Composer Reacts to XTC - River of Orchids (REACTION & ANALYSIS)

[@richdelgado3405]

As a long-time XTC fan, this song makes me cry. There will NEVER be a band as musically talented or as sonically brilliant as XTC. And that is sad.

[@ganazby]

Absolutely one of the greatest bands I’ve heard. So many stunning songs. Primarily a studio band, with Andy Partridge being their resident musical genius. Their bass player, Colin Moulding comes a close second, and has written a number of their best known songs. More XTC, please.

[@MrNaKillshots]

Your reaction is valued because you have music production knowledge.

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

XTC are a top 10 band for me. Though you wouldn't know it by this track, they're THE band that got me back into pop music after decades of ignoring it. John Roberts's The Beatles reference is on-point, and IMO they're as close as pop music has had to a 2nd Beatles. They also had a pretty remarkable evolution, starting as a very raw post-punk band in the 70s before slowly developing progressive, baroque, and chamber pop influences. I think all of their material from Drums & Wires (in '79) onwards is superb, with Skylarking and Oranges & Lemons particularly being two of the best albums ever made. They also even did a 60s psychedelic pop pastiche band/album when they "became" The Dukes of Stratosphear, and it's astonishing how well they captured the sound of 60s psychedelic pop. After Nonsuch in '92 they disappeared for 7 years before releasing Apple Venus vol. 1 & 2 in '99 and '00 and that's the last things they've done. This particular track was from Apple Venus vol. 1. It's not what I'd call typical of XTC (most of their work is more traditionally pop, though more lush/complex than typical pop), but it is them at their most baroque and experimental, and it really shows off their pristine craftsmanship. Most of their work does have this same level of detail, just in a more traditional pop form and instrumentation. I just love how they slowly introduce each instrument until it becomes this beautiful polyphonic, highly syncopated soundscape with so many instruments doing so many different things while still sounding like a coherent piece of music. XTC are a band, btw. Their two main songwriters are Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding. Partridge is one of those eccentric geniuses who unfortunately was addicted to valium (which he started taking at 12) that lead to a mental breakdown where they stopped touring. His condition was so debilitating that afterwards he consciously--similar to The Beatles, actually--wanted to start making albums they couldn't reproduce live so there would be less pressure to tour. He and Moulding had a falling out after the Apple Venus albums, and though they never officially "broke up" they haven't made any music together since, which is really sad for us us fans given their talent.

[@CriticalReactions]

Interesting that my introduction to them is their more experimental stuff. We'll have to get more of their original/primary style on the channel at some point.

[@johnroberts1708]

The Beatles comparison is apt. Additionally, they also rank with the Beach Boys in terms of some of the layered harmonies they use (especially on later albums). In same league as Beatles and Beach Boys?.....they serve to be listened to much more. (As does Captain Beefheart of course.....and funnily enough XTC recreated one of his tracks (Ella Guru) note for note.....no mean feat!)

[@rc-my9tc]

@@CriticalReactions start with English Settlement and Black Sea, then go both forwards and backwards, XTC is probably one of the most underrated bands out there, fantastic stuff,

[@32INCHSTRIPER]

What's great about XTC is that this sounds NOTHING like anything else they've done and it's still just as good as the rest of their music.. Best band ever.

[@timothybell5698]

Nothing sounds like anything else they've done, except album by album. They went from punk, to pop rock, to new wave, to progressive.

[@jameswarner5809]

By this stage XTC were Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding, the two main songwriters from the band's outset in the late 70s, and they were working mostly independently on their tracks. This was one of Andy Partridge's tracks.

[@nope-z5y]

It's like a sound painting. It starts out with an outline, and builds up to having everything at once on the canvas. XTC has plenty of songs with absolutely astonishing chord progressions and arrangements. I enjoy the variety in their music, they're not afraid to get a little experimental. They're a band, and that's a 40-piece orchestra on that album - check out some more of it. Check out Easter Theatre from that album. The Last Balloon is also gorgeous. [Edit: Oh, and Knights in Shining Karma... hell, just listen to the whole album :D ]

[@CriticalReactions]

Beautiful interpretation of the song!

[@bodylan11]

A band ive been putting off for a while, i have them qued up and everything, I gave them a shot tonight and listened to the entire drums and wires album in one gulp. I just knew I was biding my time for something special, now im watching this and i cant wait for the journey im gonna go on with this band...

[@articircle]

despite the repetition, I found this song really fascinating and compelling to listen to. hearing how each new layer would fit into the whole was very cool. what a fun song! also loved your detailed explanation of hockets -- diving into music terminology is one of the (many) things that makes your channel so great!

[@davidguilfoyle]

I can only imagine that XTC fans at the time who had two wait 7 or so years for the follow up to Nonsuch were absolutely astounded when they heard this song for the first time.

