pop mixed with mid’60s indie vibes. Key tracks for me: Greenman & Furious Tonight which sounds a lot like late ‘60s Turtles. You would have never guessed this was produced in 1999.
Initial audio impressions is I really like this album. Which was confirmed with the the track: "I'd Like That". "Your Dictionary" stood out as the lyrics grabbed me by the collar. I could say it S-L-A-Ped me across the face. Harvest Festival was anthemic and weirdly catchy. This had a stage musical kind of feel. Had a little Flaming Lips. Had a little circa 2000 indie vibe overall. I would definitely like to listen to this again but only being able to get this on Youtube is a bit of a bummer.
3.5
Empezó aburriéndome un poco, pero me dejó buena sensación al terminar el disco. Con curiosidad para conocer más discos del grupo.
Still waiting for an XTC album to knock me off my feet. They are quirky and unique and Andy Partridge really does pen some interesting lyrics. But I just find these guys too uneven. I was surprised they were still producing albums in 1999. I thought Greenman was a standout; it was the first time I took notice since the WTF lyrics in Easter Theatre. Really cool composition and followed by the very sharp Your Dictionary - quintessential XTC. But then back to uneven and strange with Fruit Nut. They're just a bit too eclectic for their own good. Maybe this was their Pet Sounds or Smile and I just didn't get it.
I've only heard a handful of XTC's songs over the years, but I remember always liking them. Not sure I didn't make more of an effort to hear more of their work, but for whatever reason, I didn't. I am glad this project served up an album of theirs today, especially one with songs I don't think I'd ever heard before. This is such an interesting band. Very strong writing and composing, and excellent performances and recordings. Good stuff here!
I rated a 3 because it was so novel, and quite a different sound. Would I listen to it again? Probably once more but that’s it!
I do love XTC but I had never heard this album. Probably because it is not available on streaming services. Weird none of their work post 92 is on there. XTC are one of the spearheads of post-punk music, one of my favourite genres, but after a while they started to make more art pop almost type music and it is just not as good for me. I enjoy a lot about this album it just never reaches any high points, there is nothing fun. It doesn't bore me it just does not excite me like their 1979 album does. I think they had a lot of potential and with making plans for Nigel being such a hit I thought they would stick with that kind of music. Clearly other people love it as it is highly rated but just a bit in the middle for me. Standard 3/5. Stand out songs: Easter Theatre Your Dictionary The Last Balloon
The song "Dictionary" is kind of annoying, but the rest of the album is actually pretty interesting, musically. Still, it doesn't quite reach 4-level.
Not on streaming, not going looking
The first 1001 album that isn't available in Spotify so listened to it on Youtube with ads, a bit annoying. Is this prog rock? If not, reminds of it. If I'm in the mood to listen to something like this I would travel back to Selling England by the Pound, Even in the Quietest Moments, Turn of the Century, or even Days of Future Passed.
It’s not bad at all, but for an album that took so long and caused so much drama it sure isn’t remarkable.
Released in the age of Napster, but spiritually from the age of powdered wigs.
Ok
Fedt fordi den her stil blev så stor i 00erne og XTC bare havde kørt på siden 80erne. "Det skal nok blive stort engang gutter!" Lyder virkelig lækkert.
A nice album, with some good musical moments. Not enjoying that it wasn’t on Spotify tho that’s annoying
Not a fan of XTC but this was a cool listen. Different than what I imagined from them and found a couple of new songs I really like.
I guess I'm a low-key XTC fan. Sense Working Overtime is the only song I can readily identify, but I like everything I'm hearing? Except for maybe Your Dictionary, which seemed a little on the nose. But otherwise - it all gels up real nice.
River of Orchids was fine. I'd Like That and Easter Theatre are both really good. Other good ones: Frivolous tonight Your dictionary All in all much better than I thought it would be. Would definitely listen again.
It's a good album. Not sure it warrants one of the 1001 that I need to listen to.
XTC seems like eccentric alt. rock. A bit artsy and unusual. I like the cadence of Your Dictionary, and there are some tracks like I'd Like That, Frivolous Tonight that seem pretty straightforward and are fine. Overall it is interesting more than enjoyable.
only got partway through cuz this one isnt on spotify and i got sidetracked a bit this evening watching severance. interesting sound for sure but i prefer xtc's earlier stuff. 7/10
eiginlega síðbítla áhrif. flóknar útsetningar og samsöngur. 3,5.
I like XTC quite a lot. I'm not sure this needs to be on the list though. It's solid but not really necessary considering other XTC albums are much more essential.
