Wire’s self-titled album, their fourteenth in their career, is less ambitious than 2013’s Change Becomes Us - maybe in part because with Wire, they’re interested in cohesiveness and directness. It feels more like a visual artist’s body of work ready to be exhibited where similarities and qualities are shared throughout all the pieces. This doesn’t mean that this is a standard rock album; this is a Wire standard album – this is one of the bands that invented post punk. If we need it to compare it with their previous albums, Wire shares similar structure and instrumentation but is less electronic than their 1987 album, The Ideal Copy.

RIYL: Wire.

FCC CLEAN!!
Recommended Tracks: 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, and 9

1. (3:46) **Blogging – Wire 101. Nice upbeat intro track with memorable melody and vocals. Technology dependency for everyone.
2. (3:17) *Shifting – A Wire ballad. Fond.
3. (3:17) Burning Bridges – Another reflective ballad. Interesting guitar parts.
4. (2:41) *In Manchester – History lesson? Personal thoughts? Catchy tune.
5. (1:52) High – Short strange upbeat track.
6. (7:30) Sleep-Walking – Long slow tune with progressive rock tendencies.
7. (2:12) *Joust & Jostle – Trippy upbeat song. Addictive.
8. (4:17) *Swallow – This feels like the epilogue of the previous track.
9. (3:30) **Split Your Ends – Wire narrating a children’s story. Cool guitars.
10. (3:16) Octopus – Wire 101. Fast guitars.
11. (8:23) Harpooned – Another long tack with repetition and distortion for everyone.