Released: 1986
Tracks: Summer’s Cauldron; Grass; The Meeting Place; That’s Really Super, Supergirl; Ballet for a Rainy Day; 1000 Umbrellas; Season Cycle; Earn Enough for Us; Big Day; Another Satellite; Mermaid Smiled; The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul; Dying; Sacrificial Bonfire; Dear God
Best track: the entire first side (through Season Cycle) is perfection in songwriting
Track to skip: Big Day sometimes gets on my nerves
It’s rarer these days where I just stumble across a band I’ve never heard and my whole world is subsequently blown open. Even when you think that you’ve somehow discovered all the ‘good’ music in the world, something will come in front of you and wake you up. Yes, XTC was one of those bands. I first heard of XTC through a friend in college named Dave, but I never actually heard the music of these guys, just saw their name around on his wall and all that. A couple of years ago I was listening to
my launch station and this song by XTC popped up: Grass. Contrary to popular belief, I not only like to discover new music, I also like to give new stuff a chance when I hear it. Grass comes on and it surprises me how damn good it is. Geez, why didn’t I hear these guys sooner? After hearing a few more tracks and getting a glowing recommendation from my friend Bryan, I purchased Skylarking. Wow.
Wow!
Man, if I was ever down on pop music, this totally redeemed what I thought pop music was capable of. This album contains some of the most intelligent and fun pop music I’ve ever heard. I have no idea how to convey how this album is amazing, other than to say it woke me up. There are just so many sections in these songs that bring the biggest smile to my face. It is seriously impossible to pick a best song on here as any of the 12 best of them could be it. Like I said above, the entire first side is just perfect. It’s wonderfully thematic, the songs flow in and out of each other and the sound coloration achieved by the band and producer Todd Rundgren is outstanding. I love the transition from Summer’s Cauldron into Grass; the imitation-Fripp solo in Supergirl is fantastic; the orchestration in 1000 Umbrellas is excellent; I think all of Ballet for a Rainy Day and Season Cycle keep a permanent smile on my face. And that’s just the first side!
In truth, the second half isn’t ‘as good’ as the first but, feh, who cares! It’s still excellence. Big Day is the only song on the album where I sometimes am tempted to skip, but that’s only half the time. I really like the lyrics on it, but the annoying part is the chorus. I don’t know why it is that way, but it is. The rest of side 2 is just great though. I love The Man who Sailed Around His Soul. The verses have this goofy 60’s spy-music/coffeehouse quality, but they’re in 7/8 and that makes it many times cooler in my book. And then with the total jazz choruses…oh it’s great. The album ends on the deadly serious Dear God, an atheist anthem if there ever was one. Whether I agree or not is irrelevant; I’ve never heard this subject presented in such an eloquent and intelligent manner. It’s a fantastic song and somehow the perfect ending to this awesome album. Skylarking gets better every time I put it on. If you’re into intelligent pop music, then there’s no reason in the world why you wouldn’t love this album. I sure do.
Rating: 97
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