Name: Wire Train
Album: Between Two Worlds
Year: 1985
Style: Alternative, Jangle, New Wave
Similar Bands: Aztec Camera, Trashcan Sinatras, Dramarama, The Alarm, Waterboys, Psychedelic Furs
One Word Review: Tedious Poetic Landscape Ramblings
Based Out Of: San Francisco, CA
Label: 415 Records, Columbia, CBS
Between Two Worlds: Cover, Notes, Record
Between Two Worlds: Back, Liner Sleeve, Record
Between Two Worlds (1985)
- Last Perfect Thing 3:52
- Skills of Summer 4:03
- When She Was A Girl 4:29
- God on Our Side 4:29
- Love, Love 3:15 /
- I Will 4:21
- No Pretties 4:25
- The Ocean 4:05
- Two Persons 2:54
- Home 3:35
Album Rating (1-10): 6.5
Members & Other Bands:
Kurt Herr - Vox, Guitar (The Renegades)
Kevin Hunter Vox, Guitar (The Renegades, Snot Puppies, Sheryl Crow, Bellanova, Sad Affair, Billy Idol, Simple Minds )
Brian MacLeod - Drums & Breath (Sleepers, Sheryl Crow, Group 87, Toy Matinee, Scrantones, Pink, Bangles, Kaviar, Steel Dragon, Dramarama, Paul Westerberg, Rosanna Cash, Wolf & Wolf, Grace Slick, DiVinyls, Jefferson Starship, Dream Academy)
Anders Rundblad - Bass, Vox (The Renegades, Sheryl Crow, Gary T'To Band, Motvind, Andy Prieboy, Chuck Prophet)
Peter Paul Skrepek - Guitar (The Renegades)
Peter Maunu - Producer, Vox, Guitar, Keys (Bernie Krause, LA Express, Group 87, Mark Isham, Patrick O'Hearn)
Dodie Shoemaker - Artwork/Cover
Greg Calbi - Mastering
Trudy Fisher - Photography
Micharl Frondeli - Remix
Ron Macleod - Sampler
Irma Maunu Kocian - Production Coordinator
Unknown-ness: I've never heard of this band. But it looks like it will be terrible. I've never been a fan of the tedious looking, blurry album covers, that seem to evoke a meandering song style that is void of hooks, and just drones on for longer than each song should last. The songs are more about a melancholy atmosphere than actual energetic or exciting production. 1986 does nothing to stray my thinking otherwise.
Album Review: Wire Train was
active from the mid 80’s through early 90’s, putting out 5 major-label albums
worth of music, six if you count the rejected album they self-released. They
had some localized popularity, and even had a song make it into the Point Break
film. Many of the band members went on to form the backing back to Sheryl Crow,
and the drummer was part of the music collective that performed the opening
credits to the American Office TV show.
“Last Perfect
Thing” jams right into it with a pounding drum. Anthemic guitars play in
support, only to be subdued to landscape-jangle pop once the vocals begin. The vocals
are poetic as they overlap the minimal jangly music, reminding me of a subdued
John Easdale of Dramarama. The chorus is a little more dynamic, incorporating
the anthemic guitars back into the melody.
“Skills of
Summer” starts with a jangly guitar, and glides into the dreamy, synth
soundscape. The vocals sound wind-blown, and still have a poetic cadence. The
urgency is raised in the chorus, but does not come off as threatening or
urgent. The song ends with a more urgent refrain of the title, sung in the
round.
“When She Was A
Girl” has echoing, cave dripping synth chimes to start out the song. The
guitars also sound grandious, echoing in there meandering, jangly loops. The
song tries to build some momentum in the bridge, but the chorus pauses to suck
the life out of the song…but not necessarily in a bad way, but in a reflective
way. The bass is mixed to the front of the song as the song fades out the
instrumental ending.
“God on Our Side”
is a Bob Dylan cover. It kicks in to form a steady, upbeat rock tempo, under-laid
with the jangle guitars, sounding much like the Alarm and other landscape-rock
bands.
“Love, Love” begins
with an echoing power pop guitar hook, and a rocking drum beat. Although there
is still an echoing behind the vocals, reminding me of the Psych Furs, it is a
very straightforward progressive rock song. Nearing the end, the song feels
like it winds down, shedding musical layers to become a limping, reflective
section, but it changes direction quickly, back into the catchy chorus.
“I Will” begins
with slow jangly guitar strums, and then soars off with guitars to landscape
rock land. The chorus has a guitar sound and hook that is relevant in the emo
scene from a few years back. The song has a nice build to it, which is capitalized
in the chorus.
“No Pretties” starts
with quiet, swirling synth, and then the lead guitar starts in with a sad,
reflective section. The song is gloomy and dark, taking me back to a Psych Furs
comparison.
“The Ocean” has
the same gloomy elements, but is recorded with a driving pace. Sterile,
crystal, synth notes echo beneath the verse. The chorus is very good, however,
with the way a supporting vocal sings Our Tears, as if in the round, on top of
the lead vocals. It has very good timing, and makes a fun, interesting melody
even better. It reminds me a little of EMF, actually, when it comes to the
style of breathy, emotional vocals.
“Two Persons” sounds
a lot like a Graham Parker or Elvis Costello song, anxious nasally vocals, and
a thumping bass and drum beat. The guitar even sounds like it could be Elvis.
The instrumental breakdown is back to the anthemic guitar sound, but it can be forgiven
since the rest of the song is a great, driving ball of energy. The vocals are
rushed through, and sound like they are just tumbling out of the singer’s
mouth.
“Home” slows
things down to a high school slow dance. The jangly guitar consists of slow
chords and a bit of a waltz tempo, with a little of the song “Hallelujah’s” melody
in the bass.
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