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| Image source: coveralia.com |
Artist: XTC
Release Date: August 17, 1979
Genre: New Wave
Track Listing:
1. Making Plans for Nigel - 4:13
2. Helicopter - 3:54
3. Day In Day Out - 3:08
4. When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty
5. Ten Feet Tall - 3:12
6. Roads Girdle the Globe - 4:51
7. Real by Reel - 3:46
8. Millions - 5:57
9. That is the Way - 2:56
10. Outside World - 2:40
11. Scissor Man - 3:59
12. Complicated Game - 4:53
13. Life Begins at the Hop* - 3:49
14. Chain of Command* - 2:33
15. Limelight* - 2:26
*These songs were released in the 2001 reissue.
Rating: 9.1/10
Zany, eclectic, clever, and witty-- what other words could I use to describe such an album?
XTC seems to be forgotten by many people as there is not too much information about the former new wave band from Swindon, England. The group started in 1976 at the height of the punk movement with members Colin Moulding (bass, vocals), Andy Partridge (guitar, lead vocals), Barry Andrews (keyboards), and Dave Gregory (guitar, vocals). (Andrews left in 1979 and was replaced by Terry Chambers as their drummer. Chambers made his first studio album appearance in Drums and Wires). Instead of catching on to the punk movement, the group turned the other cheek on anarchy-inspired sounds for a more eclectic and upbeat vibe topped off with sarcastic lyrics. This choice of expression against former musical trends, and this album in particular, has led them to stand out as one of Britain's greatest rock bands of all time.
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| Image source: uncut.co.uk From left to right: Terry Chambers, Dave Gregory, Andy Partridge, Colin Moulding |
Drums and Wires is an album that is full of surprises and irony. It is also the album where the group exhibited their strength in composition and delivery by contrasting the seriousness of the topic at hand with upbeat instrumentals. Their approach is to mask each song with instrumentals that will make the listener want to get up and dance, but when one listens very carefully and perhaps look up the lyrics to each song, one will be surprised to find that there are deeper meanings and messages behind their catchy melodies.
One song that would take the listener by surprise would have to be "Real by Reel" due to its not-so-secret message that has been successfully masked by the technique described above. When I first heard this song, I was hooked on the instrumentals and thought the lyrics made no sense at all. But after hearing it so many times, I finally decided to look them up and found that it is about the government deliberately spying on its own people. This was very surprising and impressive because it proves how XTC could get away with writing a song that criticizes a political body and have no one realize what they are actually listening to. What's even more impressive is how this song is still relevant with some countries today-- if this were to play on the airwaves right now, no one would lift a finger (exceptions might apply to countries without democracy). This doesn't defeat the band's purpose of effectively delivering a message because the thing that makes this great is that they can easily get away with it since you'll be busy enjoying the melody without realizing what the song is really about.
The album and the group are so ironic, humorous, sarcastic, and relevant that they both epitomize English-ness, which is something that might be too much for the listener to handle. I was one of the latter when I found it a little difficult to finish the entire album. It took me about 5 tries to go through it and have the songs sink in! This wasn't due to the album being terrible and me trying to find something nice to say about it, but rather because it was so deliberate in staying relevant while being ironic and sarcastic that it took a lot of effort to really pay attention. Could this experience reflect our listening habits today? I can't speak for everyone, but what I can say is that in my observable experience, many artists and bands drive towards instant satisfaction by making their music loud and follow a familiar beat and progression that is common in many songs. I won't go into too much detail about it since this can be another post for another day. For now, Drums and Wires definitely shows a significant difference in our listening habits from then and now.
Aside from the technical aspects, Drums and Wires is one of the biggest highlights of new wave. It's a fun album that will tickle your senses and make you want to dance. But if you're not the dancing type, you will at least find yourself tapping your foot or bobbing your head. Of course, hearing it is like taking a time machine into the past because you won't find anything that sounds like it in today's world of music, but it's a sound that will fill you with nostalgia if you're really into the genre and other cool things that came out of the late 70s and the early 80s. The album is an epitome of English-ness that is brought on by no other than a simple combination of Partridge, Moulding, Gregory, and Chambers. However, be forewarned! This album and the band may be too English for some listeners to handle that listening to both could result either in confusion and boredom or senses working overtime (no pun intended).
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