Andy Partridge - Take Away / The Lure of Salvage (1980)

"This used to be some XTC records. It is now a collection of tracks that have been electronically processed/shattered and layered with other sounds or lyrical pieces. All initial sound by XTC. Additional sound/lyrics by Andy Partridge. Put and take by John Leckie and Andy Partridge on 10/10/79. Alan Jakoby was the tapir. Destructed/constructed at Regents Park Recording Company. If you liked Go+ then this record weighs approximately the same amount."

I mean, you could do that. If it's what you want to do, and it's how you want those songs to sound, I mean, they're your songs, and they're not mine, they're yours, your songs, your percussion, your percussion shattered, your songs destructed to the sound of shattered percussion, I always liked your percussion, even when it wasn't shattered and hearing it shattered freaks me out a little bit, and they're your songs and it's how you want them to sound so I'm not complaining, I wouldn't do that, they're your songs, not mine, so I wouldn't do that, I mean, you could do that, if it's what you want to do, and you did do that, it's what you wanted to do, and I respect it, I respect you, your label must've freaked, and your fans must've freaked, and here I am freaking too. Fuck.

B+

256

Ecstasy at the Uffington White Horse

I mean, if it's good enough for Mandy...

Woah! Seriously though, English Settlement is great. I first started getting into XTC when I was into Scott Walker 'cause I was real into the idea of the pop star going weird, and heard Andy Partridge (singer, guitarist of XTC) didn't exactly go batshit but got sophisticated or something (Talk Talk?) but shit's crazy, he was always good/artistic (Talk Talk!) and then was all appreciative of the art of growing as an artist within pop rather than going avant-tard or quoting Camus. Nah sorry Scott you're still cool. But that Andy Partridge! New waver staying new wave but just getting better is my jam. English Settlement shows how insanely well he understands rhythm and acoustic guitar while retaining the poppiest of pop sensibilities. Hear that, Anco? I'm onto you! I'd call it their best 'cause I'm listening as I type and MAN that acoustic sound rulz and MAN those downer tracks at the end of Skylarking really fuck things up, but I'm not sure. Always the same, always better.

A

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