I quite enjoyed this. Reminded me Sufjan Stevens which isn’t a bad thing.
Worth a listen
Enjoyed the two listens. Some good tracks such as "Greenman", "Your" Dictionary", "I Can't Own Her". Not sure I'll give it a 3rd listen, but definitely a 3/5!
Kind of cool sounding.
Pretty good album. Nice orchestral work.
This type of nigh-orchestral pop isn't for me but it's easy to listen to. I did enjoy Greenman though
3 stars, has some standout tracks - I like Fruit Nut
Greenman was awesome 3.9
This wasn’t super to my tastes, but I’ve gotta respect it for being weird, creative and interesting. Also shout out to the Internet Archive for allowing me to listen, they’re doing good work.
what is orchustic supposed to mean. how do you think orchestras make sound buddy & you ain't Paul McCartney. frig off music: hated. (⌐■_■)
Favorite was "Green Man"
Lage 3 sterren. Vond t soms best nice klinken, vooral de eerste 2 nummers. I'd like that geeft een beetje Bill Wurtz vibe. Your dictionary heeft wel echt een kut tekst, fruit nut ook
danke cheeseman für din upload uf youtube hahaha gad am ahfang bini nöd megaa happy gsi, iwie ischs für mich musig gsi eifach zum zeige, dass mer e ahnig vo musig het ah stelle hets mich anes moderners beatles erinnered? aber mite ziit bini immer meh innecho und au wennmer au das album als ganzes muss lose, hets es 3 scho verdient
Slightly unconventional, good sound quality, but it felt like something was missing. O-K-A-Y - is how I'd spell it in my dictionary.
I don't think I was in the right headspace for this one today. I enjoy XTC enough, I guess, but they can often be a bit twee for my tastes. Such was the case with this album though I don't think i'm being totally fair. They try some cool things out with the arrangements and orchestration. And it's possible that it works in the songs' favor, but more often than not I found the arrangements distracting rather than enhancing. I think if I gave this another spin when my head was in the game I'd like it more. I do like Andy Partridge's vocals, and he can be a hell of a songwriter, but nothing really grabbed me today. Again, I suspect it's me more than them, but based on this listen I'm going straight down the middle. I will give it another spin at some point.
I tried to listen on YouTube b/c this wasn't available on Spotify. The ads disrupted the few mediocre songs I got to actually hear. Probably not fair to rate this but here we are.
bit weird
XTC always produce interesting catchy music, but it was a hassle listening to this on YouTube with ads
As someone who doesn’t know much about XTC and loves symphonic rock, it was a bit of a headrush. I’m going to say this might grow on me with time, but since I found it in a used music store the day it generated, fate has ordained it WILL grow on me. HL: “River of Orchids”, “Easter Theatre”, “Harvest Festival”
not on spotify river of orchids- i like the little waterdrops. its interesting how each instrument and the singing flows together. 5 or 6 id like that- i think its cute. 5 easter theater- motherfucker is that a flute. its interesting. 6. i really like the chorus but the rest is a little boring knights in shining karma- i like how every song flows into the next. 7. its kinda tally hall? sorry but like idk. frivolous tonight- i like the piano. its like im skipping in a field. 5 greenman- oh shit. 6. it sounds almost south west asian. thats probably a big inspiration. your dictionary- ok the first line is cringe. 3 or 4. i dont like it. the piano is nice but. hm fruit nut- oh shit. this is cute. i need to listen to this when i play stardew. 7 i cant own her- i like the harp. kinda boring otherwise. 3 or 4 harvest festival- im bored. i like the weird sound effects. 3 or 4 the last balloon- boring too. 3 favorite song- fruit nut
De va nice men xtc träffar inte mig helt rätt
Modern psychedelic progressive ... music? I don't know. But at least this album was a pleasant listening experience. 3/5
Their good songs got better, but their annoying songs became more annoying.
I really like the songwriting here. I really started to enjoy it when I got "Skylarking" earlier in the list, I gave that record 5 stars. This record is... Busy. There's a lot of great writing buried underneath a Pet Sounds-amount of strings and orchestration, but it's a lot to take it and it takes away from the experience as a whole. Favorite tracks: "I Can't Own Her", "Harvest Festival"
Hard time remembering anything about the album a day later, but I didnt hate it. Wish there was a 2.5 option.
The quirky, whimsical songwriting is charming, though at times a little overbearing, in a " look at this weird thing we're doing" kind of way. I was not previously aware of this music, and I look forward to digging in more... maybe.
