It had to happen some time: WIRE on the cover. And don’t they look great! Since 1977’s Pink Flag, Wire have crushed and expanded rock at will. About to release their 17th album Mind Hive, the most stable line-up in the band’s history discuss facing the future while repurposing the past. By Dan Barrow

also featuring:

Katie Gately: Bereavement and ritual inform the new album from the Los Angeles based avant pop auteur. By Emily Pothast

Frank Denyer: With his unusual instrumental combinations and penchant for microtonality and extended technique, the English composer offers sanctuary from sensory overload. By Sam Richards

Invisible Jukebox: Mayo Thompson: Will The Wire’s mystery record selection trigger a “Free Form Freak-Out” for the Red Krayola founder? Tested by Alan Licht

Unlimited Editions: Recital Records

Unofficial Channels: Auctioneers

Marcela Lucatelli: The Brazilian composer and improvisor gets her shriek on. By Philip Clark

Nava & Shayna Dunkelman: Percussive siblings bond over the beat. By Kurt Gottschalk

Terry Allen: Weird country’s master storyteller returns. By George Grella

Global Ear: Malta: Creativity flourishes quietly in the shadow of turmoil. By Kurt Buttigieg

The Inner Sleeve: Freedom To Spend on Heroin

Epiphanies: Ryley Walker gives in to the temptation of Christian ska punk

Print Run: Poesy Matters by Catherine Christer Hennix; Other Matters by Catherine Christer Hennix; Girl To City: A Memoir by Amy Rigby; Horror Stories: A Memoir by Liz Phair; Double Lives In Art And Pop Music by Jörg Heiser; A New Day Yesterday: UK Progressive Rock & The 1970s by Mike Barnes; To Live And Defy In LA: How Gangsta Rap Changed America by Felicia Angeja Viator

On Screen: Liam Barker’s Voice Of The Eagle: The Enigma Of Robbie Basho; Posy Dixon’s Keyboard Fantasies: The Beverly Glenn-Copeland Story

On Site: Phill Niblock: Working Photos, New York, US; Jason Moran, New York, US

Soundcheck: Loads of reviews

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