Apple Venus, Vol.1

TVT/IDEA Records

Around for almost a quarter-century now, XTC is a rock band entirely impossible to pigeonhole. Though they are reputed to be an incredibly quirky but talented pop band, their songs sound like they have emerged from an entirely different era. This is proven no better than on XTC's first new studio album in seven years, the excellent Apple Venus, Volume 1. The easiest comparison that can be made on this record is to The Beatles, at whose Abbey Road Studios part of this album was recorded. The smattering of horns and strings on "River of Orchids," the jaunty marching-band parade style on "Frivolous Tonight" and the gorgeously acoustic "Knights in White Karma" all bring to mind various eras of the Fab Four's musical evolution. However, in other areas XTC's songs sound entirely fresh and vibrant. "Your Dictionary" has an ominous underlying piano part that gives way to sleigh bells and picture-perfect harmonies. The pastoral-like "Greenman" wouldn't be out of place at a jovial medieval formal dance, and "Fruit Nut" has an organ background that sounds like the theme music from a TV show on Nickelodeon. Apple Venus Vol.1 is a masterpiece of beautiful, engaging pop music. Perfect harmonies and lushly orchestrated songs promise to bring listeners to new levels of XTC. Annie K. Zaleski