Colin Newman, A-Z (side A)

With 1980's A-Z, Colin Newman refined the more accessible elements of Wire's then-final studio album 154 to fit his coherent vision.  The songs, while still far from anything commercial, follow more consistent verse-chorus structures than was common for Wire.  Robert Gotobed's drumming remains recognizable here, though it's sonically more uniform and polished than on any Wire album, and the snappy snare is especially prominent.  Mike Thorne retained some familiar studio tricks, like the heavily-chorused bass guitar and the occasional use of looped backing vocals.  Newman's vocal moves a bit further to the foreground here, with a present sound that references commercial records of the time.  While the guitars often play simple, repeating patterns, their distorted timbres introduce A-Z's grittiest sonic element.  They also never provide the rhythmic drive that was common for guitar parts on Wire albums.  Desmond Simmons's involvement here is interesting, as his solo album Alone on Penguin Island featured the other half of Wire, Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis — apparently the members or Wire retained a close social circle even after their collaboration stopped.  The tiny, detailed images on the cover fit the album nicely — they're engaging but not overly friendly, with a pretty subdued palette.