Love the new song. I agree that it is reminiscent of Githead, and not a bad thing at all. Wish I could have seen Wire while over in London for the first time... http://www.istockphoto.com/file_search.php?action=file&lightboxID=4186734
To paraphrase John Peel, it's the same but different or should that be different but the same. You know it's Wire but it doesn't seem to have any echos of any of the past encarnation of the band, in the way that Send era had. It's an obvious step on from Send, where a lot of Send was painted in monochrome and was quite clostrophobic this has more colours together with more space and air.
Like R&B3, it's taken me awhile to warm to "One of Us," but I am, indeed, enjoying it more and more. It's a bit more straightforward pop than I expect from Wire, and the absence of BG's noise makes me a bit glum, but if this serves as a wedge to get more people to take notice, hot damn, says I. Great bass sound, too.
RE: 'Bit of class' - yes I listened back to Marc Riley's 6music show and he gave One Of Us a huge thumbs up as well as telling folk where they can download it. When he played it again on Wednesday (May 28) he had the Wedding Present in session. Lead singer David Gedge was more interested in the Wire track than his own band's songs that followed on from One Of Us!
That's right AnotherMrNewman. Marc Riley was more or less instructing Gideon Coe how to download One Of Us off the Pinkflag website and urging him to get it on his playlist. If only all DJs were as Wire friendly as the ex Lard chap...
Listening to the Seaport tape, Perspex Icon sounds like a good choice of "second single" to me too, or perhaps a double A with One of Us.
Whether 'singles' as such will be released I don't know but there is a much revived market in 7" plastic (in the UK) certainly for new releases. I think if Wire release such an object it will fly off the shelves since their fanbase, collectors and the young 'n'curious will snap it up.
This British band is so reflexively cited as one of post-punk's most influential acts that their reputation can overshadow the fact they also excel at ruthlessly compact, punchy pop songs – or at least what sound like punchy pop songs. This first taste of the 47th entry in the band's discography (hence the album's title) is an irregularly structured piece of music that resolves itself in a bouncy chorus: "One of us will live to rue the day we met each other." Only one of us? Something to ponder while you're singing/dancing along. (From Object 47, pinkflag.com/listen.php)