It would be fair to say that Wire are a hugely influential band and as we lurch towards the 40th anniversary of the group forming, many of the best bands of the last three or four decades have cited the group as an inspiration. It would also be fair to say that the present day Wire are not the same band that people know and think of when they hear the name Wire.
The fact that this record, their 13th studio album (or 14th depending on how you view The Drill), is an eponymous album gives listeners and reviewers an almighty starting point with which to approach the record. Does the group believe this album to be their definitive record, the one that crystallises their output and effort over the years? Is it a chance to move forward (particularly after 2013’s Change Becomes Us was an album based on ideas from the late 70s and 80s) and create a new legacy of the group or could no one really think of a decent title? Either way, 38 years after Wire released debut album Pink Flag, they are back with Wire.
At times they do sound like an elder statements band looking back. The music of opener Blogging provides a powerful start but the lyrics are awful, throwing in (or out) a list of online platforms and internet activities in a whispered and cautionary tone. It’s the sort of thing that a well-informed yet poorly experienced grandparent would reel off regarding the dangers of the internet, probably after they read all about it in the Sunday Post.
It takes the album a few songs to get into its stride but by the time of Burning Bridges and In Manchester, it’s found its feet. There’s a good pace, the melodies are excellent and the chiming guitar motifs on Burning Bridges could have been a feature of any classic guitar pop song of the past 30 years, such is its timeless appeal. There is a good blend of styles on the album and for every deliberate and methodical track like Sleep-Walking, there is a sharper and snappier song like Joust & Jostle.
Split Your Ends nods in the direction of Neu! and on plenty of other songs, the short and clipped English style of pop melody, running through the Kinks, XTC and many more can be found as the most striking element. The motorik style worked well, and it would have been something that could have been developed further on the record, but by and large, Wire is an album of a number of different styles that hangs together quite well as a singular piece.
Closing track Harpooned extends beyond eight minutes but it doesn’t drag. Its wailing vocals and murky guitar layers ensures the album ends with a jolt, contrasting the questionable start. It’s not an album that will be recognised as a classic Wire album or anything close to a definitive statement of a band but it’s a record that more than stands on its own two feet in the present day, which is probably what the band were aiming for.