Few post-punk bands are like Wire, and for good reason - not many were as quirky and unusual as the Watford quartet are, willing to change with every album and pulling it off more often than not. They arguably deserve to be recognised as the archetypal post-punk band for this and many reasons; their debut album, Pink Flag, is one of them.
It's very punky, but you wouldn't think so from the cover art. It's indeed a pink flag, though lacking any clear political intent or message - indeed, I'm not sure what it's meant to evoke. Yet I really like it, indeed it evokes the music quite well in that sense, and it's one of my favourite album covers of this period.
There aren't really any songs, more vignettes, and the first thing most reviews of Pink Flag mention is that the songs are more ideas than anything else. There are 21 of them, with a third of them less than a minute long, and it's obvious that this album inspired many hardcore bands (Minor Threat even covered 12XU, the final track, but more on that later). Yet we open with the best of the lot, Reuters; it's very atmospheric, with the instruments entering before Robert Gotobed's crashing drums and a great riff truly bring the song to life. Colin Newman, the vocalist, and Bruce Gilbert, the backing vocalist, sing well together, with some nice vocal effects added in, full of emotion. It peters out with "rape" being repeated, this being a song about war journalism, before ending gracefully. What a way to start a discography.
One thing that becomes immediately obvious about this album is that the band also like having fun. The 28 second jaunt "Field Day for the Sundays" is proof of this, rattling through a witty verse and chorus, and Three Girl Rhumba comes in with a great riff. The lyrics here are esoteric, merely adding to the rhythm, and I quite like the harmonised vocals that end it. Ex Lion Tamer could have easily been a hit - it's pop-punk like, with great drumming and some social commentary - this time, "TV" is the repeating lyric that ends the song. "Lowdown" isn't too exciting, once you've heard the first half you've heard it all, but I love the riff and Newman's singing talents are reflected here too. Start to Move is danceable and I wish it was longer - the same goes for the not samba-like Brazil (which is lyrically somewhat disheartening) and It's So Obvious, I especially love the latter. Surgeon's Girl meanwhile has a noisy riff and has brilliant drumming, matching the manic singing which devolves into mere syllables by the end.
All in all, lots of fun.
The title track returns to the atmosphere that Reuters had, the vocals more clearly enunciated and the lyrics clearly political. A crunchy riff is prominent, and this time "How many?" is the repeated lyric, full of anger as the drumming builds and becomes a thrash affair briefly, fading out and returning, a final guitar note lingering - and that's Side 1, somehow. Eight fun songs sandwiched between tracks far more experimental and intense than what was on the charts. And all in just 18 minutes.
Onto Side 2, then, which opens with the aptly named Commercial - there are no vocals, instead riffs that become staccato, and then repeated - it starts to become interesting, then stops. Straight Line is a nice song, but 106 does indeed Beat That; it's somewhat groovy and gets noisier with a terrific riff. Mr Suit combines chants with a danceable bassline, perhaps criticising businessmen as well.
Strange is the longest track on the album, an opening riff and motorik drumbeat which reminds me of Neu! - a minimalist, metronomic rock song, eerie flutes included as it gets more unsettling towards the end, an odd drumlike solo concluding it. It's possibly the best indication where the band would go after this album. Fragile is similar, though more upbeat and pop-like, ending with no unusual fade outs.
Mannequin was the album's single and is another brilliant track. I love the vocals here, especially the charming "la-la-la"s in the chorus, and after Strange, hearing it is like emerging into sunlight, ironic considering the lyrics aren't like that at all. Different to Me is more like the rest of the album, slowly kicking into action with fantastic drumming and punctuating guitar notes, and I wish it was longer than 43 seconds. Champs has a faster motorik beat with a lovely instrumental break and guitar notes, though I could do without the clapping.
Feeling Called Love is much slower - it's quite similar to Strange - and I like the harmonies at the end, before it suddenly stops. Newman then introduces us to 12XU, the final track, which sees him rattle through the lyrics with a fantastic bassline, before the instruments build up for a great sudden ending. That's thus it for Pink Flag.
It's an unusual album in many ways - just 35 minutes long and full of songs which have their own moods and which unfortunately end far too quickly, though the Wire of Chairs Missing and 154 is also revealed at times. It's a very enjoyable album, even if the tracks often blend into each other, and the instrumentation is also great. No albums are like it, no albums will ever be like it.
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