Wire
I am not, in the least bit, a fan of punk music. I can count on one hand the number of punk bands for whom I have respect, the others, no matter how hard you try, I will never care for. Ramones for their pop/bubblegum approach, the Sex Pistols for their historical value and influence, Dead Kennedys ditto and to this list I would like to add UK's finest: Wire. This is punk music with an artistic vision, with something else than "fuck the world" on their minds. I am no expert about the band, but what I've heard, I've enjoyed very much.
The band is mostly know for it's first triad of albums: Pink Flag, Chairs Missing and of course 154. It's the progression within the range of only three albums that which is so fascinating. Pink Flag is an all out aggressive album with an expected skeletal punk sound, Chairs Missing would build upon this sound by adding unorthodox atmospheric touches using synthesizers while 154 would practically drop all traces of punk rock in favor of a more somber pop tone. There's simply nothing else like it out there, and no other band has progressed this rapidly in the history of rock music.
Unfortunately, after the release of 154, Wire seem to have hit a creative wall. Perhaps the bar had been set way too high, but there was just no way these guys could have ever topped themselves so soon. This was a dark period for the band. The eighties and nineties haven't been very kind to Wire (although some members went on with different solo projects with varying degrees of success). How could such an influential band (Sonic Youth are avowed fans, and so are R.E.M. and Black Flag) go from heros to zeros so abruptly? It would be almost thirty years before the world would once again turn their eyes towards the band and give them a second chance. Thankfully, the now aging musicians seem to be going through an interesting renewal and an unexpected creativity boost. Perhaps we're in for a new triad of masterpieces? Only time will tell.
154Label: EMI Records Release: 1979 Format: CD Cat. no: 7243 8 29859 2 1 |
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