If ever you needed a reminder that the holy sonic tryptic of quintessential US genres – blues, soul, and rock ‘n’ roll – always made easy bedfellows, the XTC, the second album from Vienna’s Wagner the Band does just that.
In fact, just the opener, “Don’t Stop Movin’” with its horn-driven, soul-soaked, funky rock and roll ways, more than does the job, immediately feeling like something that The Average White Band might have fired off back way back when, or that Lenny Kravitz, even today, would wrestle you to the ground to get his hands on!
The title track does all of that too, only infused with an additional Latin lilt, and “Golden” is a masterclass in subtlety and dynamics, running from serene acoustic lulls to horn-blasted crescendos. But if those songs lean into a rockier, weightier style, albeit one tempered and polished by soul and funk, blues, and pop-aware infectiousness, there is also plenty of time for more understated moves, too.
“Little Thief” wanders into the realms of soul-pop ballad, blending the deftness and delicacy of the former with the gentle contagion of the latter. “Moonshine Symphony” is sophisticated and seductive, and between these worlds, “Daisy” seems to ebb and flow, moving from the dreamy and spacious into stratospheric anthemic salvos.
And for all its nostalgic threads and analogue sounds, its echoes of the past and familiar vibes, XTC keeps perfect pace with the modern world. Less an album that revels in past glories, more one that picks up that torch, runs headlong into the future, and writes a new chapter in the annals of music as it does so.
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