Wire - “Map Ref. 41°N 93°W”
I’m currently rereading Simon Reynolds’ seminal, essential history of postpunk Rip It Up and Start Again. It’s a real treat, because it seems like every time I read this book I manage to find a whole new set of songs to get really excited and misplacedly nostalgic about. This Wire track, for example. It’s much more “pop” than anything I’ve heard from them before, but at the same time it is deeply weird - everything from the name to the lyrical focus on cartography to the soupy, proggy mix. Still, though, I can’t stop listening to it. Mr. Reynolds writes that “as pop choruses go, ‘lines of longitude and latitude/Define and refine my altitude’ doesn’t exactly scream ‘chart potential,’” which is strictly true, I suppose, but which also does a disservice to the actual insane catchiness of the “CHORUS!” I have definitely caught myself singing along to it on the subway. Yeah, I’m that guy.
