wire - send
i never really took much notice of wire they always seemed on the peripheries of the punk stuff i heard, i was, after all only 12 years old in 1977 and the pistols were a much more immediate thrill, they were all over and the papers your mum and dad hated them and i wasn't really of an age to have got it even if i had of heard them on peel or something.
so outside of a 7" copy of dot dash i picked up cheap from the local record shop, because i had seen the name and thought i should have something by them, as they were "punk" their entire career has largely passed me by.
even though they continued through the eighties/nineties my focus still didn't fall on them as other things came and went the fall, the birthday party then the smiths and eventually public enemy, hip-hop, house, jungle and latterly merzbow, mogwai, and a reappraisal of throbbing gristle.it wasn't until i started to work in seemonster and met mooro (wire are one of his favourite bands), who is the guitarist in seemonster, that i had even given them a second thought; really they were always just one of the background bands to the stories of the clash and the sex pistols.
which in a rather convoluted way brings us to the first new album they have recorded in 13 years, i had read reviews of the 'read and burn' eps and had 'spent' on a compilation from the wire magazine, which was one of my favourite tracks of last year.
so when i saw they were releasing 'send' i thought i'll try a bit of that and i have to say how fucking glad i did.
it is, quite simply the most punk rock album i have in years.
i don't mean punk in that shitty american of blink182, green day etc. or the bollocks of the compilations you can buy with the old stuff on, this is punk in the way it was always supposed to be, exciting vital and most of all modern.after the pistols split up only really pil and the clash, out of the original punk bands did any that tried to make even remotely interesting music and now strummer is dead mick jones is producing the arsing libertines and lydon is reduced to a comedy chat show guest guaranteed to do a bit of swearing and generally act the "punk" rock clown.quite simply 'send' is a work of minimalist, modern-machine guitar music genius.
it is visceral and exhilarating enough to have you leaping around the room yet shows that the advances in production technology that are all around have not passed them by, it is as textured both, sonically and melodically, as you could ask for.the dynamic between the guitars on the track 'read and burn' is just heaven, it all sounds like the most forward-looking rock and roll music without resorting to the cheesy filters and processing that now litter electronic music, and they sound fucking angry too which i'm always a sucker for.
i really do urge you, to get your hands on a copy of this album; if you get in early enough you even get a free live album that is nearly as good. and the chorus goes, and the chorus goes, and chorus goes blah blah blah bang..................................
(as reviewed by rizlo from seemonster (used to be seamonster) on superglider)