Album Review: There Were Wires - Somnambulists
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
When you usually get an artist remastering and releasing old work, they are either promoting a new box set or trying to tweak one or two engineering issues on the original record, but with this one from There Were Wires, the 5-piece punk/hardcore outfit from Boston, New England, they are bringing their music back with a renewed sense of energy to a new, diverse and much wider audience.
“Somnanbulists” was written, recorded and released in 2003 and was a completely different direction for the band, being more expansive and less punchy than previous efforts, and throughout the record, you can sense the collective angst of the band members.
The songs meander through different stages, “New Doom” is fierce and ferocious, yet demonstrates their gentle and softer side, urging you to look deep into their souls. With heartfelt and honest lyrics such as, “Lights go on, lights go out and we’re all so tired, I know” they are telling their audience that they truly understand what you are going through and they are with you on the crazy ride that we call life.
The lyrics are dark and meaningful, and vocalist Jamie Mason addresses a wide range of topics, whether its self-loathing, fractured families or victimization, they are lyrics that people can no doubt identify with, “A mouth of gravel for the dead on the shore” is such an emotive lyric from the brilliant “Get Cryptic”
The musicianship is cleverly constructed and works effortlessly across all the songs, particularly the instrumentals “Walking” and “Waking” but it really shines brightest on “Black Magic Rabbit”, as its such a beautifully crafted track, before it delivers the withering line of “You are the same two lines in a book I didn’t buy”, sheer brilliance and wonderfully timed.
Some remastered works aren’t worth the effort, but “Somnambulists” has made the 17 year gap worth waiting for.
Thanks for featuring There Were Wires! Great write up!