Wasp Star (Apple Venus, Pt. 2)

by XTC

Overview

The first half of XTC's comeback dyad, APPLE VENUS, focused on their lush, complicated, dreamy side. For WASP STAR, they've mostly kept things simpler: They've ditched the orchestra (except on the album's mini-suite closer, "The Wheel and the Maypole") and plugged in their guitars, and they're roaring like contented old lions. Now that they're down to a duo of Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding, the twitchy tension of their early records is gone for good, replaced by self-assured brawn, but Partridge's gift for convoluted melody is untouched by time. The big change, though, is that they seem happy for a change -- "We're All Light" is a sequel to Partridge's old song "Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her, Kiss Her" where he finally gets the girl, and though Moulding's "Boarded Up" appears to be a complaint about living in a ghost town, he sounds cheerful just to be singing again. Even when Partridge is feigning bitterness -- as on "Wounded Horse," an accusation of betrayal with its deep-soul riff pumped up into crackling power chords -- you can hear a grin sneaking through.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/28/2018
Label:	Ape House Uk
UPC:	0633367789310
catalogNumber:	7789310

Album Credits

Performance Credits

XTC   Primary Artist

Editorial Reviews

Anyone expecting Wasp Star: Apple Venus, Vol. 2 to continue the majestic acoustic-orchestral blends of Apple Venus will be disappointed, because it's a straightforward collection of sharp, witty, well-constructed pop songs. Directness is perhaps the oddest thing about Wasp Star - it's unassuming pop from a band that operated on a conceptual plain for nearly 20 years. It could be argued that all the songs that fit a dark, introspective mood went to Apple Venus, XTC's first album after seven years in exile, while Wasp Star wound up as a clearinghouse for everything else. If that is true, it ignores a basic fact -- XTC's leftovers are better than most band's keepers. "Leftovers" isn't quite an accurate term, either. These songs are orphans, tunes without a particular project, which may mean that Wasp Star is an album of moments, but there's plenty to cherish here. Colin Moulding is in fine shape, with the spare "Boarded Up" and the clever "Standing in for Joe." Andy Partridge has a few tricks up his sleeve -- his compositions are heavy on electric guitars, he builds "Wounded Horse" around a blues riff, and "You and the Clouds Will Still Be Beautiful" is just about the breeziest thing he's ever written -- but for the most part, he's in pop craftsman mode, turning out expert, layered tunes that may not push his talents but certainly exploit his capabilities to their fullest. After all, most pop bands would give their eyeteeth to have songs as smart, melodic, and memorable as "Playground," "Stupidly Happy," "My Brown Guitar" and "I'm the Man Who Murdered Love" as their orphans -- and if these constitute an average XTC album, that's a testament to what a terrific band they are.

All Music Guide - Stephen Thomas Erlewine