Red Barked Tree

British post-punk pioneers Wire are still at it, and *Red Barked Tree* makes a neat dozen LPs by the band (well, the remaining 3/4s of the group) since their inception back in 1976. After the hard-edged *Send* and the satisfying-but-not-quite-spectacular *Object 47*, the surprisingly powerful *Red Barked Tree* is a record fans will likely see rise to the top half of their Wire favorites list. The taut, grinding, hypnotic grooves that define the band’s sound are here (“Two Minutes,” “Moreover,” “Smash”), as is the group’s trademark dark, unsettling neo-pop (“Adapt,” “Please Take,” “Clay,” “A Flat Tent”).  *Red Barked Tree* has more in common with *154* and *Chairs Missing* than with their seminal debut, *Pink Flag*, and those atmospheric tones are in full employ on the beautiful “Down to This” and the brooding title track; both are created in the shadowy, art-rock hues of gray and black that colored the band’s early work, but there’s a clarity and freshness that is exhilarating. Wire once again thrills longtime fans, and shows younger indie kids how it’s done.

The latest from the re-reformed post-punk superstars shows the band's vigor, melodic prowess, and capacity to surprise remain undiminished.

Check out our album review of Artist's Red Barked Tree on Rolling Stone.com.

First emerging during peak punk time, Wire were never brutal enough to gain headline attention back in 1977.

Red Barked Tree is as quietly diverse as 2008’s Object 47.

Album Reviews: Wire - Red Barked Tree