There’s not as much that ‘pops’ in this one, mainly as far as the production goes (barring some orchestral flourish such as Easter Theatre), but it’s still proof that XTC could enter the new millennia with their style in tact
It’d be easy to assume that, like countless other superb 80s groups, the transition to the 90s would be the nail in XTC’s creative coffin. Fortunately, this isn’t the case- sure, this isn’t quite ‘bonafide classic’ level like some of their better known offerings, but at minimum three all-time XTC cuts are found here (the opener, My Bird Performs, The Disappointed), which is more I can say for most 80s bands 90s breakthroughs
As XTC approach the 90s, their sound takes a trip through time back to the Beatlesque melodies of twenty years prior. Even with some overwrought production and a handful of overindulgences, Lemons & Oranges is heaps of fun
With the help of the illustrious Todd Rundgren on production, XTC bounce back from their mid-80s slump with their magnum opus. A mind-swirling meld of the off-kilter synths and witty commentary that made up their earlier gems with some of the sharpest psych-production of the entire 80s. One of the tentpole Neo-Psych records of all time
The other half of the inexplicable mid-80s slump XTC slogged through, this half being the ever-so-slightly worse half. Not to much to say about this one- just XTC operating at half mast
Something must’ve been remiss in the air for XTC in ‘83 & ‘84, because Mummer and the record that follows it serve to seriously dismantle an otherwise near-flawless string of records. Mummer isn’t awful… but compared to the witty, offbeat, and sharp projects that surround it, it’s lesser, to say the least
If trimmed down to a solid 10-11 tracks, English Settlement would easily in XTC’s top three projects- the group’s most psychedelic record yet features some of their best and catchiest tracks (Senses Working Overtime, Jason and the Argonauts, No Thugs In Our House, All of a Sudden)
XTC prove themselves to be one of the most flexible and versatile bands in the entire New Wave sphere with Black Sea, a masterful bridge between the zaniness of Drums And Wires and the dark often political theming that really makes up XTC's core ideals. A seriously catchy record with heaps of depth and hidden passageways, almost like a castle- alternatively, you can also just pay attention to the killer hooks on each of these cuts and still be just as satisfied
XTC’s junior showing may show the outfit adopting the New Wave Post-Punk zaniness that was taking over rock in the late 70s in a way that may feel less ‘individualized’ than some of their later works- but I’m a sucker for it. Even with a couple relatively weaker moments here and there, Drums and Wires keeps the energy plodding along without truly missing a beat. Essential New Wave record
![菊池ひみこ [Himiko Kikuchi] - FLYING BEAGLE](https://cdn2.albumoftheyear.org/100x0/album/349124-flying-beagle_194206.jpg)
A sublime, smooth-as-silk Jazzed-up City Pop Classic. You can’t go wrong with any piece here, as Kikuchi leads his fellow players like a general into battle- though here, it’s more of ‘jazzy wonderland’ than enemy territory. Staple City Pop record of the 80s
Solid leftovers that have the same floaty airiness of Space Heavy, but fall into the Post-Punk realm more than any of those tracks do. None of these are essential KK tracks imo but your mileage may vary
Marshall's most atmospherically dense record, so much so that I'd argue this is the first King Krule record where the lyrics outright take a backseat to the instrumentation and theming. Space Heavy totally lands its intergalactic mission of crafting a serene, occasionally discordant wasteland for you to moon-walk through
Certainly the most 'immediate' King Krule release to date. There's still heaps of mystique and unsureness to sift through here (would it even be a Krule album if not?), but there's definitely a palpable effort toward a sound palette that's punchier- take the open Cellular or Underclass, for instance. Perhaps a bit of the alluring haze that made 6 Feet and The OOZ so enticing is lost in this shift, but it may be a positive change for those looking for a King Krule record ... read more
