How Cool Are: XTC
If you are around music journalism for any length of time, whether it's reading small fanzines, music blogs or one the big publications like Rolling Stone, you will eventually come across the phrase "criminally underrated". It's one of those shorthand phrases that music writers toss out periodically. More than anything, the phrase "criminally underrated" establishes the street cred of the author by making it seem like he or she is privvy to a cool band or type of music that everyone else should be listening to but aren't. Somehow, the author implies, I know about this band/group/artist/whatever, and only a couple of other really tuned in people do as well.
The obvious problem with the phrase, "criminally underrated", is that its bollocks. It's garbage, and usually just plain wrong. As I have argued before, most obscure bands are obscure for a reason. Usually, because they suck. Therefore, they can't be underrated. I truly believe most band are exactly where they need to be.
That said, most bands aren't XTC. XTC are one of the very few band who are, indeed, criminally underrated.
While the drive for getting this blog going came from going through a rough patch in my life, the actual idea sprung up when a few months before I posted three songs in a row by XTC on my facebook page.
People post songs all the time on facebook, sometimes they are cool, but often not. And, for whatever reason, I just got fed up with songs that suck, and wanted to show people what really great music sounded like. And the band I chose was XTC.
I mean, just listen to Mayor Of Simpleton, just listen to it. That is about as perfect a pop song as it gets, right up there with I Want To Hold Your Hand by The Beatles. Yes, I said it. XTC is up there with the Beatles.
They get that a lot, being compared to the Beatles. For better or worse. It's another thing rock journalists do, compare an exemplary band to the Fab Four, especially if they're from England. Never mind that XTC are from Swindon, probably one of the furthest reaches from Liverpool anyone could imagine.
But, then again, it really isn't such a stretch. Listen again to Mayor of Simpleton, or Generals and Majors, or Dear God, or Making Plans For Nigel, or Senses Working Overtime, or any of the dozens of singles and dozens of albums XTC has put out. Pure pop genius in every drop, I'm telling you.
And yet, even today, it really is only journalists and fellow musios like myself that really, honestly, passionately have any sort of recognition for this band at all. Most people don't even have XTC on their radar, but for me, they are pretty close to the epicenter.
The second song I've chosen for our XTC TWOfer Tuesday is one off their 1999 release Apple Venus Volume 1, their first album since 1992's Nonsuch. The seven year hiatus was filled with medical drama, contract drama, label drama, and a whole bunch of generally negative vibes. This wasn't helped any with long-time guitarist and keyboardist Dave Gregory leaving the band during the recording of AV1.
And that's the other thing you can do with XTC which is similar to the Beatles, which is to just get lost in the history, politics and drama of the band - at the expense of the music. If you want to read about Andy Partridge's breakdown or stage fright, knock yourself out. If you want to read about their battle with Virgin Records, go right ahead.
But, before you start to load up Google, do yourself a favor and just listen to I'd Like That. and then Mayor of Simpleton again.
Then wonder to yourself why isn't XTC on the playlist of every single music lover around?
That's the crime in "criminally underrated"
