Emerging from the British punkexplosion in the 70's, Wire was formed by Graham Lewis(bass, vocals), Bruce Gilbert(guitar), Colin Newman(vocals, guitar) and (drums). Their sound is often associated with a vague subgenre of punk called art punk or post-punk, mostly due to their richly detailed and atmospheric sound, often obscure lyrical themes and, to a lesser extent, their situationist political stance. The group exhibited a steady development from an early raucous style (1977's Pink Flag) to a more complex, structured sound involving increased use of synthesizers (1978's Chairs Missing and 1979's 154). As a result, they had a tremendous influence through later decades on a variety of bands and rock music genres, notably in The Urinals, The Minutemen, R.E.M., who covered "Strange" on their Document album and most recently, Bloc Party, Futureheads and Franz Ferdinand. Ian MacKaye of hardcore punk band Minor Threat was also a big fan of the band.
last.fm page
Passed to hand, behind the curtain
The letter brings change, now things are uncertain
Hand to hand, the letter moves on
Like a series of shocks, but the contents are known
Oh faint heart, when the letter arrives
You suddenly find things getting lifesize
Once the air rang with things unsaid
Now cruel outlines are easily read
Behind the curtain in the yellow bulb light
The letter reads I took my own life