Mind Hive

OST PUNKのDIY精神を体現し、ここのところ自らのレーベルからガンガン過去作のDX盤などをリリースし続けている英国のオリジネイター、ワイヤーの2017年『SILVER/LEAD』以来となる新作!

年老いてますますスカスカになるワイヤー・サウンドの真骨頂が全編にわたって楽しめます。先行で公開された"CACTUSED"フレッシュさ、活きの良さは特筆もの。自宅でトラクターを乗り回しているPVは、CRASSのスティーブ・イグノラントら、しぶとく生き残り続ける英国オルタナティヴの地に足のつき方をビンビンに感じて思わず血が滾ります!

One of the great joys of Wires music in the 2010s and beyond is how brilliantly they reinvent their enduring strengths in equally timeless and timely ways. On Mind Hive, the bands legendary skill at writing concise songs filled with layers of meaning comes to the fore. Even its title is compact yet complex, flipping a statement of shared knowledge -- and perhaps conformity -- into one of restless intelligence. Wire dont waste any of the albums terse 35 minutes; instead of the ruminative approach they took on Silver/Lead, they immediately spring into action. Theyre still unrivaled at capturing crisis points in their music: On Be Like Them, Colin Newmans voice is chiseled to a fine point and backed by hammering riffs as he laments humanitys vicious, and violent, circles. Graham Lewis takes a more surreal approach with lyrics like I admired your sexy hearse on Oklahoma, but the tension that runs through it is just as taut as it is on the hypnotic, nerve-wracking Hung. Wires time-tested flair for cloaking ominous moods in irresistible tunes shines on Mind Hive, particularly on a string of incisive pop songs in the vein of Chairs Missing. Its still thrilling to hear Newman proclaim discard new litanies over sparkling guitars and keyboards on Cactused, and if the grinding groove of Primed and Ready sounds surprisingly upbeat, Off the Beachs lilting melody and uneasy imagery (CC cameras/Knives and hammers) reinforces the overall mood of justified paranoia. Later, when Wire revisits the more expansive style of albums such as Silver/Lead, its just as purposeful as what came before. The deceptively serene glide of Unrepentant offers a breather from the albums forceful beginnings and ushers in its brooding second half, which is exemplified by Shadows. A glimpse of an atrocity that could have happened decades ago -- or could be yet to occur -- its a harrowing, masterful example of Wires eloquence when it comes to history repeating itself. Crucially, when they touch on their own past, it never, ever sounds complacent (of course, it never sounded complacent back then, either). The issues Wire grapple with are evergreen, and as they persevere in the face of stupidity and apathy, Mind Hives unflinching, poetic songs prove maturity is a weapon they wield just as deftly as outrage. ~ Heather Phares

結成から40余年。変化し続けることで、生きる伝説となったワイヤーは、通算15作目となるここでも多くの人が彼らに抱く無機質/無表情なポスト・パンク・サウンドに留まらないアプローチも交えながら、みずからをアップデート。ドローン・サイケはまだしも〈ネアオコ〉なんて言葉を彼らに使う日が来るとは! 終盤、じわじわと高めていった緊張を、最後に穏やかな歌で締め括るところはヴェテランならでは。
bounce (C)山口智男