Wire
Chairs Missing
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NATN Recommended
Wire
Chairs Missing
Restless, 1978
RiYL: Television, Gang Of Four, Guided By Voices, Elastica |
The popular perception is that Wire were more about the ideas than the execution of music, songwriting taking many new and different guises in the hands of the quartet. But producer Mike Thorne adds an aspect of clarity to their sound on Chairs Missing, which helps develop the songs themselves and make many more memorable than those on their debut. The tunes are still quirky, by any measure, but they tend to be less militant. Some, like the eerie "Marooned" and harmonic "Outdoor Miner" could almost be considered radio-friendly.
Wire still sounds like they are deliberately trying to turn the idea of pop songwriting on its head. Their tunes are self-aware, evidenced in the steady, essential pulse of "Heartbeat" and the insectian whine and advance of "I Am The Fly" (known to Elastica fans as "Line Up").
The lyrics are lean, obscure, and steadily interesting. "Another The Letter" describes the scene after a suicide from the victim's point of view: "Passed to hand behind a curtain / the letter brings change / now things are uncertain...Once the air rang with things unsaid / now cruel outlines are easily read." A succinct picture of childhood "From The Nursery" ("So truly jolly / an X-mas dolly / I talk on request / I'm never depressed") turns strange ("Body molestor / amphibious charm / scum in several baths has blurred my features") yet somehow remains melodic. And "Marooned" describes a stranded sailor "adrift from Arctic waters / as the water gets warmer, my iceberg gets smaller."
Wire shows incredible range on the record, and though they temporarily disbanded after their third album, 154, the after-effects of this early period are still being felt in modern rock. As example, take the variety and sprawl of a typical Guided By Voices album or the shameless pilferage of Wire riffs by britpop bands like Elastica. While Chairs Missing may not be the most essential Wire release, it is indeed an album of great import.
TROY CARPENTER | Troy Carpenter founded NATN from a Chicago apartment during the ambitious winter of 1998 with co-conspirators Ben French and Jonathan Cohen. After a five-year stint in New York, he and wife Lourdes have recently relocated to Indianapolis, where he spends days listening to music and nights in the kitchen at Elements restaurant. Musical heroes: Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Super Furry Animals. What else makes life worth living: Sushi, Phucty, runs in the park, and the Atlanta Braves.