Worth noting that Partidge's collaborators on 'Monstrance' are keyboardist Barry Andrews and percussionist Martin Barker. Andrews was in the XTC line-up that produced their first two albums. After leaving the band he went on to work on solo projects, as well as working with Fripp, Eno and Iggy Pop among others, and also co-founding Shriekback. Barker has long been Shriekback's drummer. It makes for a fascinating project - and that song makes me want to hear it all...

Thanks for the info, Martin! Unfortunately, I'm not sure the rest of the Monstrance album is as intriguing as "Chaingang" -- let alone those great early XTC albums you allude to. If you get around to hearing "Monstrance" let me know what you think.

-- David Marchese

Almost sounds more like Big Express-era XTC to me, not the early stuff. Of course, the early stuff is probably my least favorite of their catalog, good as it is.

I miss Shriekback, I saw them in concert somewhere around `89-`91, can't remember exactly when. Awesome show. Oil and Gold was a great album.

Well I just started it and it sounds pretty cool, sort of chunky, rockin' jam that rolls along with no particular direction (not that it needs one). Is that a Hammond organ? This is easy on the ears without being "smooth" or stale; it creates a cool mood somewhat reminiscent of the Beastie Boys excellent instrumental album or the slower tracks on a Medeski, Martin & Wood disc.

Anyway, I applaud Partridge and friends for staying fresh and continuing to bless us with their music. I've always been a big XTC fan, with my favorite album being "English settlement," though "Skylarking" is up there along with the Dukes of Stratosphear, the "Outside World" album (name escapes me), "Mummer," "Big Express" and several others. I also dug Partridge's ambient/spoken-word album with Harold Budd. I still listen to all this stuff! It has aged very well!

I also loooove Shriekback, and even have the recent albums though most people don't know they were still putting out albums. Shriekback and XTC represent the best of 1980s music, the stuff you don't hear on '80s-nostalgia anthologies because they didn't have huge hits, a superstar lead vocalist, or whatever.

Keep going, guys. You're the best.