Symphonic pop eh. Yeah nah not my thing. But it's competent and I can see why others would like it, there's elements Beatles songs sung by Ringo and a cute whimsy at times, as well as some Beach Boys-style harmonies.
Very good pop indebted to Beatles and Beach Boys. Very well constructed and reasonably eclectic in the clever XTC pop-artist style. A high 3.
The album wasn't available to listen to so I don't really have a rating.
Very retro sounding album for 1999. Atmosphere throughout the album is really unique.
Album not found on apple music. Found on youtube. Was a descent listen
Had to go to YouTube because Spotify doesn’t have this album. Thought it was ok.
Very interesting sound. I wasn't expecting the vocals at all and thought this would be an orchestral instrumental band. I think the vocals are cool but the cacophony is a little bit annoying. Maybe it's because it's 7:42am on a Monday, I'm a little hungover and I haven't had any coffee, but there's so many conflicting things in this first track. Alright the second track is out of left field after hearing the first one. I'm intrigued with where the rest of the album will go. Definitely eclectic, at times cool, and at times intriguing, but ultimately it felt just OK to me. Not sure I would come back for a listen.
I preferred it when they were making plans for Nigel
I'm surprised by how much better this album is than "Skylarking". It's weird, don't get me wrong. Like... unnecessarily weird. But far less offensively weird than the hot mess that is "Skylarking". That doesn't make it good, mind you. Because it's not. It's still a scattered, disconnected mess of an album. But it IS better than "Skylarking" so there's that...
Kinda like British Beach Boys
not bad, specially for a youtube album!
XTC nous propose un nom bien générique qui ne nous permettra jamais de nous souvenir de quoi ce groupe retourne.
5/10. Yeah, I feel like they're taking themselves too seriously with this album, which is not a good look for XTC. It had some cool moments, the first song sounded pretty cool before he started singing over it.
Empezó aburriéndome un poco, pero me dejó buena sensación al terminar el disco. Con curiosidad para conocer más discos del grupo.
3++ Knights in Shining Karma Your Dictionary Fruit Nut
Ni siquiera existe en Spotify. Imposible opinar
Had precies nog meer symphonische muziek verwacht
Poids moyen
Easter Theater wears its Beatles influences on its sleeve, and Harvest Festival sounds like it could be a Paul solo track. Still, I suppose its not startlingly original to say that XTC sound like the Beatles, and I rather enjoyed this set of songs. A high three, on the cusp of four.
Can't stream it. Putting the stars at the to average it out
Periaatteessa aika väsynyt valinta listalle, kun bändillä on jo kulta-ajoiltaan niin monta hyvää levyä. Mutta oli tääkin yllättävän jees. Eittämättä kova bändi.
I like: River of Orchids Easter Theatre Greenman
Molt notable que després de tants anys la banda continués mantenint el puls per la melodia i l'experimentació dins del que ha de ser una bona cançó pop. Preciosisme en les seves melodies i una voluntat de seguir recargolant l'habitual estructura de la cançó; a mi em recorden més al power pop suau de Jellyfish que a The Beach Boys, amb qui comparen a la guia de la llista de referència
Listened to a couple songs I only liked the first one because it sounded like a rain forest or a jungle
Not my style of music. I can see that other might like it.
Expansive and indulgent, but too rich and deep for my taste
Musically ambitious and mostly lovely on the ears, although the vocals are a little hit and miss. Lyrically odd and eloquent at the same time, which is fun. The not so good part: This comes off as music by someone who has listened to the Beatles way too much, but fails to understand what made the Beatles great in the first place. The skill is there, the songcraft is (mostly) there, the heart is not. Unavailable on Spotify, but easy to find on YouTube. Fave Songs: I'd Like That, Knights in Shining Karma, River of Orchids, Easter Theatre
Faves: River of Orchids, Easter Theatre
Partridge's term for it "orchustic", sums it up well in feel, vibing like animated-movie music at times and feel-good flows other times. Good lyrics, with a paganism twist across a number of the scores.
There were parts of this album that I really liked, but I also often felt like there was too much going on. There were a few songs where it felt like they just kept adding layers until there was too much to keep track of. It's not a bad album, and it's crazy that a band that formed in the 70s was still producing innovative music in 1999 3/5
Beatles like, a fun record
3.4 - The first two tracks got my hopes up but the record takes a sharp nosedive after that, and the quirky arrangements mostly sound annoying in a try-hard-y way (see "Greenman"). By the end, I struggle to understand why Dimery chose to include this record as it doesn't fall into his common "record-out-of-left-field" tropes (e.g. a late artist's "return to form", a genre-defining work, a record with a cult-like following, etc.).
