XTC
Skylarking

THE REVIEW

The negative prejudice against 80s music is really hard to shake off. Many are accustomed to thinking that a certain cultural climate (including Reaganism, yuppism, the "Milano da bere" era, as well as a certain disengaged backlash) so pervaded society at the time that even artistic products, primarily pop music, inevitably came out compromised. This generalization, which only accounts for one side of the multifaceted decade, proves flawed as soon as one lists the numerous excellent works produced in that much-maligned period, not inferior, either in quality or quantity, to other decades, except for the 60s. Those still hesitant and seeking confirmation of the arguable thesis of this humble reviewer can certainly consider the 80s work of XTC, starting right from "Skylarking."

The group led by the brilliant Andy Partridge, an adjective used in this case without hyperbole, has always stood out, from their debut, for its imaginative, brilliant, psychedelic, ironic pop. In "Skylarking", these characteristics are exalted by an exceptional producer, the "wizard" Todd Rundgren, who, despite having quite a few conflicts and differences with the band members during the recording of the album, manages to bring out the best of the band.
Partridge, Moulding, and company continue right where Lennon - McCartney consensually paused their musical discourse, however, trying to delve deeper into the many prolific veins of the Fab Four, particularly the most crazy and visionary one, that of "Yellow Submarine", "Sgt. Pepper's", to be precise. But it's not just the Beatles with their colorful uniforms present; the more somber and melancholic Brian Wilson also peeks through, the author of "Pet Sounds", the artist with the early signs of the "darkness" that would plague him for much of his life, who long ago put the hated surf music in the closet. On this noble "beachbeatlesian" line (but note, we are not merely looking at excellent epigones), stands the initial triad of the album "Summer's Cauldron", "Grass", "The Meeting Place", with bucolic and dreamy atmospheres.

In the album, however, there are other memorable songs and also other perfectly "metabolized" references. "1000 Umbrellas" is the unexpected R'n'B with quirky string harmonies and Andy's flexible voice chasing around. "Season Cycle" is carefree, sunny, with choruses halfway between the Beach Boys, yes, them again, and CSN & Y. "The Big Day" is pure flower power, psychedelia chewed to the point of producing this rainbow-colored bubblegum, truly a small wonder. But there's also the hypnotic and sinuous progression of "Another Satellite", which could have entered the Joy Division repertoire if Curtis had preferred pastel hues over black. There are also forays into jazz, fused with the more deviant pop, as in the case of "Mermaid Smiled", or more regular, almost Gershwin-esque, as in the syncopated "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul", a title that speaks volumes. It closes with Moulding venting his radical skepticism in the evocative acoustic crescendo of "Dear God", the B-side of the single "Grass" and not present on the original LP, but included by popular demand in the CD.

These are the 80s that should be (re)discovered; the perspective, especially for the younger generation, might change.