Mummer, the first album to follow Andy Partridge's mental breakdown, which led to XTC's retirement from touring, is very much the work of an eccentric in isolation. The album is a collection that builds on the groundwork of English Settlement with gentle, acoustic songs that evoke pastoral images and peaceful times. There are moments of real inspiration, resulting in some of the band's finest songs to date -- "Love on a Farmboy's Wages," "Great Fire," and "Lady Bird" -- and the sound sets a pleasingly consistent mood, although the sameness tends to work against the lesser material. Only the out-of-place afterthought of "Funk Pop a Roll," a tirade against the music industry, breaks things up, recapturing the abrasive Partridge of past. ~ Chris Woodstra, All Music Guide
Track List
(try tracks 1,5,6,7,8,9,10,12,13,14 and 16)
Great album, though the reviewer singles out all the wrong songs. The real standouts are "Beating of Hearts," "Deliver Us From the Elements," "Human Alchemy," and "Me and the Wind." Not that the songs he mentions are bad. The tracks from #11 on are all bonus tracks, and while pleasant, are not essential.