Rock pop alternativo. Ecléctico. Sinfónico.
Not bad, not great. Started off quite energetic and become more chill as it progressed.
Very interesting.
Interesting! Whiny voice but a good vibe??? 3.5
3.6
Clearly some beatles influences here but not really doing it for me.
This was fine, no idea who this group is and listened to this retroactively as it's not on apple/spotify. Enjoyed the song "I'd like that" since it mentioned sunflowers and I like sunflowers
So I really dislike this singer's voice, that was consistent throughout the album. But! The first three tracks were so good, I forgot about the voice, thought maybe I'd like this. Then the rest of the album ensued.
Great lyrics, boring music...
Stop trying to make British 70s/80s rock happen. It is never going to happen"
the beatles meets sufjan stevens meets the jungle book? was probably as confused listening to this as they were making it
Interesting and kinda silly fun. Its alright but would never just always come back to it to listen something.
More less
River of Orchids got me pretty hyped for this one, but nothing else grabbed me in the same way. Maybe Green Man did a bit.
Gear: Aür Audio Aurora Artwork: 🦚🧿🪶 Production: 👂🩺🧈 Music: 🙂↕️🫨🧐 Rating: 🍏🍏(🍏)/5
This may be the quintessential Dimery pick for this list. A beautifully recorded, but unremarkable and emotionally void album by a once-mildly-interesting, oh-SO-English band, produced and released long after that band's popular and artistic relevance had wained. Like Elvis Costello, these guys showed some promise when they were just starting out, producing ambitious, passionate, engaging, melodious songs. But they quickly gave over to an indulgence of their intellects. Their songs became ubiquitously “clever” (often to the point of sounding positively silly) and as a result their music lost its ability to move an audience emotionally; which, of course, is the fundamental import of art.
Okay.
All over the place. You can hear so many influences from different decades and bands. Doesnt blend together well for me tho
Once again, not sure how such an obscure album is on this list. It's not bad, just not "must listen"
Has some enjoyable tracks. Not sure this belongs here. Your Dictionary made me want to kill myself.
Rating: 5/10 This album is 100 percent something that feels like it should be made for me, it's this quirky weirdo pop creation that is simultaneously some kinda Beatles/Beach Boys worship and proto-Animal Collective psych pop music. But it borders on annoying to me a lot of the time. Highlights for me were Easter Theatre and Greenman. I may need to try this one again in the future but for now I'll leave it with a harsh rating
It was ok. Good Sunday morning vibe
I thought xtc broke up in the 80s. This is all a bit whimsical for me. It sounds like the off cuts of the Beatles on an off day.
Album cover cooler than the tracks. Not bad just not super interesting. Final track was cool.
K Mart Beatles
Temu Beatles
Good
cornball. hated this
i dont really like the vibe
Never heard of em. Didn't need to. 2/5.
Everything sounds the same
Not bad
XTC were always one of the more interesting bands of the late 70s and early 80s, with a distinctive sound bringing elements of English folk music alongside new wave beats. However, frontman Andy Partridge suffered from crippling stage fright so they gave up touring and became a studio band, with releases becoming infrequent. This album appeared in 1999 after a seven year break and led to long time guitarist Dave Gregory leaving the band for personal reasons during a protracted recording process. Andy Partridge is clearly aiming for a sound somewhere between the Beatles and the Beachboys with harmonies and orchestral arrangements recorded at Abbey Road, but it ends up more like one of Paul McCartney’s more disappointing solo efforts from the 90s. I’m not sure that even Macca would have tried getting away with lyrics like “as high as a very high thing” or singing about brown nipples. The song Your Dictionary also comes across as a rather petty and bitter response to Partridge’s recent divorce. In words of the Chernobyl plant manager, this album is not great, but not terrible. 3.6 Roentgens-tastic!
Back in ‘22, I decided to listen to every XTC album, because I enjoyed the hits. I stopped that challenge at Oranges & Lemons, I couldn’t bring myself to go further, regardless the total length of any XTC album, it’s always 20 minutes too long. Remembering what I do from XTC, this album was nothing like what I expected, it was pleasant, but it dragged for like 20 minutes. It still might be a top 3 XTC album (After the Black Sea and English Settlement), but that doesn’t mean anything coming from me.
