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Skylarking
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Barnes and Noble
Skylarking
Current price: $29.99
Barnes and Noble
Skylarking
Current price: $29.99
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Size: CD
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Working with producer
didn't necessarily bring
a sense of sonic cohesion -- after all, every record since
followed its own interior logic -- but it did help the group sharpen its focus, making
its tightest record since
. Ironically,
had little to do with new wave and everything to do with the lush, post-psychedelic pop of
and
. Combining the charming pastoral feel of
with the classicist English pop of
,
expand their signature sound by enhancing their intelligently melodic pop with graceful, lyrical arrangements and sweeping, detailed instrumentation.
may have devised the sequencing, helping the record feel like a song cycle even if it doesn't play like one, but what really impresses is the consistency and depth of
's and
's songs. Each song is a small gem, marrying sweet, catchy melodies to decidedly adult lyrical themes, from celebrations of love (
) and marriage (
) to skepticism about maturation (
) and religion (
).
's songs complement
's songs better than before, and each writer is at a melodic and lyrical peak, which
helps convey with his supple production. The result is a pop masterpiece -- an album that has great ambitions and fulfills them with ease. The initial release of
didn't feature
which was originally the B-side of
After
became an unexpected hit,
was pulled from the album so the hit single could be added. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine