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
The island monkeys love the dark
No one is home, they're thin skinned sharks
Hue exchanging gives sea-leg walks
No one is home, the chemicals talk
Load up the spoiled goods
Hook up the spoiled gods
Fill up the kindness cups
Drink up the finest drops
Feeding frenzy, sleepless attacks
No one is home, power attracts
Death on a raft, life in a whale
No one is home to finish the tale
Paint it red, light it in blue
No one is home over at the zoo
Lashing together, a timbre design
No one is home, no one is blind
The last boat launched, cling to the rail
No one is home, they're in full sail
Forging chains, caught on the tracks
No one is home and they're not coming back
The island monkeys love the dark
No one is home, they've gone for a walk
The island monkeys love the dark
No one is home, the chemicals talk