A Bell Is A Cup Until It Is Struck - Wire (1988)
Wire (o_O) spent some time apart making abstract and oddball music and then came back together to make their most coherent rock album.
In every phase of its career, the band finds different ways of being bracing and confrontational. Even when we have an album of mostly standard 80s rock, it’s still mixed and designed like a punk album: every frequency is wide open and fighting for dominance.
A thought that occurred while listening: this stands in stark contrast to Rush’s Hold Your Fire, released within just a few months of this album. Rush use basically the same elements but arrange them sparsely and sparingly to create beautiful space, whereas Wire assault the senses with a claustrophobic gloom ray.
Tracks I Liked
The Queen of Ur and The King of Um - here in two different versions.
Kidney Bingos - a super catchy tune with dada lyrics
Come Back In Two Halves - pure driving music
