anyone?

i've got it. given it a couple of listens. very listenable. think i'm enjoying it, but not sure it is as intriguing as past releases. mind you i say that and haven't given anything since a bell is a cup a serious listening.

This is what I said on the other thread:

"Only listened to it a couple of times so far. I like it a lot (track 4 is one of my favourite things by them ever) although I have some reservations about the production and the odd clunky lyric - seemingly Newman's, which is surprising cos I'd expect clunky lyrics from Lewis but less so from him. "

From what others on here have said in the recentish past, I reckon copies of Read & Burn and Send may be what you and I both need.

I got Read & Burn 3 and thought it was shite. Really liked the 1st two as well (Agfers of Kodack, Germ Ship = some of best Wire ever). The first track was this hideous 10 minute thing that was totally unjustified in its excessive length, just a verse and a chorus going round and round with no development or build-up, the chorus sounded like an empty retread of the punk style of the first two. Silly spoken verses, it was like Nathan Barley music!

In general it sounded like Wire's soulless cleverness got the better of them - no emotions involved, all really rather dreary! As for their new record - Object 47?!?! Gimme a fuckin break, dumbest smart-arse title ever. Combined with the cover-art I'm left with the impression it'll be the musical equivalent of a polished wood floor with fuckin floor-standing vase in the corner.

And no Bruce either, so it's not really Wire, it's Wir. Or maybe Wie. I don't know which letter is who but I guess E must be Rob!

No it's a very good record.

I think they're doing rather well. At first I wasn't sure (about both Object 47 and R&B3) but when a track comes up on random play it always sounds good. They're very hooky!

[QUOTE]

they are aren't they

personally think read and burn 3 is great. good lyrics, good hooks, good production

as for 'soulless' : i like wire exactly because they dont fluff around with soul. their music is of a different order altogether

then again, who knows, we might get a wire collection of timeless, soulful classics (but 23 years too late) lol

I think R&B 03, 23 Years Too Late in particular, is Wire's best release in 20 years or so. I liked the previous R&B stuff (especially 02) and the new songs on Send were decent (except for Being Watched which is wretched), but I wasn't floored by any of it. R&B 03, however, knocked me out.

As for Object 47, it's a good album, but I don't find myself compelled to listen to it that often. A bit of a letdown after R&B 03. I enjoy Object 47 while I'm hearing it, but as soon as it's over I'm not left with much of an impression. I feel the same way about Imperial Wax Solvent, incidentally.

Good album I think, interesting, though not groundbreaking. They can still make you want to jump around (All Fours), but it's a lot less aggressive than Send. Gilbert is clearly missing, though not disastrously so, and maybe the album is more melodic as a result. It sounds quite accessible for non-fans, though I agree that the production could be better. I would have liked it to be more edgy, but am still enjoying it (more than IWS).

i thought the album was pretty solid.

the lyrics to ''Are You Ready?'' are fantastic.

So what do we make of Red Barked Tree?

I see it as the "Rocky" Wire counterpoint to Object's more "Poppy" Wire. Very fine it is too.

Certainly wouldn't want to be the person that Please Take is aimed at. Ouch.

I'll be seeing them live in a few weeks and am very excited.

saw them live on saturday night and they were bloody excellent!
wish they'd gone on for another hour tho...

http://pinkflag.com/press/red-barked-tree/

nice little interview from thier site about red bark (a great album i think

I saw them live in Sydney last week for the first time and - travelling through their post-punk past to their most recent present - were surprisingly excellent.
Not sure how much Sydney saw of slam dancing more than 30 years ago but it was revived for Wire. Admittedly the punch-up fear that ran through original slam-dancing has been replaced by that nagging feeling of an impending coronary, such were the erratic movements of some of the more aged members of the crowd.
I was slightly disturbed to find out that my boss - same late 40s age but, like much of Australia, a cultural wasteland when it comes to musical excellence - had subsequently seen them on this tour.
Reassuringly he found "Wired" to be "crap".
They played two gigs in Hobart, Tasmania, at the launch of the Museum of Old and New Art, an extraordinary personal play-thing of David Walsh, one of the world's most successful gamblers.
Recruiting the likes of Wire and Grinderman for his festival suggested he is not only a smart gambler but a man with impeccable musical taste
Any Fall Forumites make it to the Hobart show?