Is XTC too Competent to Be Cool?

Showtime's XTC: This Is Pop draws worthy attention to this underrated band. But does their music still hold up?

                                      
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Is XTC too Competent to Be Cool?

Showtime's XTC: This Is Pop draws worthy attention to this underrated band. But does their music still hold up?

A Partridge Compendium That Probes Some of the Best Parts of XTC's Rich Pageant

Counterbalance: XTC - Skylarking

Prinzhorn Dance School: Clay Class

Somber, minimalist punk rockers from Britain serve up a solid sophomore effort, full of ominous bass lines and oblique lyrics.

Jim Moray: A Beginners Guide

Whatever he might say to the contrary, Jim Moray has married into folk music. His excellent albums represent a series of innovatively renewed vows.

Parcels from a Patchouli Past: An Interview with Andrew Partridge

With a newly remastered, limited edition presentation of the Dukes of Stratosphear's entire catalog just out, the guiding guru of XTC's alter-ego band discusses the past, the present, and a particularly severe case of 'bad vibes'.

XTC as the Dukes of Stratosphear - "My Love Explodes" / "Brainiac's Daughter" (MP3 / video)

Andy Partridge: Monstrance

Now, as middle age meanders across Partridge's considered cult career, it's obvious he's looking for another, more solemn outlet for his talent.

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The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul

Having worked for years in a hinterland between obscurity and popularity, Andy Partridge has finally hit the fulcrum as he's gained his artistic freedom, and recognition of his band XTC's influence on pop history has suddenly blossomed.

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So, as an album, Skylarking is beautiful and whole and just shy of perfection enough that it doesn't come off as too clean.

Andy Partridge: Fuzzy Warbles, Vol. 1 / Fuzzy Warbles, Vol. 2

For fans of Andy Partridge and his music, these first two Fuzzy Warbles are a wonderful way to pass the time until the next official XTC release.

XTC: A Coat of Many Cupboards

Cult status or no, XTC's raw deal at the hands of Virgin Records is slightly rectified herein, and helps repair a rift of under-representation that spanned decades and resulted in a bruising industry battle.

XTC: Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2)

Wasp Star is the kind of album that can reinvigorate the listener in the belief that pop music is wonderful and hasn't degenerated into carbon copy boy bands.

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