After being hailed as post-punk icons for 30 years and producing some of the most highly regarded, influential records of all time, three of the original four are still making music together as diverse, powerful, and unique as they did back in the day (guitarist Bruce Gilbert has moved on to more experimental efforts). “Circumspect” and “Patient Flees” are hazy and atmospheric, Colin Newman’s voice conveying a wary world view, while “Are You Ready?” juxtaposes clackety dance beats against an inquisitive line of questioning: “Are you searching for something/You don't understand?/ Do you still hold ambitions/Of being a man?” The buzzing sturm und drang of “All Fours” and “Perspex Icon” are built with original, vintage Wire edge, but “Four Long Years” is tempered with the softened tones of ‘80s Wire. The strongest track is the opener, “One of Us,” a distant cousin to “Outdoor Miner” with its bouncy bass line, clamorous guitars and seemingly innocuous look at a long relationship that turns acidic with the chorus: “One of us will live to rue the day we met each other!” It’s criminal how overlooked this band is, but we’re grateful everyday for their continued existence.
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