xtc's frothy, beatle-esque concept album about birth, death, and the passing of the seasons is hardly soft-headed: its melodic inventiveness and lush orchestrations supports bitterness ('that's really super, supergirl'), displacement ('the man who sailed around his soul'), and agnostic tirade ('dear god') as often as it does the pleasures of sun and shower. the greatest achievement of xtc's post-'drums and wires' career, 'skylarking' is a must-have for the first days of spring.
