WIRE Vinyl & CDs

Review: Wire's 'Nine Sevens' is a double LP that serves as a reissue of their 2018 box set of 7" singles, which brought together early iconic tracks with more obscure later works. The compilation tracks the band's evolution from their monochrome early phase to the more complex, almost psychedelic sound that emerged by the end of the 1970s. The first disc resembles a traditional greatest hits collection, while the second veers into experimental territory and between them, all these 7" singles represent Wire's pop art explorations as well as being snapshots of the band frozen in time. This fine take on pop culture is a thrilling, artful journey through Wire's pioneering work.

Review: One of history's prominent art punk, post punk, experimental and alternative rock groups, at least one Wire record should sit on everyone's shelf, their richly detailed and deeply atmospheric sound helping lay foundations not just for all the outfits that have picked up the mantel and took the aforementioned styles forward, but also genres such as noise and drone. There really is just so much going on in the often chaotic crescendos and pared back moments alike.

As the title suggests, Not About To Die takes early studio demos from the crew and also correctly makes it clear that, when all these were recorded, the troupe still had decades of creative output ahead of them and weren't going anywhere. That said, by the end of the decade they would disband, before regrouping again, disbanding again, and regrouping. Those details aside, dive in and soak up the unbridled and unapologetic raw creativity at play here.