Wire

The new Wire music is great and I've fallen under the spell of their whole catalog this week. Whatever Wire have been in the past [angular punks, uneven synth-poppers] they are now a driving, buzzing, popping and cooly aestheticized machine with newfound shamelessness in thier simple pop-hooks. They always had a catchy and harsh side, willing to engage with melody and then discard it to play with structure, narrative or irritant. Since their third incarnation took shape in 2003ish they've gotten dronier and more consistently distorted, a narrower soundscape maybe, but they've also gotten real good at milking a simple guitar riff thru volume, studio manipulation and relentless drums, then letting Colin Newman yell or coo as he saw fit. The best of noise and melody and technology in one package.

Their 80s and early 90s stuff is great, too, even if the production gets too tinkly in 80s synth fashion sometimes. "Kidney Bingos" and "Eardrum Buzz" are two favorites for pure lushness and "A Serious of Snakes" for the wierdly appealing hook and bizarre, unforgettable lyrics, which are consistently excellent. And their early, early stuff is - duh - great, the best application of endless curiosity and creative ametuerism.