Search - XTC :: English Settlement

One of a kind -- beyond category

T. Davis | Seattle, WA | 05/09/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

""English Settlement" was a 1982 collaboration between leader Andy Partridge, who wrote 11 of the double LP's 15 songs, and Colin Moulding, who wrote the remaining four. It is quite simply the best album XTC every recorded. The group was never able to equal the sustained brilliance of its compositions and performances, which are now gathered on a single wonderful CD.



It would be simplistic and reductive to call this new wave music, though it was created at the crest of the wave by a group that was strongly identified with the movement. Instead, it is music of a stunningly original variety, reflective of British culture and society at the time, yet lyrically, rhythmically, and harmonically very different from anything else the period produced.



Each track is clever, powerful, and memorable, with a complexity of structure and orchestration that demands repeated listening. Most of the songs clock in at around five minutes, a length that allows them to breathe and build to a shattering climax.



Three irresistably catchy singles charted in Britain: "Senses Working Overtime," "Ball and Chain," and "No Thugs in Our House." But any and all of the tracks have the potential to get stuck in your head and become favorites. Mine are "Runaways," "Melt the Guns," "It's Nearly Africa," and "English Roundabout."



Alas, this album proved to be the band's high water mark. Partridge suffered a severe emotional breakdown only a few shows into the tour that followed, and XTC never performed live again."

Quintessential indeed!

PMFPS | North Carolina | 06/05/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is my alltime favorite XTC release ... plain and simple. It introduced me to the band's genius as well as turned my world completely around, to which I haven't looked back since. There's not one bad song on this recording, so any thought of skipping around on it is a "null and void" effort in this fan's view. Just put it in the disc-player of your choice and LET 'ER RIP!!! In all honesty, no XTC fan's music-collection is truly complete without this sitting safety between "Black Sea" and "Mummer." Do yourself a big favor and GET IT!"

Catchy, smart, highly idiosyncratic pop psychedelia (and tha

Samantha Kehler | Steinbach, Manitoba Canada | 06/14/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

""English Settlement" finds XTC caught between the angular, nervous guitar sound of previous works and the lush, warm feel of "Skylarking", and, in drawing on and combining both, they manage to create a lyrically and musically complex masterwork that also happens to be joyfully infectious to boot. Rare feat that. Letting the songs stretch out a bit may irk some, but I like the loose feel that accompanies many of the songs as they go above and beyond the 3 minute song structure. They breathe, they simmer, the atmosphere is allowed to build. Take "Runaways" for example. As it's 25-second fade in explodes into drums, funky horns and the jangliest guitars this side of the Smiths, the song grooves along beautifully with Partridge musings perfectly punctuating the proceedings. The vocals never overpower the song, and kick in grandly for the anthemic chorus that worms itself into your ear and refuses to leave ("oh runa..oh runa...oh runaways..."). The production and musicianship is generally top-notch all around, with a handful of some of the strongest sophisticated pop songs to be heard anywhere ("Ball and Chain", "No Thugs in Our House", "Senses Working Overtime"). It might get too fluffy in the hands of another frontman, but the delightfully snarky, sarcastic energy Partridge imbues the tunes with gives a nice witty caustic counterweight to the (generally) otherwise feel-good vibe. 5 stars for you "English Settlement"! Bravo. You do what few albums do and manage to be musically addictive as well as musically nutritious."