Bare Wires Romantic Girl

Matthew Melton has been rocking out in the East Bay with Bare Wires for some time now, but their latest, Seeking Love, is the first polished product that displays the energy and vigor of the project in a tidy package. This album retains the hard rocking 70's inspired garage punk of previous efforts, but has more than a few notable differences. The one I appreciate the most was that I was able to get this album on CD. I guess it was pretty cute that I could only find earlier work on cassette or vinyl, but for a guy that listens to music primarily on his computer, I felt the novelty wasn't quite worth inconvenience. The other obvious cosmetic difference is the lineup changes, but while the bass and percussion do keep things together well, the nut of band is Melton's retro punk guitar and melodiously distorted vocals.

The most important difference between then and now is more subtle; the music is on the whole easier to digest. The sounds are nice and distorted, but instead of making the album more difficult to listen to, it somehow makes all the parts fit together. Songs are short and forceful, but also interesting and vibrant. The melodies are pleasantly poppy, with early punk groups like The Ramones and The Stooges likely strong influences. Most impressive is the excellent job Melton does making the vocals fit great with both lyrics primarily focused on the opposite sex and high energy garage rock. Throughout the album Bare Wires sticks to what they know best and don't stray too far from their established formula. But as the album lasts just over 20 minutes, any branching out would probably just give them an ADD diagnosis on top of the already certified hyperactivity. Catch these boys at one of their shows in the Bay Area in July before they head out to conquer the nation in August and September.