Wire - Object 47
(Pink Flag) CD
Object 47 is just that; it’s the 47th “thing” that UK former-post-punkers Wire have released. Since their unbelievably influential opening salvo of releases (Pink Flag, Chairs Missing & 154), the London band has basically written the textbook on how to be a non-compromising, academic art-rock band. Object 47 ain’t gonna blow the socks off anyone (except maybe me), but it’s startling that these 50-somethings are still pumping out music with texture, urgency & a keen sense of structure & melody. Despite original guitarist Bruce Gilbert having officially left the band, Wire’s brilliant mastery of tone & texture is splattered all over this. Opener “One Of Us” could be a lost New Order gem from their classic period if it weren’t for the bassline being, well, bassy & ballsy. It drives the tune pretty much to the dancefloor, with a wide-screen chorus about dissolving relationships. That transition from verse to chorus, the “opening up” of a track, is what gives spirit to much of the rest of 47, especially on “Mekon Headman” (sung by bassist Graham Lewis) & “Perspex Icon”, both of which pit contrasting lyrical & melodic hues against each other. Object 47 isn’t retro; it’s un-modern… but ain’t that refreshing nowadays?