Wire / A Bell is a Cup until it is Struck (1988)

Wire was always hard to pin down with only a few words. Before punk, post-punk, industrial, new wave, no wave, and cold wave were household descriptors, Wire's music seemed to encompass qualities of all these styles seemingly at once. The band's sound was always a few steps ahead of whatever was popular (or unpopular), and Bell is no exception. It retains the obtuse lyrics, Dadaist sensibility, and lush aural textures that seasoned listeners appreciate. The 1970s punk aesthetic is replaced, at least on the surface, by more relaxed vocals and more sophisticated sonics, so the product is more accessible than ever. If you're looking for attitude, it's alive and kicking in the biting lyrics and musical content, too. There is even a hit single, "Kidney Bingos," a pop oddment destined for obscurity if not for an earworm chorus. Side two gets down to business and reminds you which group you're listening to, and completes the recipe for a good Wire record replete with aggressive noise, ghastly synths, and buzzing guitars aplenty. It's a diverse collection of songs that will appeal slyly to listeners more accustomed to conventional rock and electronic music, while still delivering the choice alternative goods to the faithful.