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Recommended by us on 7th January 2011
...according to our Brian on Thu 06 Jan, 2011.
This is an unusual move from one of the UK's most enduring alternative units. Gone are much of the angular, aggressive walls of searing confrontational guitar; in place is an atmospheric return to their mid-80s psychedelic pop pastures (albeit with much fuller production!) As with a band of this pedigree, you're not gonna feel too cheated as a mediocre Wire album is probably more challenging than 95% of the indie guitar brigade could ever wish to be. It's just a surprise that this is such a relatively restrained & mellow record. 'Two Minutes' kicks it out a bit harder but ultimately sounds like Prolapse doing a cover of 'Parklife'! What does that say to you? When they do provide the goods, they're almost back on classic ground. 'Clay' has lashings of swirling atmosphere and those taut, minimal guitars frame the distinctive robotic post-Floydian vocals beautifully. Basically this song fits nicely into the Wire "classic pop tune" mould with ease. I prefer it when they display a little bit of wistful tenderness. I definitely find my ears continually pricked by certain melodies & notable dynamic shifts throughout this album. Brett likes their harder, abrasive sound which is of course less apparent on 'Red Barked Tree' - although 'Moreover' amps it back up with a gruffer guitar sound just to prove they ain't gone completely soft. No band in the UK has matured yet retained dignity quite like these guys. You put this on next to the (awful) new Gang of Four album and you're listening to a stone cold classic in comparison!!
At a time when back catalogue outsells fresh creativity and newcomers achieve fame by adding a lick of paint to their parents’ record collections, it’s unusual to find a band who, despite plying their trade for decades, are willing and able to make new work that’s as vital and relevant as their own illustrious past recordings. Wire are such a band, and with ‘Red Barked Tree’ they have succeeded in making a statement that will sound as strong in 30 years as their celebrated historical oeuvre does today. ‘Red Barked Tree’ rekindles a lyricism sometimes absent from Wire’s previous work and reconnects with the live energy of performance, harnessed and channelled from extensive touring over the past few years. ‘Red Barked Tree’ was conceived, written and recorded mostly during 2010 by the pared-down lineup of Colin Newman, Graham Lewis and Robert Grey -- with no guests. Ranging from the hymnal ‘Adapt’ to the barking sledgehammer art-punk of ‘Two Minutes’, the album encompasses the full range of style and nuance that has always endeared Wire to pastel-tinged pop aficionados and bleeding-edge avant-rockers alike. Whatever Wire make is Wire music: this is the band’s enigmatic guiding axiom. While Wire remain agnostic about the nature and identity of their aesthetic essence, it’s always been instantly recognisable, manifesting itself throughout their heterogeneous work. This enigma waits be revealed among the ‘Red Barked Trees’ …
01. Please Take 02. Now Was 03. Adapt 04. Two Minutes 05. Clay 06. Bad Worn Thing 07. Moreover 08. A Flat Tent 09. Smash 10. Down To This 11. Red Barked Trees
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