I get Paul McCartney vibes… is it only because of the voice? I don’t know. But it’s fine/boring
Extremely wanky. Tries to sound like a mix of The Beatles and The Beach Boys when they were experimenting with psychedelics in the studio, but they somehow managed to make it intolerable. Musically interesting but not memorable. Definitely not an easy listen. 2/5
This album is not popular on Spotify. Currently the most popular track on this album has 61,000 listens. I wonder how many of them are just listens from people following the list. XTC's most popular track, on the other hand, has 68,000,000 listens (as of 5/2026). I recognise that track and a few others but nothing here is really interesting to me and no tracks stand out. Released in 1999 so nothing seems groundbreaking. Can't really give it a 3 so it has to be: Just checked out a few other review and it seems that this album may not have been long on Spotify but I stand by my score. It aint good, and the last track is just shite.
2. sounds like retarded movie soundtrack
Definitely get the Beatles influence and this is not a bad album, but there’s only a couple of artists that I would consider their 13th album essential and XTC is not one of those bands.
No clue who these guys are, or what this album going to be like going in. "Rive Of Orchids" has a really interesting start. I'm not really sure to make of it, we've got these set of steady trumpets that sounds like from a GBA game sound scape. Then these sort of, rock opera stereo vocals. What is here is interesting... I'm not sure if I like it.... I don't hate it, but it's incredibly perplexing. Very stimulating, well engineered. "I'd Like That" is another interesting one. Again, the vocal work here feels very, classic rock in style. I'm getting this sort of oldies/60s brit-pop vibe, but if it was hyper engineered, and not bogged down by the technology of the 60s & 70s. "Easter Theatre" is another interesting entry, but it also feels like a little more of the same from what I've experienced so far. The horns & strings both have this oldie vibe as I described before, but it also simultaneously feels like video game music. The horns & strings feel very programmed, marching & like I could almost pluck them out of an RPG game from 90s. Again, I don't hate it, but I'm not in love with it. It's really perplexing, stimulating, and well produced. "Knights in Shaning Karma" is a slower song. The guitar is super clean, echoy and mystical. I think it works well with the vocals, but coming off the last three tracks this is a rather uninteresting track that struggles to hold my attention. It sort of just washed over me, it happened, and didn't really make me think or feel much. "Frivolous Tonight" also has the oldie, Beatles-pop sort of bounce to it with the piano. But again, it just feels like cleaner versions of things that have been done already. "Greenman" grabs my attention again right of the rip, and this one feels vastly distinct compared to what I've heard on the album thus far. Again, get drawn to comparing the sound scape largely to video games. It feels like I could totally picture this sound scape accompanying some sort of Donkey Kong jungle or dessert level. The drums, strings and flute all really do a great job in giving off a sort of vibe that feels distinctly unique and incredibly strong compared to what I've heard thus far. Vocal work is the same was what's come before, struggling to pick out lyrics and retain verbal meaning with how large everything else feels in the mix. "Your Dictionary" is sort of like "Knight in Shining Karma" where it's slower, a little more dialed back in terms of what's going on— and I think in doing so something is lost. I think, to me so far, the songs with these very video gamey style drums & strings are much stronger. The tracks without, which include "Your Dictionary" just feel a little flatter as it leans harder on vocals and lyrics, which I'm really struggling to get anything out of. "Fruit Nut" feels incredibly Sgt. Pepper coded, but even with this sort of whimsical, video gamey feel coming into this track here, the lyrical content feels super corny. Like this just feels like a weaker version of The Beatles or Ween. "I Can't Own Her" has that video game sound scape come in again in a more somber, or melancholic style. But the lyrical content is so fucking weird dude. Like, you got this almost cinematic, orchestral track that feels like it would come in at a sort of dramatic, magical moment. And the lyrics are sort of beautiful in the way that it's gushing over this gal. But the phrasing "I Can't Own Her" makes the rest of the lyrical content feel sort of uncomfortable. "Harvest Festival" is really weak. Again, I find myself feeling like the tracks where the vocal work is more forward, and the instruments are more pruned back, are the ones that I enjoy less. I don't think the vocal presentation, or from what I can pick out, the lyrical substance is all that good or interesting. By this point in the album, I'm rather done with these guys. "The Last Balloon" has an eery feel, dig the chimey piano and trumpet. But I'm sick of this dude's singing. Overall, I think at first I felt like the album was a little interesting, but as it