Album Review: Wire - Object 47

Originally published in Soundcheck Magazine (7/27/08).

Wire
Object 47
Pink Flag
Available Now

Everything about this current version of Wire points to their past except for the music. The album name refers to the number of releases the band currently has, and their record label is named after their legendary debut album from 1977. But Object 47 is far removed from the raw, gritty style of that much-loved group of young punks. It’s a curious listen that sometimes bears fruit, like on the new wave-inspired “Four Long Years” and closer “All Fours”, the latter of which most closely resembles the relentlessness of their earlier work. The best track, though, is “Are You Ready”: of all the new directions Wire tries on Object 47, this one works excellently, fusing foot-stomping funk with Talking Heads-era post-punk. That sonic experiment works so well that it makes it even more of a shame that many of the musical detours found here result in dead ends.

-Andy Pareti