(2018) Wire - Chairs Missing [Special Edition]


Review:
Chairs Missing marks a partial retreat from Pink Flag‘s austere, bare-bones minimalism, although it still takes concentrated listening to dig out some of the melodies. Producer Mike Thorne’s synth adds a Brian Eno-esque layer of atmospherics, and Wire itself seems more concerned with the sonic textures it can coax from its instruments; the tempos are slower, the arrangements employ more detail and sound effects, and the band allows itself to stretch out on a few songs. The results are a bit variable – “Mercy,” in particular, meanders for too long – but compelling much more often than not. The album’s clear high point is the statement of purpose “I Am the Fly,” which employs an emphasis-shifting melody and guitar sounds that actually evoke the sound of the title insect. But that’s not all by any means — “Outdoor Miner” and “Used To” have a gentle lilt, while “Sand in My Joints” is a brief anthem worthy of Pink Flag, and the four-minute “Practice Makes Perfect” is the best result of the album’s incorporation of odd electronic flavors. In general, the lyrics are darker than those on Pink Flag, even morbid at times; images of cold, drowning, pain, and suicide haunt the record, and the title itself is a reference to mental instability. The arty darkness of Chairs Missing, combined with the often icy-sounding synth/guitar arrangements, helps make the record a crucial landmark in the evolution of punk into post-punk and goth, as well as a testament to Wire’s rapid development and inventiveness.





Tracklist:

Disc 1: Original album (released as Harvest SHSP 4093 (U.K.), 1978)
01.Practice Makes Perfect
02.French Film Blurred
03.Another The Letter
04.Men 2nd
05.Marooned
06.Sand in My Joints
07.Being Sucked in Again
08.Heartbeat
09.Mercy
10.Outdoor Miner
11.I Am the Fly
12.I Feel Mysterious Today
13.From the Nursery
14.Used To
15.Too Late

Disc 2: Singles, B-sides and studio recordings
01.I Am the Fly (Single Version)
02.Dot Dash
03.Options R
04.Outdoor Miner (Single Version)
05.Practice Makes Perfect (Single Version)
06.Underwater Experiences (Advision Version)

Disc 3: Studio demos
01.Practice Makes Perfect (Fourth Demo Sessions)
02.Oh No Not So (Fourth Demo Sessions)
03.Culture Vultures (Fourth Demo Sessions)
04.It’s the Motive (Fourth Demo Sessions)
05.Love Ain’t Polite (Fourth Demo Sessions)
06.French Film Blurred (Fourth Demo Sessions)
07.Sand In My Joints (Fourth Demo Sessions)
08.Too Late (Fourth Demo Sessions)
09.I Am the Fly (Fourth Demo Sessions)
10.Heartbeat (Fourth Demo Sessions)
11.Underwater Experiences (Fourth Demo Sessions)
12.Stalemate (Fourth Demo Sessions)
13.I Feel Mysterious Today (Fourth Demo Sessions)
14.Dot Dash (Fifth Demo Sessions)
15.French Film Blurred (Fifth Demo Sessions)
16.Options R (Fifth Demo Sessions)
17.Finistaire (Mercy) (Fifth Demo Sessions)
18.Marooned (Fifth Demo Sessions)
19.From the Nursery (Fifth Demo Sessions)
20.Indirect Enquiries (Fifth Demo Sessions)
21.Outdoor Miner (Fifth Demo Sessions)
22.Chairs Missing (Used To) (Fifth Demo Sessions)
23.Being Sucked in Again (Fifth Demo Sessions)
24.Men 2nd (Fifth Demo Sessions)
25.Another the Letter (Fifth Demo Sessions)
26.No Romans (Fifth Demo Sessions)


Media Report:
Genre: post-punk
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits