Wire, Pink Flag (side A)

In some ways, 1977's Pink Flag feels merely ahead of its time.  Everything from the thin guitar sound to the blunt and ideological lyrics, which felt explosive on its release, is heard constantly on new releases today.  The song structures stretched the boundaries of punk and rock conventions, but current songs that are considered accessible pull in much odder directions.  Even the jarringly short gaps between tracks no longer feel surprising.  While Pink Flag lacks the sheer innovation of the two Wire albums that followed it, the songwriting still surpasses the countless albums that have arisen in its wake.  The balance between standard rock structures and unusual twists always feels perfect — Wire had clearly internalized everything that made the traditional structures work, to an extent that's rare today.  While the jarring lyrics no longer surprise, the content is balanced with an impressive attention to poetic detail.  The simple, iconic image on the album's front cover will also always look modern (though the back cover feels a bit dated).  The slightly-muddy guitar sound might be the only musical element that dates Pink Flag, as there's an obvious frequency hole between the top of the guitar and the cymbals — I doubt that this is an anomaly of my New Zealand pressing.