Wire (Wire album)

Wire
Studio album by
Released13 April 2015[1]
Recorded2014 at Rockfield Studios outside Rockfield, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK; overdubs added December 2014 at Brighton Electric, Brighton, England, UK;[1] additional recording at Swim Studio, London, England, UK
Genre
Length44:01
LabelPinkflag
ProducerColin Newman
Wire chronology
Change Becomes Us
(2013)
Wire
(2015)
Nocturnal Koreans
(2016)

Wire is the self-titled fourteenth studio album by British post-punk band Wire. It was released on 13 April 2015 through the band's Pinkflag label.[1]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.4/10[2]
Metacritic75/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
The A.V. ClubB[5]
Consequence of SoundB−[6]
The Guardian[7]
Mojo[8]
MusicOMH[9]
Paste Magazine8.2/10[10]
Pitchfork7.0/10[11]
PopMatters7.0/10[12]
Record Collector[13]

Background[edit]

The material on the album is a combination of songs which were written and performed live on tour preceding the recording and material written by Colin Newman just prior to entering the studio.[1] The band chose eleven songs out of nineteen they’d been preparing, and Newman has stated that the band will issue the remaining material in “… a second release, probably early next year.”[14] Although he later confirmed that this material would be released in April 2016 as Read & Burn 04.,[15] the subsequent album was instead entitled Nocturnal Koreans.

According to the band's official webpage for the release, Wire is the first time that guitarist Matthew Simms, who joined in 2012, was heavily involved in the creation of album material.[1] Colin Newman said of Simms: "This is the first album where Matt's been involved in the whole process. It would be overstating to say that we're in a Renaissance, but we are definitely getting somewhere, and I think that Matt is very much part of that."[16]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Blogging"Graham LewisColin Newman (song) / Wire (music)3:46
2."Shifting"LewisNewman (song) / Wire (music)3:17
3."Burning Bridges"LewisNewman (song) / Wire (music)3:58
4."In Manchester"LewisNewman (song) / Wire (music)2:41
5."High"LewisNewman (song) / Wire (music)1:52
6."Sleep-Walking"NewmanNewman (song) / Wire (music)7:30
7."Joust & Jostle"LewisNewman (song) / Wire (music)2:12
8."Swallow"LewisNewman (song) / Wire (music)4:17
9."Split Your Ends"LewisNewman (song) / Wire (music)3:30
10."Octopus"NewmanNewman (song) / Wire (music)3:16
11."Harpooned"LewisNewman (song) / Wire (music)8:23

Personnel[edit]

Adapted from the album liner notes.[17]

Wire
Production

Charts[edit]

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[18] 92
UK Albums (OCC)[19] 71

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Official page for Wire at pinkflag.com". 13 April 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  2. ^ "Wire by Wire Reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Reviews for Wire by Wire". Metacritic. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  4. ^ "Wire review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  5. ^ Zaleski, Annie "Post-punk legends Wire sound ferocious, rejuvenated on new album". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  6. ^ Bray, Ryan: "Wire – Wire". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  7. ^ Mongredien, Phil ""A real pop sensibility at play" review". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  8. ^ Sheppard, David (May 2015). "Wire review". Mojo. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  9. ^ Shepherd, Sam (13 April 2015). "Wire review". MusicOMH. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  10. ^ Hamm, Robert: "Wire: Wire Review". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  11. ^ Raggett, Ned (21 April 2015). "Wire - Wire". Pitchfork. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  12. ^ Garratt, John: "Wire". PopMatters. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  13. ^ Peacock, Tim (22 April 2015). "Wire review". Record Collector. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  14. ^ Smith, Mat "Split Your Ends: Wire's Colin Newman Interviewed". Clash Music. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  15. ^ Paltrowitz, Darren "Wire Promotes Their New Album With 2 New York City Gigs". Downtown Magazine NYC. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  16. ^ Brodsky, Rachel "Q&A: Nobody Puts Wire in a Corner". Spin. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  17. ^ Wire (Media notes). Wire. Pinkflag. 2015.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ "Ultratop.be – Wire – Wire" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  19. ^ "Wire | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 15 April 2016.

External links[edit]