The most consistently appealing graduates of the class of ‘77, by dint of their constant evolution, Wire have reined in some of their experimental urges for their 14th album. Behind Colin Newman’s mannered vocals and the motorik rhythms, there’s a real pop sensibility at play, the likes of Blogging (the lyrics of which – “Amazon wishlist”, “sell it on eBay” – suffer slightly from sounding like a trying-too-hard 2005 attempt to appear contemporary; thankfully, they stop short of namechecking MySpace) and Split Your Ends showcasing a gentle side to the band that has sometimes been underplayed since their 1999 reunion. Then just when you think you’ve got them pigeonholed, along comes the eight-minute Harpooned, all relentlessly heavy guitar and ominous atmosphere, making it a companion piece to 1978’s still remarkable Mercy. They may have made their most accessible album since 1979’s 154, but where they go next is anybody’s guess.
