English Settlement - XTC > Reviews > A Partridge In A Pop Tree

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money

Advantages:	A Sprawling Eclectic Pop Epic
Disadvantages:	Some Tracks Are A Touch Too Long

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Artist: XTC
Album: English Settlement (1982)

The year is 1982. Andy Partridge, chief songwriter and musician of XTC has a long player's worth of pure gold up his sleeve. The charts are full of meaningless tosh and lightweight pop. All the decent punk and post-punk acts have either dried up, fallen apart or gone off into fringe areas far away from the charts. Only XTC can save pop-rock !!

In January of 1982 "Senses Working Overtime" became the Swindon outfit's first top ten single. In February the band's fifth album was released to widespread acclaim amongst the music press and managed to get as high as No.5 in the album charts. XTC had broken through...for a short while at least.

On opening track "Runaways" bassist Colin Moulding explores, with some empathy and honesty, the plight of runaway children. No punches are pulled as Moulding hints at the underlying causes for most runaway children - domestic violence/abuse. A dark, yet compelling musical arrangement is the perfect backdrop for an earnest vocal.

Track 2 is the punchy, musically upbeat "Ball & Chain." A raw rocky number, the track features some well deployed synths and a very simple guitar line. "Senses Working Overtime" follows on pefectly and is classic pop in every sense. A quiet and quite peculiar introduction gives way after twenty seconds to a strummy acoustic guitar, which explodes into a great sing-a-long pop song - Andy Partridge sings intriguingly;

"And all the world is biscuit shaped
Its just for me to feed my face"

"Jason & The Argonauts" is intoxicating with its slick guitars and shimmery effects whilst "No Thugs In Our House" is a damning indictment of mindless violence and neo-nazi behaviour.

The brilliantly folky, "Yacht Dance" is track 6. Partridge's gorgeous guitar playing is underpinned by a tight bassline. The production from Hugh Padgham is also worthy of a mention as it helps to create the intimate vibe XTC were seeking.

The achingly beautiful "All Of A Sudden (It's Too Late)" is a wonderfully honest song; which lyrically concerns Partridge's fears as a late twenty-something who is unable to slow the passage of time or come to terms with the harsh world around him;

"All of a sudden
We find the cupboard bare
All of a sudden
We find heaven's not there"

"Melt The Guns" and "It's Nearly Africa" are both new departures in terms of sound. "Melt The Guns" acts as a musically repetitive and jarring protest song, whilst "It's Nearly Africa" is a mantra-driven tribal workout. Both are effective and original if not outstanding.

At track ten comes "Knuckle Down." Musically it is more like 1979/80 XTC, with its clipped guitars and atonal singing. It is nonetheless an immediate and catchy song. Partridge sings about the world ending "one fine morning with a big bang" and urges people to make right the wrongs they've commited before said event happens. Naive? Possibly. Infectious? Definitely...

"Fly On The Wall" showcases the more psychedlic side of XTC with its vocal distortion and vague wiff of 1970s Pink Floyd. Colin Moulding takes over lyrical and lead vocal duties on this most engaging of tracks and does a decent job (as ever).

"English Roundabout" is another Colin Moulding creation. I would guess the subject matter is Swindon's "Magic Roundabout" system of hundreds of roundabouts within one huge roundabout (slight exaggeration, it's actually six roundabouts I think). It's an okay song, but doesn't hit the highs of tracks 2,3,4,6,7 or 11.

Tagged on the end of the album is the curios "Snowman." A quirkily fragile little number it shows the band's desire to try out different ideas (both musically, vocally and in terms of production). The track (and of course the album) finishes with sleigh bells and a feel of Christmas. Considering the album was released in February this is fabulously inappropriate and funny.

Overall, when viewed as a whole (and when listented to more than three or four times) "English Settlement" announces its greatness to you in confident, yet understated tones. It is happy to move into the spare bedroom of your musical soul and will doubtless come and go as it pleases. For me it has turned into a comfortable and agreeable friend and many is the time I drag it out for a sly ale for old times sake.

"English Settlement" was, and is, XTC's finest hour. Anyone who is a fan of quirky, lyrically astute, progressive pop music would enjoy this record. With tiny hints of what was to come with The Smiths and vague whiffs of late 60s British psychedelic pop, XTC had a bit of everything in their sound in the early 1980s.

From its wonderfully uncommercial white-horse album cover, to its insidiously catchy and consistent songs, "English Settlement" is a wonderful pop record. (*9)