With the release of Wire’s new album, Silver/Lead, due imminently in a year that marks their 40th year as a band, Wire have put together a playlist of new music picks to provide an insight into the music that is currently exciting them as they continue to look forward as a band.
You can stream the album in full above and it’ll be available to buy from this Friday (March 31). Wire also have extensive tour plans set for this year in support of the album with a series of DRILL events planned in LA, Leeds, Berlin and Brussels in the coming months.
You can find all of the details on those events, including the extensive supporting lineups that they’ve assembled for each, here.
The band also have shows coming up at London’s The Garage on May 4 and 5. You can find ticket links for all their upcoming shows here and read on below to check the band’s picks complete with quotes from each member.
Colin Newman picks Duds – ‘No Remark’
You kind of know where you are (in a good way) with a band name like Duds, self-effacing in the the way only the British can be. Lacking even the qualification of the definite article! Musically they don’t disappoint either. Lead-off track ‘No Remark’ from their latest EP Wet Reduction has an element to it that doesn’t quite qualify as music (in all the right ways) a bit atonal, in some rhythm that’s not 4/4 but is somehow some kind of pop from another dimension.
Graham Lewis picks Raime – ‘Your Cast Will Tire’
Glocks are cocked, luck runs out, in a shredding shimmer ‘The Last Post’ is delayed.
Matthew Simms picks R Beny – ‘Full Blossom Of Everything’
With the serge in modular synth popularity, R Beny stands tall in a crowd with this beautiful album. Looking forward to hearing him do this live opening for Wire on our upcoming West Coast US dates.
Colin Newman picks Merlin Tonto – ‘Animism’
Merlin Tonto are a band from Brighton who Malka and I [Immersion] shared a bill with at the first Nanocluster (the occasional Brighton based event we put on with Graham Duff and Andy Rossiter). My first experience of them was live and I’d suggest that anyone interested check out a live show. I’ve selected a live video as I don’t think the recordings they’ve made really capture them yet. They are a band who deserve a much wider exposure.
Matthew Simms picks Julian Lynch – ‘Just Enough’
A new album on the way of varied skewed pop. Full of great sounds and moods, all played and recorded himself.
Graham Lewis picks Delvaux – ‘Un Homme’
Melancholic ambient self-possession rejects the influence of luxury leather goods. Let it take a grip!
Colin Newman picks Thor & Friends
This is a project featuring Thor Harris, percussionist extraordinaire from Swans but don’t expect anything that sounds remotely like Swans. Instead the closest comparison I could make would be Steve Reich. Particularly on the track ‘Whos Fingers’. I don’t hear anyone out there making music remotely similar right now. You can hear it here.
Matthew Simms picks Brokeback – ‘Cairo Levee’
Not a new band but with a great new record and deserving of all ears. The magic of the Fender IV in Doug McCombs’ (of Tortoise) hands.
Colin Newman picks Cold Pumas – ‘The Slump’
Not entirely new but I saw them for the first time this year. They belong to the extended family that brought us Sauna Youth, Monotony and the Faux Discx label. They were opening for the highly regarded (and not at all bad) Omni but in my opinion were the the better band on the night. There is nothing calculated about Cold Pumas they get up there and bang it out, quite obviously excited to be on stage making an interesting noise. Like many bands these days, the records are not at all terrible but the live show is a whole other level. Another band to be seen live.
