Days of future present
Bandwagons are for hopping, and mp3 blogs are for the kids, so welcome to My Bird Performs. I know, I know. Another mp3 blog? Yes. Have at it.
XTC - My Bird Performs. The site's namesake, and one of the finest tracks from XTC's 1992 album Nonsuch. The 90s were a bit of a lost decade for Andy Partridge and his Swindon pals. After coming off a successful American radio tour in support of 1989's Oranges and Lemons, the group only managed to release one proper album (not counting 1990's rarity compliation Rag and Bone Buffet) before problems with Virgin relegated them to seven years of silence. Many consider Nonsuch to be a placeholder album that works only to bridge the gap between the group's 80s output and their later 90s work. In reality, however, the album is filled with fertile pop gems like this one. Partridge said that this song, written by his oft-overlooked partner Colin Moulding, had "the best melody Paul Simon never wrote", and that claim isn't far off. Moulding's vocals, though somewhat overproduced, are dulcet and reassuring, melting over lyrics that extoll the virtues of being happy with what you've got. Once the trumpet solo kicks in at the end, the cake is truly iced.
BONUS: XTC - That's Really Super, Supergirl. Andy Partridge has a thing for comic books. First Sgt. Rock Is Going To Help Me (from 1980's Black Sea), then this (followed by 1987's Braniac's Daughter from The Dukes of the Stratosphear's Psonic Psunspot). A simple song about getting dumped by a girl who also happens to fight crime. Genius? Close, probably.
XTC - My Bird Performs. The site's namesake, and one of the finest tracks from XTC's 1992 album Nonsuch. The 90s were a bit of a lost decade for Andy Partridge and his Swindon pals. After coming off a successful American radio tour in support of 1989's Oranges and Lemons, the group only managed to release one proper album (not counting 1990's rarity compliation Rag and Bone Buffet) before problems with Virgin relegated them to seven years of silence. Many consider Nonsuch to be a placeholder album that works only to bridge the gap between the group's 80s output and their later 90s work. In reality, however, the album is filled with fertile pop gems like this one. Partridge said that this song, written by his oft-overlooked partner Colin Moulding, had "the best melody Paul Simon never wrote", and that claim isn't far off. Moulding's vocals, though somewhat overproduced, are dulcet and reassuring, melting over lyrics that extoll the virtues of being happy with what you've got. Once the trumpet solo kicks in at the end, the cake is truly iced.
BONUS: XTC - That's Really Super, Supergirl. Andy Partridge has a thing for comic books. First Sgt. Rock Is Going To Help Me (from 1980's Black Sea), then this (followed by 1987's Braniac's Daughter from The Dukes of the Stratosphear's Psonic Psunspot). A simple song about getting dumped by a girl who also happens to fight crime. Genius? Close, probably.
