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Wasp Star (Apple Venus, Pt. 2)
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 16 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 8 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: TVT
Release Date: 23 May 2000
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): rock, alternative
Summary
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Sonicnet
Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2) finds Partridge and Moulding at the top of their game, making the collection a fitting match for past XTC triumphs...
Read Full Review >Spin
XTC proudly displays its roots while subsuming them into a larger sound, one that is wholly their own.
Read Full Review >Ink Blot Magazine
"The Wheel and the Maypole" might be the greatest song the band has ever recorded...
Read Full Review >Wall of Sound
Wasp Star adheres to the bouncy melodicism and skewed humor that's been XTC's stock in trade for 25 years.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
It's a great bunch of songs, and it solidifies the notion that XTC are back from the wilderness and ready to rock the show.
Read Full Review >Salon.com
A return to the gorgeously crisp electric pop Partridge has been writing for more than 20 years.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club)
One of the most unassuming, instantly pleasing efforts of XTC's career.
Read Full Review >Billboard
Nine of the album's dozen songs were written by Partridge, and each unfolds like an act of a melodious Shakespearean play -- lyrics drenched in imagery and metaphor, plots twisting through the experience of love and betrayal.
Read Full Review >CDNow
Dense with upbeat, guitar-based songs, Wasp Star brings to mind the best of mid-'60s pop (think the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Kinks).
Read Full Review >Nude As The News
Its boisterous, melodic rock is invigorating to hear from a storm-weathered, 24-year old band.
Read Full Review >New Musical Express (NME)
This is a surprisingly decent album, as good as anything they've ever made.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
This record is really nothing more than a collection of sharp, witty, well-constructed pop songs.
Read Full Review >Magnet
The balance of the album is crammed to capacity with placeholders for more fully developed ideas.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 8 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Happy M. gave it a10:
One of XTC's best!
Willy P gave it a10:
Partridge is the rare artist whose songwriting abilities continue to grow into middle age.
Brooks H gave it a 7:
A welcome return of electric guitars (compared to the more acoustic/orchestrated companion piece Apple Venus Vol. 1). A nice effort from Swindon's finest. Great writing and playing by Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding, but can't help but wonder how much better the album would have been if multi-instrumentalist/arranger Dave Gregory had not departed the band (his contributions to some of these songs were not included on the final mixes). Would rank this behind more essential XTC albums; English Settlement, Skylarking and Black Sea.
Travis C. gave it an 8:
While more pedestrian by XTC's standards, it's still a stand out among the current crop of clone-rockers dominating the sales charts and radio stations nowadays. The absence of long time lead guitarist and overall utility man Dave Gregory stands out on a few tracks, most notably on "Stupidly Happy" and "We're All Light", however the brilliance of Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding helps shape another album full of top calibre songwriting. As usual, there are numerous stand out tracks, but "My Brown Guitar" probably ranks among XTC's all-time best.
Jim Robson gave it a 10:
One of the ORIGINAL trendsetter bands from the '70's who have continued thru to this very day as an example of HOW to write clever, witty, exceptionally precise yet the loose groovers they would like to remain. They continue to inspire my very own songwriting styles. I flips me lid to 'em. -Jim Robson.
Fred H. gave it an 8:
The last XTC album I enjoyed this much was 1989's Oranges and Lemons. The GREAT songs outnumber the only OK ones. And it's got depth - the more I listen to it, the more I discover and the more I appreciate how wonderful it is.
