Wire

With the album being given a plain title like "Wire," I'll just call this "Review." The CD packaging & the disc itself are rather plain. There are no liner notes. The only information you get are lists of songs, songwriting credits, & who played what. There are no guest musicians. Rather, the four band members contribute on many various instruments. Some of them play several instruments on the same song. Thus, one would think that it would be hard to reproduce these songs live. Actually, I saw them live recently, & the new material sounded great, if not exactly like it sounds on the album.I've read where reviewers, both here & elsewhere, stated that the songs are alternative electronic pop that don't differentiate much from what we can hear from other bands. It's a valid point, but to these ears this happens to be GOOD alternative electronic pop that doesn't differentiate much from what we can hear from other bands. Rather than get into comparing this album to that album or worrying about whether what you're hearing is gonna change the world, sometimes you just gotta ask yourself whether it sounds good to you & leave it at that.You won't hear guitar solos here. Rather, the guitars, bass, keyboards, synths, drums, etc. mesh together to create danceable, pulsating rhythms. For me the highlights are "Blogging," "In Manchester," & "Joust & Jostle." Things get a bit noisy & artsy with the dramatic closer "Harpooned," a long, glorious cacophony of sound that takes the listener's breath away. Not surprisingly, this is also the regular set closer on the recent tour.Wire certainly likes to keep its audience on its toes. Not every direction they go in will resonate with every listener, but I find this one to be a rewarding experience.

such a departure from days of wonder. they struck a chord on their revival. read and burns were great. wir was fantastic (douse THAT fire). but this album is slow and ponderous. it's as if they are children in art school trying to find themselves. it comes off as talentless. sorry. i am SO sorry because i do love wire. i just do not even like this. maybe i'll like it in the end; but, right now, i think it sucks. it's boring and pointless. if there were C sides of singles, it would be these of He Said or Colin's stuff. Again, i am sorry; but, this just is not up to par in my opinion.

They just keep doing it... same stuff you love, fresh, new, relevant, timeless, have no fear in grabbing this one. No weaknesses, it cruises, it stimulates your musical mind. Better than this or that album? Best ever? Who cares? Be thankful for 40 years these guys keep putting out great music. Get it & buckle up for the ride.***ADDED: After listening to the CD non-stop for the last few days I love it more as an album. The songs flow together well. What I always find interesting about Wire is the complex layers to the music; after multiple listens I hear new layers that I didn't hear before. It maintains my interest.

Wire are one of the best bands of the original punk era to survive and evolve because like a few of their fellow original contemporaries like The Ramones, The Pretenders, although they were on the cusp of the post-punk crowd, and Squeeze who understood that regardless of image, you still had to write good songs. While lots of punks couldn't play or sing, and died quickly, bands like Wire have taken pop rock into new directions that incorporated good hooks and thoughtful lyrics for a sound that is still fresh and not bloated. Some fans are a bit chuffed that Colin Newman is the leader now, but that's sour grapes because he is a fine musician and songwriter who has done a great job keeping this UK legendary band active and important. Sound wise "Wire" has great pop hooks like the opener "Blogging" and "In Manchester", which is some of the best post punk (I hate that term) you'll hear, and in a world that had the brains of a ham sandwich, would be a huge hit. The songs have lots of ambience, rich guitars and an edge that keeps them plenty tough enough that heavy metal fans ought to be able to dig. This CD reminds me of a blend of "Red Barked Tree", probably their best album ever, and "Send", the industrial strength double CD that is damn near as good as "Red Barked Tree". That is very high praise, because "Red Barked Tree" is THAT good. So being reminiscent of those two superb albums is definitely a good thing, with the wash of some industrial elements mixed in with the pop sensibilities of RBT. The most interesting track to me is the album closer, the 8+ minute "Harpooned", a song that is part industrial wash, part drone that swallows you whole and keeps you in a trance as it hypnotizes you and inhabits a part of your brain that you may not have known was there, hypnotics and futuristic waves of sound. "Wire" is brilliant from beginning to end. Don't let this one pass you by.

Wire continue to astound with their latest, which will certainly make my Top 5 of 2015 - I'm completely addicted to it!

Wire continues to amaze. One of the best bands of all time.

This is a different kind of Wire album (aren't they all). It is deceptively stripped down and slower, but it is one of their best in this later period if not the best of their later period. It really works as an album more than a collection of songs, it slowly opens up and gets better with repeated listens. The last track is sheer perfection. I wish I could've seen this material live.

It's been a few years since I checked in on "Wire". This is uptempo stuff that should be the soundtrack for surfing or race videos.