Drums And Wires (studio album)
by XTC

I like new wave, but I have to say that half of this album is good and half of it is annoying and I don't want to listen to this album as a whole.

Pure genious. They're so underrated from the mass, but very well-considered by those who work in music. Dave Gregory's effort in this album is so huge with his dissonant solos ("Day in Day out"), his schizophrenic riffs ("Millions") and his great arpeggios ("Ten Feet Tall"). There are both well-written pop songs ("Making Plans For Nigel", "Life Begins at The Hop") and authentic pieces of art ("Roads Girdle the Globe", "Scissor Man"). Surely one of the most influential albums of those years.

A great album that demonstrates XTC's knack for marrying melodies and rhythm to make catchy yet interesting tracks that set them apart from similar artists from the 70s/80s. Making Plans for Nigel is surely one of the best album openers of all time, and the next four tracks keep up the energy and are all brilliant in their own right (particularly When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty). The album then loses its flow with a set of more straightforward songs bringing the quality down, thankfully however Scissor Man and Complicated Game ensure the album finishes on a strong note. Overall a very good album that's full of personality and memorable tracks.

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From Sandrof1969 02/16/2018 20:45 | #208483

"Drums and wires" è il mio disco preferito degli XTC per almeno tre ragioni. La prima è che inizia con quel gioiello di "Making plans for Nagel"; la seconda è che continua con quella che forse è la canzone che preferisco degli XTC e cioè "Helicopter"; la terza e più importante è che nel disco ci trovo un'atmosfera sbarazzina, un'aria fresca che nelle opere successive mi sembrerà di trovare di meno, una piacevole spigolosità tutta new wave.

Starting to move away from the punk-pop sound of the first two albums and becoming more of the XTC non-fans may expect. It certainly sounds more polished but I do prefer the earlier albums, and indeed the later albums where they start to perfect their pop sound. Good, but not a personal favourite, again no poor tracks, but this album contains none of the tracks that I would hold up with their best (as I've only ever liked, not loved, Making Plans For Nigel).

Best Tracks: Making Plans For Nigel, Complicated Game

From wooolf 10/02/2017 10:23 | #198993

Instant like!
Should be in top 1000 at least :)
Great production too..

From benpaco 08/02/2013 00:55 | #82942

Love this album. One of the reasons I think 79 was the best year for music EVER

From meccalecca 04/22/2013 19:27 | #74187

It's hard to put a finger on XTC. I understand why some people don't love them. They manage to be disorienting without the traditional means. The guitars frequently enter into repetitive hypnotic states, with a jagged bounce. Drums & Wires may be their finest collection, and a solid entry point for someone looking into XTC for the first time. I personally prefer Big Express by a hair, but "Making Plans For Nigel, Helicopter, Scissor Man are all classics.