XTC: Mummer (Geffen GHS 4027)
Steven X Rea, High Fidelity, May 1984
XTC MAKES music that is deceptively complicated. The lyrics are literate and occasionally obscure, the rhythms jerk around, dissonant strains loop in and out of fragmented melodies, rumbling synthesizers and sound effects are laid over haywire metronome beats. The percussion is so unlike rock that it must be avant-garde, and (speaking of which) Gavin Wright and Steve Nye have been known to lend a hand with arrangements, production, and things.
Total word count of piece: 368
