It’s that time of the week again where we go weak in the knees for a band…of the week. Ugh, yeah. So anyway, this week I volunteered my services for this feature so I could talk about legendary post-punk band Wire, founded in 1976 when four guys from London decided to confuse and intrigue the growing punk fanbase.
Wire: post-punk aesthetic
When talking about Wire, people usually find themselves stuck when describing the style of music that the band performs. To simplify it, Wire embodies the post-punk aesthetic, wherein they subvert punk whilst also paying tribute to punk influences. But when Wire subverts, I mean it subverts. The band are well-known for detailed production, atmospheric tips to avant garde and fast-paced flashes of instrumental inspiration that make songs blow past you just as you’re processing the layered and somewhat complex lyrical content.
Personally, I would highly recommend their first three albums, Pink Flag (1977), Chairs Missing (1978) and 154 (1979) which are highly regarded as landmarks in experimentation in the rock and post-punk genres. Plus they have also been known to make me feel largely spaced out and happily catatonic (except when the song ‘Outdoor Miner’ comes on because dammit, I wish I had written that song). Wire have also just released a brand new self-titled album that continues an impressive string of critically acclaimed albums cultivated in the 2010’s.
If you’re a fan of experimentation and leaving your musical comfort zone, I would highly suggest giving Wire a close listen.
Are you a fan of Wire? Let us know in the comments below!
