j o n b

XTC is another one of those bands that I have heard of as pop for prog fans. There certainly are some prog links to this album, as it was produced by Todd Rundgren (of Utopia fame) and finds Dave Gregory (later of Steve Hogarth's band) on keyboards. So in the end I was a little disappointed by the end result here, which is a fair pop album that occasionally strives towards brilliant. There are several high points among the 14 tracks. For the most part those highlights come from clever lyrics and the more stripped down arrangements. The best work is a trilogy of tunes near the end of the album. "Another Satellite" is fairly sparse, mostly just the occasionally strummed guitar and vocals. That leads into "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul", a neat jazz flavored number. The capper, then, is "Dear God", an acoustic guitar based song which is delivered as a small child's letter to a deity that he refuses to believe in. There, and a few other places, the album really hits home. Unfortunately, there are other places on the album that are too cute or sweet for my tastes. I initially loved the lyrics of "That's Really Super, Supergirl", but they quickly became a little too cute for their own good. Other times it's just the way the vocals are delivered which get on my nerves (see "Grass"). There's quite a bit of string work on the record as well, a little too much in spots. "1000 Umbrellas", for example, is so stringy sweet that I would hesitate to play it for my diabetic brother in fear that he'd collapse. In the end, there's enough good material here to make me reach for this album every now and then. It just isn't the quality product overall that I had hoped it would be. review by Jon Byrne — 5-31-00 —

j o e

This album continues to enjoy widespread critical acclaim and is considered by many to be XTC's finest disc. Producer Todd Rundgren summoned forth a highly stylized, orchestral sound to complement the band, with ornate, wobbily "Blue Jay Way"-strings and all that. The songs themselves are as quirky as ever offerings to be produced by the band, yet catchy enough to snag the listener like a Venus (har har) fly trap. Highpoints include Moulding's delightful salute to romping in the hay ("Grass") and the veddy-McCartney strains of Partridge's "Season Cycle" and "Earn Enough for Us." The most infamous song on the album, of course, is "Dear God," Partridge's ode to atheism that won bomb threats for a radio station that played it. While the form and execution of the song lives up to the high standards of XTC craft, I can't help but think that the content comes off a bit superficial. Trying to pack some rather weighty, philosophical ideas into four minutes or less, I find it ultimately to be either naive or tacky. Still though, I like Skylarking and feel it's a reasonably strong album, though I will admit to finding it somewhat overrated and I wouldn't personally christen it the band's magnum opus. review by Joe McGlinchey — undated —

a a r o n

Author's Note: This is a pop CD, not a prog CD. It's complex and intelligent enough that prog fans will find plenty to like, but I'm not going to say that it's anything other than a straight pop/new-wave CD. If you only consider the first line of "Summer's Cauldron," you might assume that XTC's Skylarking is a CD that finds the dark side of happiness. After all, that line is, "drowning here in summer's cauldron." Certainly a dark twist on summer, or so it would seem. Further listening, however, reveals the opposite is true: Skylarking is an exercise in finding the happiness inherent even in sadness and darkness. As "Summer's Cauldron" goes on to say, "don't pull me out, this is how I would want to go." The song "That's Really Super, Supergirl," explores the common theme of breaking up in a similar manner. While clearly conveying a sad story, the clever wordplay and subtle sarcasm make it impossible not to smile while listening. The song is about a guy dumped by his girlfriend who, as he discovers, has a secret life as Supergirl, motivating the lines: "I won't call you/even in a jam/now I realize you might be on a mission/to save another man." Don't think Skylarking is primarily a lyrical exercise, however. Despite all the talk of bad weather in "Ballet For a Rainy Day," XTC can't even make a half-hearted attempt at sad music. The melodies on "Ballet For a Rainy Day" — and every other song as well — are warm and inviting. So warm, in fact, that the listener can't help but question the integrity of the line, "floating downstream to a town they call misery" ("1000 Umbrellas"). These suspicions turn out to be right, not only because of the talk of umbrellas spoiling the view as it "rain[s] all over you," but also because of the starkly uplifting string arrangements. The only flaw on Skylarking is the inclusion (on some versions, mine included) of "Mermaid's Smile" instead of "Dear God," the latter of which was originally meant to be on the CD (and it's not hard to hear why). "Mermaid's Smile," while pleasant, is easily the weakest track on the CD. "Dear God," on the other hand, might just be the best. With compelling music and tremendous lyrics, "Dear God" establishes itself as a masterpiece of a song. Some will find it controversial, as it is in many ways an "atheist's anthem," featuring lyrics such as "did you make mankind after we made you" and (referring to the Bible) "us crazy humans wrote it you should take a look," but the music speaks for itself. Skylarking captures the experience of adolescence perfectly, drenching it with music distilled from all the warmth of summer, making for one of the most rapturous listens in music's rich history. This is music made for lying in a hammock on a warm night in June, and just happens to sound brilliant in every other context as well. review by Aaron N. — 1-21-08 —