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Debut LP by Australian art post punk Wives. Female fronted vocals that are reminiscent of Kleenex and at times Bikini Kill. "The angular rhythms of GANG OF FOUR and PUBLIC IMAGE LTD meets the lyrical cynicism of CRASS. 11 tracks of Australian post punk that parallel sexual obsession with religious fanaticism." -La Vida Es Un Mus.
Our take: Debut LP from this band out of (I believe) Canberra, Australia. Everyone and their mother seems to throw around the word "post-punk" these days, but whatever this band is taking from that sound is pretty much precisely what I like. Rather than the gloomy, hookless death rock that makes the whole punk thing feel like a dead scene, Wives seem to concentrate on the minimalism, angularity, and politcal-ness that characterized post-punk bands like Gang of Four, Delta 5, PIL, Kleenex, etc. It's confrontational feminism and musical smarts also link it--in spirit if not in direct influence--to current London bands like Good Throb, Frau, Primetime, and Woolf, who are making a similarly unapologetically smart racket. I was tempted to pass this one over because I found the artwork a bit underwhelming, but I'm glad that I took the time to check it out because this is a real gem.
Our take: Debut LP from this band out of (I believe) Canberra, Australia. Everyone and their mother seems to throw around the word "post-punk" these days, but whatever this band is taking from that sound is pretty much precisely what I like. Rather than the gloomy, hookless death rock that makes the whole punk thing feel like a dead scene, Wives seem to concentrate on the minimalism, angularity, and politcal-ness that characterized post-punk bands like Gang of Four, Delta 5, PIL, Kleenex, etc. It's confrontational feminism and musical smarts also link it--in spirit if not in direct influence--to current London bands like Good Throb, Frau, Primetime, and Woolf, who are making a similarly unapologetically smart racket. I was tempted to pass this one over because I found the artwork a bit underwhelming, but I'm glad that I took the time to check it out because this is a real gem.