Dizzying. The OOZ surrounds you in a transparent, but not entirely opaque noxious cloud for its runtime. It’s not a brief album, nor one that I’d consider ‘simple’- but it’s still effortlessly enjoyable. Marshall’s voice still cuts through the thick cloud the record lives in like an explorer desperately wading through thick brush to find some unfindable treasure. What’s Marshall’s treasure here? I have absolutely no idea, and I don’t think ... read more
Marshall’s debut LP is a brooding, yet deeply passionate series of subdued vignettes. The whole record sounds like strolling through a dimly lit street in the dead of night, perhaps while it’s lightly raining. On paper, it should be disconcerting, especially if given the reference point of Marshall’s voice sounding like a young Joe Strunmer. But when it’s all said and done, and Marshall’s passionate cries and simple but gorgeous guitars take the lead, the whole ... read more
An appropriately spectral debut to a discography that is shrouded in such mystery. Krule's methodically slow and defined approach to songwriting is pinned down defiantly off the bat- The Noose of Jah City is a career highlight even this early on. In many ways, this strikes as a prelude to 6 Feet- not a bad title
Numb is LP's best song assuredly imo, and Meteora on the whole is the group's best- I just can't say their style clicks with me quite yet. A lot of the bones of a really great record at the least, and the performances are impassioned to the max
Certainly lands at several points (In the End, the first couple tracks), and is certainly one of the better Nu Metal debuts even compared to overall stronger bands like Deftones for me. That said- something of a one-trick pony. It's an appealing trick, but grows stale by the end
It's rare to find a Breakcore/Jungle record this embedded in darkness in its sounds, but If You're Into It, I'm Out of It manages to deliver some seriously foreboding and hypnotic beats that stand out in both the ambient and jungle spaces. Some moments drag on a bit too long or may be oppressive in a lightly overbearing way, but the whole thing lends itself to a consistent atmosphere
A total caricature of MCR and their patented blend of emphatic, instantly memorable choruses and their full-force energy. A joke
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Recent Review Comments
On Jalen Ngonda - Doctrine of Love
"@Shayden 100% agree, it’s a throwback record done right"
On 2Pac - Me Against The World
"@Cloudboy019 yeah I def get what you mean. Pac’s cadence and energy is so infectious for me I was able to look past the production being relatively ‘one-note’, even though like you said it is excellent production. That’s an excellent analogy"
On 2Pac - Me Against The World
"@Cloudboy019 that's a fair critique, I will say flow is not Pac's strongsuit, though a lot of people would probably disagree with that. The production is pretty much perfect here imo but it is definitely uniform across the record so I could see it growing stale if G-Funk adjacent stuff isn't as much your bag"
On David Bowie - David Bowie [Space Oddity]
"@usur_disc350 I’ll admit I’ve not revisited this much at all in the last couple years, but I’ll definitely stand by it having several great cuts beyond the title track"
On usur_disc350's review of McKinley Dixon - Magic, Alive!
"Honestly, really well put. I still have this rated pretty highly but I'd say I feel similarly, there's a sheen over this style of 'indie rap' that's starting to feel like the sheen that's covered a large bulk of indie rock the past decade (post-Mac if you will), it's a sheen of homogenization. Hadn't really put much thought to it until now but I think this absolutely hits the nail on the head, and is probably why despite there being so much 'good' hip-hop nowadays, the bulk of it feels like one big swirl of sameness. Excellent take"
On susquatch - Water Plant
"@Rileone it is yeah but it’s also definitely math rock too"
On Faith Evans & The Notorious B.I.G. - The King & I
"@TheTrillTrolla that’s actually very informative, thank you!"