[@BaccarWozat]

I'll be honest here. I thought they were done as a band to go that long without a new issue, not knowing about their troubles with Virgin Records. Then, when the album was released, I wasn't very impressed with this song on first listen. By the second or third track I was back in the groove. Sometimes it takes a while to appreciate a song (by ANY group). What astonishment I had came from the fact that they had a new album!

[@kb9094]

I was one of those fans surprised by a new album and I was absolutely gobsmacked by this song the first time I heard it. By the time I got to Easter Theater I was pretty darned sure this was going to be my favorite XTC album. And I hadn't even reached the songs at the end, yet. :)

[@johnroberts1708]

Wasp Star and Apple Venus have some great tracks. If you looking for something (fairly) lush by XTC (who are 2nd only to The Beatles in my view) give their track Chalkhills and Children a listen (from their Oranges & Lemons album)

[@johnmavroudis2054]

This whole album is gorgeous from beginning to end. Wonderful reaction for such a brilliant band. Cheers!

[@xnonsuchx]

When I first heard this song when the album came out, it seemed like a follow-up to their 1979 song, "Roads Girdle the Globe." Also, the strings aren't synths...they actually hired orchestral musicians for this album. Apple Venus Volume 1 is the 'acoustic' album while Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2) is the 'electric' album. They did self-produce this album, but had input from a third party engineer.

[@michaelakkerman407]

Imagine an 8 year absence of one of your favorite bands...and this is the first song you hear back from them...I had goosebumps through the whole record. I always considered those as an oil drip, since he is speaking of cars becoming fossils...but I may be wrong.

[@collagefrolic]

Lyrically, this song paints a picture of a beautiful future without cars.

[@progperljungman8218]

This is just SO COOL!

[@ruramikael]

Partridge going minimalist (Phillp Glass, Steve Reich).

[@sylvanm4216]

The Stewart Copeland comparison is more apt than you may know - XTC and The Police were tour-mates in the early 80s! As others have said, XTC is up there with the Beatles in the pop music pantheon, at least among those in the know. In their new wave heyday, they were masters of nervy, syncopated rock, loaded with little rhythmic bits and bobs bouncing between guitars, bass, and drums. So this song is in some ways deeply linked to their history and style, but also unique in their catalogue as a long, repetitive, electronic creation.

[@CriticalReactions]

That's pretty cool actually. Seeing how tourmates might rub off on each other, artistically.

[@rogerhennie8939]

One of Britains finest bands. Started out as a New wave band. MAin songwriter Andy Partridge.

[@JenniLawson]

Apple Venus Vol. 1 is one of the most beautifully produced albums ever. I'm blown away with the lushness of it every time I hear it.

[@WilliamJones-sf5pt]

The slow build up around the spontaneous drip sound is similar to the fill in around the radar echo in Pink Floyd's song Echo. The lead singer sounds like that fellow from King Crimson in the album entitled "Red." The experimental harmonizing in song is reminiscent of Gentle Giant. Every instrument is percussion. Frank Zappa playing the bicycle as an instrument on the Tonight Show for example. The fellow famous for playing animal sounds on his guitar in the group King Crimson is another example. Gentle Giant were the ones that did multiple vocal lines - three Jewish brothers (Shulmans) and a Christian.

[@jpbliss1]

Your reaction is impressive to me...obvious you are a composer. You pegged concepts like syncopation, counterpoint, timbre, use of Harmon muted trumpet. Nice work! *Subscribe*

[@stevebradley704]

The greatest British band.

[@gergsar]

a masterpiece

[@Mrc172]

The best pop album in the last 30 years.

[@paulkiefer5455]

I thought apple Venus was a bore the first time I heard it and resold the CD. However I've had a personal XTC Renaissance and I think what's great about this album is the Greenman and Your Dictionary.

[@lassesaikkonen501]

Whatever your opinion about Todd Rundgren is, he sure taught a thing or two about production to the guys in the band.

[@ericmalone3213]

This song is made from samples, not actual musicians playing an Andy Partridge composition in a studio. Andy trigged the samples on a Proteus sound module.

[@rogerhennie8939]

Circular composition.

[@Steakfinger]

Playing around with the velocity of each of the attacks? These are actual musicians playing these strings and horns. It sounds like you’re talking about MIDI information or something. By “spacial-ness” do you mean where things are placed in the stereo image?

[@CriticalReactions]

Velocity is actually a physics property of sound waves and describes exactly the concept of initial intensity. It's also used when talking about MIDI because that's also a sonic form. Yeah, the spacial aspect deals with placement but not just in a stereo space. X axis (left to right) panning is what I was referring to in this song specifically but producers are able to place sounds in the Y (up and down) and Z (closer to or farther from the listener) as well. As a composer first and producers.....uh, fourth... I have no idea how they manipulate sound in the latter 2 axes. I'm pretty sure it only works in headphones though. In fact, I just heard a Y-axis movement this week in Daft Punk's "Giorgio By Moroder". I should give that a go through the speakers tomorrow and see how it sounds.

[@bluecrueful]

The guitarist, Dave Gregory did the string arrangements on this...actually notated it too