Review Summary: Change must be earned.
Skylarking was XTC frontman Andy Partridge’s living hell. Working with wizard / true star Todd Rundgren as producer, Partridge once described the recording process as like being in “one bunker with two Hitlers.” To this day, the two still haven’t made peace over the seminal psychedelic moment in XTC’s discography: Yet despite the incendiary studio sessions and verbal abuse, the result is one of the most dynamic, effervescent pop albums ever recorded.
Skylarking sees the perfect marriage between XTC’s finely tuned pop sensibilities and their art-rock quirkiness. Brimming with psychedelic, pastoral imagery, this album makes for a beautiful experience that pairs lush arrangements with the band’s characteristic sense of irony. Based around Rundgren’s concept of an album completely interconnected by the cycle of life and death, Skylarking shows a clear forward momentum throughout the track listing and rarely loses its footing.
The first two-song suite boasts a woozy infatuation with nature and the ideals of youth. “Summer’s Cauldron” buzzes to life with electronic chirps and bird calls, with humming synths that cling like fog at sunrise. Just as Partridge belts out the final note at the song’s climax, “Grass” bursts through with lush string arrangements and soft percussion, exploring the playful awkwardness of budding sexuality. With icy bells and shimmering guitar, “The Meeting Place” is noticeably more mature and nocturnal, conjuring images of a secret rendezvous and the quiet hopefulness of a new relationship.
The album continues to progress chronologically, often skipping years at a time. Even standard pop affairs such as “Earn Enough for Us” and “Big Day” find our protagonist at different milestones in his life; “Earn Enough for Us” being about the pressures of starting a family on a blue-collar lifestyle, and reservations about the commitment of marriage on “Big Day.”
Stylistically, Skylarking continues XTC’s departure from the angular post-punk riffs of their back catalogue and instead favors sweeping string arrangements, exotic percussion, and complex vocal harmonies. All 14 songs feature densely layered instrumentation that brings a sense of cohesion and replayability to every track. “1000 Umbrellas,” XTC’s Baroque-pop masterpiece, showcases the musicality of the Partridge-Rundgren songwriting team. Dynamic ascending and descending orchestral arrangements soar over Partridge’s understated guitar chords, and merely one track later we’re greeted with the bouncy piano and sunny psychedelic pop harmonies of “Season Cycle.”
In the third act of our protagonist’s journey, tracks like “Mermaid Smiled” and “The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul” act as a dark, jazzy aside to the earlier psychedelia and offer newfound wisdom as the album becomes more reflective than hopeful. “Sacrificial Bonfire” is the cathartic conclusion to the cycle. Pulsing, tribal rhythms evoke an ancient ritual smoldering under Partridge’s bard-like musings on death and rebirth. The bonfire crackles and spits as Partridge recites,
“Burn up the old / Ring in the new.”
As the song builds, Rundgren’s orchestra brings a sense of finality and purpose to the omniscient guitar melody as the flames finally die out.
Skylarking is more than a tribute to 60’s pop music. It not only shows XTC reflecting on their own storied career as art rock pioneers, but slyly nods to every great pop album that preceded it as well. Partridge and Rundgren’s vision of a Homeric urban mythology sounds just as fresh and original today as it did when it was released. While some tracks such as “That’s Really Super, Supergirl” and “Another Satellite” are less inspired, and the addition of “Dear God” in later pressings completely defies the flow and concept of the album, Skylarking cements XTC as one of the most original and underappreciated bands of their time, and remains an ethereal moment in art rock history.
