Snakedrill is an EP by English rock band Wire, released in November 1986 by Mute Records. It was the first release after the band's five-year hiatus (1980–1985), and foreshadows their extensive use of electronic instrumentation on following albums, particularly on "A Serious of Snakes", which contains multiple layered synth and keyboard parts.
| Snakedrill | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| EP by | ||||
| Released | November 1986[1] | |||
| Recorded | Summer 1986[1] | |||
| Studio | The Strong Room, London[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 15:53 | |||
| Label | Mute | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Wire chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[3] |
The entire EP is now included in the form of bonus tracks on The Ideal Copy (1987).
Content
edit"A Serious of Snakes" and "Advantage in Height" are slightly mainstream, avant-pop tracks, while the droning "Drill", which is based around a single chord, is described by Paul Lester in the book Lowdown: The Story of Wire as "far removed from the luscious musicality" of earlier songs like "Outdoor Miner" and "Map Ref. 41°N 93°W". Instead, "the delight," he wrote, "lay in the sonic layers and textures rather than any melodic twists and turns." The almost a cappella "Up to the Sun," sung as a duet by Graham Lewis and Colin Newman, is likened to a Gregorian chant by Lester.[2][1] The track is described by AllMusic as a "pseudo-mystical incantation" and was allegedly written by Lewis in order to "cure" Newman, who had been suffering from hepatitis.[2]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Wire
- "'A Serious of Snakes...'" – 4:53
- "Drill" – 5:05
- "Advantage in Height" – 3:05
- "Up to the Sun" – 2:50
Personnel
editAdapted from the EP liner notes, except where noted.[4]
Wire
Technical personnel
- Daniel Miller – producer, mixing[1][5]
- Gareth Jones – producer, engineer,[5][6] mixing[5][6]
- David Buckland – cover photography
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Lester, Paul (2009). Lowdown: The Story of Wire. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857120410. Retrieved 6 January 2023 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c Wilson Neate. "Snakedrill". Allmusic. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
- ^ Robert Christgau. "Wire". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
- ^ Snakedrill (Media notes). Wire. Mute Records. 1986.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b c 1985–1990: The A List (Media notes). Wire. Mute Records. 1993.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b "Music Production and Mixing: Discography 1986". garethjones.com. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
External links
edit- Snakedrill at Discogs (list of releases)
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