Pitchfork

Andy Partridge might stop making music; that's what he threatened to this writer last spring. Personally, I think Partridge has a few tricks left, though "Spiral" isn't one of them. Whether it's a new XTC track or a leftover from Wasp Star, "Spiral" is a weak tea copy of "Playground" without the killer riff. The lyrics, a tribute to the way his favorite 45s make him feel, are weak and weirdly vacant-Ð he uses "spinal" as a noun just to finish a rhyme, which is beneath him-Ð and the strength of his singing and the passion of the synthesized orchestra don't compensate. It's not as grating as that song Rod Stewart wrote about playing his old Motown records, but "Spiral" barely cuts it as a B-side.