Ear Buzz Review

Kirk Armstrong has channeled the nuances of alternative pop ala XTC and Elvis Costello while paying homage to production paths of the 60’s and 70’s in the record, “Wire”. Armstrong’s focus is on songwriting – and the opening track has many attributes of a well-crafted piece of musical writing. “Laura Lie”, has a hooky chorus, 2-step Beatle-esque verse drum support, and 3-part major-self-harmony backup. Track 3, “Come On Little Girl”, employs harmonies ala Hazy Shade of Winter as Armstrong pays homage to the pop of the past. Armstrong does not focus on one genre as he takes a stab at the dance/euro pop set in “Colours of Despair”. Armstrong almost goes reggae in “I’ve Been Dreaming” as he describes the longing of a long lost love. The clean production is a nice contrast to the rest of the record. The clean strat-based guitar work is subtle and tasty. The final track is a fitting ending to the record as Armstrong slows down the pace a bit and again focuses on writing and pop as he did with the opening track. In between both well done songs, is a 10-tune cream filling of different flavors that fit into the pop/rock/nostalgia categories.