XTC - Skylarking (1986), 7/10

XTC’s maturity can be heard right away with one of the strongest songs of the album and one of their strongest openers in “Summer’s Cauldron”, followed by eight or so songs that are equally impressive in sound and scope. While things are less consistently outstanding in the second half of the record, stark exceptions being "Mermaid Smiled", “The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul”, and the emotionally charged philosophical closer included on later releases “Dear God”, the bar had already been set very high and the album as a project is remarkably well executed. The band had reached a peak in songwriting and focused arrangements, a combination that yielded what is perhaps their best effort in the pop realm. There is a relatively clear concept of time and its relationship with nature that comes across through the collection of songs that sometimes diverges but largely remains pleasantly consistent. You can also hear the influence of sixties pop and rock music, particularly in the second half of the album. While the inclusion of “Dear God” in later releases adds to the summative quality of the album, its thematic place among the rest is questionable and arguable as fairly omitted, making its presence ultimately unnecessary but simply another testament to the strength in songwriting from Partridge at this stage in the band’s development at its height. There is not a significant difference in the quality of compositions coming from Partridge and Moulding, respectively, which is a pleasant surprise considering the level that these songs blend and form as a cohesive listening experience. The result is a simply gorgeous pop album that transcends most of what the band had accomplished, at least in recent projects and in a sense of thematic and technical achievement. Where the album excels at its highest peak of achievement, however, is in its deviation from expectations, especially with daring songs like “Mermaid Smiled” or “The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul”. These stylistic shifts are mostly heard at the end of the record but are also present as background to some of Partridge's more grabbing pop songs. The album as it progresses becomes a narrative exploration and developing adventure in pursuing deeper meaning through many aspects of life and time. This makes Skylarking a clear artistic high point for eighties pop music from XTC.