WIRE

Red Barked Tree

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Wire’s angular omnipresence has long lurked in the deep corners of the English rock psyche. Morphing from the most art-damaged of the early punks to the most punk-damaged of the post-punk art-rockers, the band has spent 30 years off and on watching half-shed shards of its DNA pop up at intervals, and now even their descendants in the Feelies or the Pixies are old enough to go on reunion tours. While crashers like “Two Minutes” and “A Flat Tent” show they’ve aged with edge, Red Barked Tree is notable for its accessibility. Unfolding at a measured pace, the album often features shimmery guitars and rounded vocals that would live on the old-school side of today’s indie rock street. All else being equal, it’s even a bit (gulp) conservative. Still, 12 albums in, the basic integrity of the institution remains intact and strangely noble. –Jeff Leven