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Their instrumentation is always impeccable, although sometimes Andy Partridge's lyrics get a little too precious. I usually cure that with a generous infusion of punk. This is a more somber album, compared with earlier works. I honestly thought it was going to be their last work, but they cranked out a few since this one, but I haven't bothered to buy them.

My personal favorite tracks on this album are "The Disappointed", "Rook", and "Wrapped in Grey", although all of them are worthwhile. I get a sense of emotional disconnect listening to it, however - it reminds me of "Abbey Road" by the Beatles, where you could see the different visions for the band in different songs - there is definitely creative tension between Partridge and Colin Moulding and Dave Gregory. You can sense this creative tug-of-war on the various tracks, and it didn't surprise me when the band partially broke up a few years later.


A Call of Awakening From "A World Wrapped in Grey"   December 1, 1999
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

Today's British and American pop music artists are firmly grounded in the broader discourse of post-industrial philosophy and poetics, and in the search for religious meaning and national identity through the excavation and exploration of mythologies that Western writers, philosophers, and poets have been working in for centuries. Pop musicians such as XTC have taken on a dual role both as subversive critics of society and government within the public sphere of popular music, and as post-modern lyricists. This new approach to music begins to appear in their now classic album English Settlement (1982), a clear departure from their previous dance-oriented albums, which explores political, social, and mythological themes in the context of contemporary urban England. Subsequent albums by the band paint a richer picture of both urban and rural scenes, as the band reaches back further in time to draw on the pre-modern corpus of English, European, and Greek mythology. Their trio of albums that came out in the late 1980s and early 1990s--Skylarking (1986), Oranges & Lemons (1989), and Nonsuch (1992)--can be considered a trilogy. Each album builds on images and themes of the previous album, collectively evoking a rich tapestry of both Christian and pagan imagery, including folk tales from pre-modern England, and the mythology of ancient Greece, set in contrast with dreary depictions of post-industrial England and a war weary world. Nonsuch, arguably their richest album to date, is a rhapsodic call of awakening into the colorful dreamscape of animism and poetic resonances that underlies our dismal modern "real world" existence, as exemplified by Andy Partridge's call to "awaken you dreamers" from the state of the "loveless ones" who dwell in a "world wrapped in grey." Who are the "loveless ones?" They are the ones chained inside the Platonic cave of material reality that constitutes the grid-like world of mills, mines, factories, streets, apartments, offices, laboratories, schools, and prisons in the modern age of science and industry. Our infatuation with these institutions prevents us from seeing beyond to the deeper structures of nature and human history that lie behind our immediate visual universe. This is a task that England's Romantic poets and American transcendental philosophers dedicated themselves to during the previous century. Inheriting these and other philosophical and literary enterprises, XTC impells us to look beyond the confining strictures of the material or "rational" world by employing the vast powers of the collective lyrical imagination that have been constructed through the literature and music of the pre-modern world.

AF


Antediluvian Wisdom And Tuneful Pop Genius   November 26, 2002
 6 out of 8 found this review helpful

When I first bought this album I knew I'd like it for Peter Pumpkinhead, but I found it to be a tedious and heady listen. The songs were so sweet and poppy I felt like I needed an aspirin. But as I took the time to read along with the songs in the brilliantly stylized medieval-esque lyric book I became fond of all 17.

1.The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead - Partridge casts JFK as an historical archetype. A sweet n' sour happy song with a nice harmonica riff, crisp guitar, and big drums. Profound and inspiring.
2.My Bird Performs - Moulding's humble paean to natural beauty. Great horns and bird chirps. A light melodic bliss.
3.Dear Madam Barnum - An ironic contrast of the inner sentiments of a clown spoken against the absurdity of what he has to do for a living. A solid pop song.
4.Humble Daisy - Sailing imagery gives way to rolling around in the echoes of Skylarking's, "Grass". A decent song.
5.The Smartest Monkeys - Funny biting sarcasm from Moulding. Nice bass, delayed guitar, and a wacky solo.
6.The Disappointed - Beach Boy vocals, with an appropriately catchy arrangement.
7.Holly Up On Poppy - Caught up in a carefree girl who doesn't worry about where the money comes from.
8.Crocodile - A mediphor of jealousy. A weird country rocker that gives you a headache at first but is worth the effort.
9.Rook - Curiously, another bird song, this time by Partridge. (Pun intended:) A good, dreamy, brooding piano song.
10.Omnibus - Headache inducing happiness. A celebration of multicultural love. "Peter merely said, any kind of love is alright".
11.That Wave - A lively dreamy song of the sea. A great segue to...
12.Then She Appeared - Partridge at his wittiest. More Beach Boy vocals and Beatles feel good pop. Nice bass harmony and dissonance.
13.War Dance - Same subject as "Generals and Majors", but in a much more somber key. A warning and a reminder for us all.
14.Wrapped In Grey - The spirit of a true Christmas song bereft of consumerism. Rejuvenating and uplifting!
15.The Ugly Underneath - Catchiest song on the album. Neat synth sound. Great chorus. "See the unattractive things that make us real" The outro has a gorgeous organ theme that's pure XTC!
16.Bungalow - The anti-Christmas song. A great questioning of the materialistic protestant work ethic.
17.Books Are Burning - As was done in the middle ages, the Nazi's also held public burnings of books. This stands up like a champion in defense of all that is sacred about learning and free speech. Profound social issues wrapped in strong melodies with a soaring solo - XTC at it's best!