10:20

In 2020, Wire fans were lucky enough to get not one but two potent reminders of the bands consistent greatness. The first was that Januarys Mind Hive, which proved their political statements and sharply honed post-punk were just as relevant then as when they formed over 40 years prior. The next was 10:20, a collection of reimagined rarities and live favorites that felt just as fresh, even though its recordings spanned the 2010s and its material stretched all the way back to 1978s Chairs Missing. Wire took a similar approach and also struck gold with 2013s Change Becomes Us, which found them revisiting songs theyd played live in 1979 and 1980. This time, the particulars of each track are more complex; Wire wrote the slow-burning He Knows in 2000 when Bruce Gilbert was still a member of the band, it became a staple of their live show in 2008, and the recording that appears here dates from 2010 sessions with Laikas Margaret Fiedler. No matter how convoluted the histories of these songs are, they all make the most of Wires evergreen strengths. German Shepherds, originally from 1989s Its Beginning to and Back Again, is a fine example of their slanted guitar pop, as is The Art of Persistence, a circa-2000 rarity that wouldnt have sounded out of place on either 154 or Mind Hive. The bands blazing punk is as vital as ever on the Chairs Missing leftover Underwater Experiences, while Fiedler adds her six strings to the triple-guitar onslaught of Burning Boy (originally from A Bell Is a Cup…Until It Is Struck), and the 1985 vintage Over Theirs is remade with the slow, ominous grind Wire perfected years later. Other standouts include Small Black Reptile, which the band transforms from synth pop into something in between psych-rock and shoegaze (and boasts some of Colin Newmans most playfully deadpan vocals) and Wolf Collides, an eerily poignant Silver/Lead outtake thats just as compelling as anything that ended up on the album. Hearing Wire riff on their past and present so brilliantly makes 10:20 both a dream come true for longtime fans and a surprisingly good introduction to their music for newcomers. ~ Heather Phares