chugged on it seemingly lost steam and seemed increasingly and incredibly derivative. Like, I don't think this album is doing anything new or unique, if anything it's redeveloping old sounds or mixing them with some more programming style instrumentation. Most of the time, I felt like the vocal work, and when I could parse it, the lyrical content was not that great. By the end of the album, I was pretty exhausted of this sound. Looking at some information after the fact, these dudes have been around for a minute by the point they dropped this album. So yeah, quite literally it's a super refined, studio album of some older sounds. I don't think it's bad, and if you liked these guys before you probably would like this album. But as someone with little to no exposure to the band or this album, and really no preconceived notion of what to expect— I certainly was not impressed. The album has it's moments, but largely it's an album that is not for me. Favorite Track: "Greenman"
Definitely not for me
Um… well this is another I had high hopes for when it came up. I mean I’m familiar with XTC from their “New Wave” days, their Making Plans for Nigel days. But that was a long time ago… some 20! Years before this album. And… yeah… I get wanting to get the band back together again, make that new record for the new era, but maybe I shouldn’t have to listen to it, yeah? Because while I appreciate the desire behind this project its result is a terrible mess. It has great elements, don’t get me wrong, but mere elements an organism is not. And no matter how I slice it, I don’t want to listen to this. I just can’t give it more than a 2. Sorry, but by the time they brought in the recorder for Harvest Festival I was contemplating murder. And the they wrap up with… a triangle. Yeah. Boolean: HARD NO, why oh why is this on the list?
Meh. I question this list everyday. XTC had some great records in the 1970s. Why chose a washed up come back record from 1999?
Very beatlesesque but I’m undecided - I’d need more time with some of these albums
Some British bands sound like the Beatles to me, and I already do not like the Beatles.
There are some nice wee motifs and musical moments here. At times it sounds like Paul McCartney, at times like the Beach Boys. The cringe factor is too high though - the lyrics, the recorders, the whimsy. By the end I was getting kind of annoyed and had to resist the urge to switch it off.
What's this doing here? I like XTC but this just ain't it. Your Dictionary is up there as one of the worst songs I've heard during the 1001, at least in terms of lyrical content. 1.8/5
Bridgerton music
Prodigious musical talents. Boring fucking songs.
Not for me at all. Boring.
Interesting. Pink Floyd vocals.
Eh... What started of promising with an interesting first track devolved into adult contemporary bleh. Background at best for me
This one is just too "nice" for me? Vaguely Beatles-esque, more modern production, but sounds like a kinda modern indie "cute" experimentalism? Yeah, not really for me.
this was pretty weird, i didn't love.
Ever wondered what Tool would sound like as an acoustic outfit that can't keep down a drummer and can't work out how to add movement or drama to their songwriting besides "what if we add an orchestral swill?"
Je suis content de vivre à l’air du streaming, parce que je sais pas comment j’aurais réagi après avoir acheté ce CD là full price en 1999 après m’avoir fait dire que ça sonnait comme les Beatles
Didn't particularly care for XTC before this and I still don't.
Just could not get into this. Very much McCartney Beatles sound but almost to the point of parody. Other weird tracks just didn’t connect. Second listen it got worse
I adore Oranges & Lemons and Nonsuch but this is the most "1st album after a seven-year hiatus dreck I've ever heard in my life. 2nd start is because presumably there's no other XTX album on the list.
Beatlesque. Sort of enjoyable in a background kind of way. Probably wouldn't repeat. it.
The dollar store equivalent of all the goofy Beatles songs you didn’t like.
Nah. Like it at first then it got old 2.7
los primeros temas bien y despues que carajo
It's like a softer, no edges version of "Wings" or "Talking Heads" -- but considerably worse.
S-O-F-T is how I spell this album in my dictionary
Made it through one song.
fav songs: i'd like that corny, boring 30/100
Meh
Kind of boring. Had a hard time paying attention towards the end. Not necessarily bad, just not something I found to be good. 2.5/5 Won't listen again
I do not believe anyone actually listens to this album regularly. It is weird (a good thing) but not enjoyable.
Really unexpected stuff in here. Judging by the album's wiki I'd probably enjoy XTC's other albums more but I love it when any artist decides to swerve in a completely new direction, even if it's just for one project. Another very British album.
Sgt. Pepper's it isn't. They're interesting and quirky; I'll give them that. However, while they hit on some of their music, that isn't the case on this album except for "I'd Like That". Beyond that they are just a reminder that Andy Partridge just might be the original hipster douchebag.
Not my favorite XTC album. I do like them a lot though. Just not this record.