If You Like XTC...

[BarryL]

I was browsing HMV and came across an album with a large sticker indicating that it was one of the best overlooked albums of 2003. I don't know who decides this thing, but that's the kind of job I want.

The sticker posted some postiive lines from reviews, so I decided to pick it up.

The band is called Head of Femur and the album is RIngodom or Proctor. It's very quirky pop, and reminds me of XTC both because of the vocals and the quirkiness.

XTC fans may want to check them out

[Davey]

Yeah, that is a fun album. I had it on my best of the year list in 2003, not so much because I thought it was necessarily that good overall, but because it kind of came out of nowhere for me and really captured my imagination and filled in something that had been missing from my listening. That second track "Curve That Byrd" is a dead ringer for XTC, but much of the rest veers away from that sound, at least by a bit. Love the Eno cover too. Both those songs wound up on my year end comp in 2003 and another on my next comp, so a few people around here got a taste of the Femur

Best of '03 time

[Troy]

XTC evolved a lot over the years. Do they sound like the early, raw XTC of "Drums and Wires" or the pastoral, acoustic based early 80s band, or the densely produced art-rock band from the "Skylarking-Nonesuch" period?

I've put it on my list, regardless, Thanks.

[BarryL]

XTC evolved a lot over the years. Do they sound like the early, raw XTC of "Drums and Wires" or the pastoral, acoustic based early 80s band, or the densely produced art-rock band from the "Skylarking-Nonesuch" period?

I've put it on my list, regardless, Thanks.

I had a few XTC albums, but was never as bit a fan as you are, so I can't answer that. My XTC was from the early years with Drums and Wires and that album after it with the black plastic wrapping. Davey may be better at answering this. It just reminds me of XTC, although relistening now, there are also a lot of beachboys and beatles influences as well.