XTC
Wasp Star -- Apple Venus vol. 2
(TVT)
Rating: 6
Billed by XTC fans as the "rock" edition of the band's two-disc return
from major-label limbo (like XTC fans would know "rock" if it bit 'em on
the ass), this one does indeed turn up the amps and stifle the string
section. But while it has its pleasures - "The Man Who Murdered Love,"
"Standing In For Joe" and, god help me, the one called "The Wheel and the
Maypole" - there's nothing here as astonishing as Skylarking's token tempo
bender "Earn Enough For Us," just like Volume One didn't offer up its own
"Grass." Does that mean Partridge and Moulding have lost their touch?
Probably not. But they probably should suck it up and give Todd Rundgren
another call.
Apple Venus vol. 1
(TVT)
It's been seven years since the last XTC
record, and since
that time the threepiece has dwindled to two. Seven years is
a
generation in rock and roll years, but really, what's the difference
between 1992 and 1999
if you're living in 1967? XTC sounds the
same as ever, still trying to make rock and roll
symphonies. Apple Venus Volume 1 (Volume 2 has the more upbeat,
harsher songs and is due out this fall) is complete with brass
and strings, and the first
song, "River of Orchids",
succeeds almost entirely on the churning orchestration
propelling
it forward. Leader Andy Partridge wrote some first rate songs
for this
record, including the simple sounding "I'd Like
That" and the quietly nasty
"Your Dictionary",
though how good could a song called "Knights in
Shining
Karma" actually be? (Answer: not very) Bassist Colin Moulding
stopped
writing songs during the band's downtime, and given the
strength of his contributions to
the last three albums ("Grass",
"Sacrificial Bonfire", "King for
a Day",
and "War Dance" are just some of the highlights) his
two
songs on Apple Venus Volume 1 are disappointing throwaways.
The record's production
is painstaking, the arrangements precise,
even fussy, yet on songs like
"Greenman" (How good
could a song called "Greenman" actually be?
Answer:
quite good, actually) the orchestra is playing all the right
notes. Now if
only that happened on most of the songs we would
compare this one favorably to XTC's one
brief shining moment. 1987's Skylarking was a masterpiece that now
appears
to be a fluke in XTC's career. Their records before and after
Skylarking are mixed bags, with some great songs and many
indulgent ones.
Apple Venus Vol. 1 is their best since
Skylarking, and diehard fans like
myself will play it
for years to come, but the unconverted should probably stay away.
Rating: 7
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