On Doofy's review of The The - Infected
"I prefer Soul Mining a shade, but I’ll agree that this record should be considered as far closer in quality than most. Nearly everything that makes Soul Mining so excellent is found here too, excellent production and songwriting especially"
On Clifford Brown & Max Roach - Clifford Brown & Max Roach
"@HomeSession3 holy shit what a story! Thank you for sharing, that certainly sounds like one of those life-defining moments, for you and Roach. Live Jazz may be the definitive form of live performing for the reasons you said- it makes the frail jolt to life"
On My New Band Believe - My New Band Believe
"@Trazyn I hate saying ‘annoying’ bc that’s reductive, there are def moments where the lyricism along with the vocal style felt really contrived and grating to me though. Overall it’s certainly not an ‘annoying’ album, just nothing particularly new for Windmill. I would say I’m annoyed with the windmill scene in general nowadays"
On Tangerine Dream - Rubycon
"@Litebill931 thank you much! I have to stop myself from over-writing a lot of the time lol"
On 𝒩𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓂𝑒𝒶𝓃𝓉's review of Slayyyter - WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA
"First review of this project that’s really made me want to check it out- seriously excellent write-up"
On XTC - Drums and Wires
"@sher12308 you’re totally right! Major goof on my part, I’ll edit that, appreciate the call-out"
On King Krule - 6 Feet Beneath the Moon
"@yusukeYYH thank you so much! His music is this really intriguing blend of abstract and extremely vivid"
On Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album)
"@ScaredDog6163 yeah for sure! I appreciate the compliment! Jeff Buckley is a perfect example of why 90s rock really shouldn’t be funneled into those two ‘categories’ I listed because he blends so many styles and sounds (a major reason why Grace is one of the most majestic albums of all time). I’m the same as you in that there’s very little I truly dislike that I listen to- it makes it a lot easier to be encouraged to check out more stuff! Let me know when you’ve got those reviews typed out, I’d love to check em out!"
On Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album)
"Sorry for the long winded answer, hope that helps! If you need help finding some specific bands lmk too and I can try and throw you some based on what you currently rock with 🤘"
On Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album)
"The other main strain in my mind is Slacker Rock (the kind I tend to prefer a bit). This is your Pavements, Built to Spills, Weezers, etc. This style of rock tended to ‘look forward’ whereas grunge took influence from a lot of its contemporaries in many ways.
In terms of what I’d do for a deep dive now- honestly, I’d determine which strain you like more and start with the big bands before digging deeper, maybe even trying out some of the influences/ similar bands. For instance, if you really fw Weezer I’d recommend other Geek/Wacky Rock bands like Cake or Grandaddy. Same goes for, say, AIC- you could check out other alternative metal bands for instance."
On Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album)
"@ScaredDog6163 for sure! I went on a pretty big 90s rock binge a couple years back and it’s definitely a vast canyon. This is a wildly simplified answer, but imo there are two *main* streams of 90s rock. The first is what most people think of , being Grunge. These are your Nirvanas and Pearl Jams and basically what the average person will probably think of when they think of ‘90s rock’- and it’s great! Grunge pulls a lot from heavier influences depending on the band, such as Punk and Noise Rock for Nirvana or even Metal with bands like Alice In Chains."
On The Radio Dept. - Clinging to a Scheme
"@Zubb autism + long commutes to work goes a long way lmao"
On Silk Sonic - An Evening With Silk Sonic
"@Iam_AKne thank you so much! It’s become something of a passion of mine for sure. The kind words go a long way, I’d love to have my own site or something one day"
On Silk Sonic - An Evening With Silk Sonic
"@Iam_AKne no I’m not, it’s funny you ask because in high school I had plans to maybe become a writer but it never panned out"
On Johnny Blue Skies - Mutiny After Midnight
"Unless you find a rip somewhere or dish out thirty bucks it’s impossible for the time being unfortunately, it is an absolute blast of a record though no doubt, one of his best easily"
On Silk Sonic - An Evening With Silk Sonic
"@Iam_AKne thank you much! I have fun with them lol"
On Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage Acts II & III
"@ScottShelby that does look interesting, I’ll try and get to it later today, thanks again for all the recs! You’re the Zappa guy so it’s been helpful as a total Zappa novice"
On Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage Acts II & III
"@ScottShelby honestly, having sampled a handful of tracks from his studio records to follow from here I think I’m going to bow out for the time being on his discography, I’d prefer to end it on a high note. Someday I’ll eventually go the whole distance but I think I’d honestly just get burned out going through a series of just messy subpar records tbh"
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