I have been a fan of XTC for a long time, mostly due to my best friend at the time who introduced them to me in the beginning of the 90s. I had heard them before that, but they became a bigger part of my life. The band had released NONSVCH. in 1992. It became one of my favourite albums. I am surprised 1001 Albums… did not put English Settlement in it. It is considered by many their best. Skylarking is their ninth studio album. It was produced by Todd Rundgren.
If there was a song or two that I did not care for on my first listen it was “Mermaid Smiled” and “1000 Umbrellas”. They were boring in comparison to the rest of the album.
Overall, the album is great. I had some problems deciding which songs to recommend the most. I think almost all of the songs were great and the album is best taken as a whole piece of work. Perhaps all the hate between Rundgren and bandleader Andy Partridge was the thing they needed to make this piece of art. 9.5/10.
an ocean roars 