On Disc

The Lines

Memory Span

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BY Kieran Grant   May 21, 2008 14:05

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The trend that started earlier this decade with reissues from vintage UK indie luminaries Swell Maps and Orange Juice, then moved on to the more obscure likes of Josef K, reaches deeper into the archives with Acute Records’ dusting-off of The Lines (not to be confused with the contemporary Wolverhampton band). Operational from ‘78 through ‘83, this overlooked London-area combo fit alongside the more explorative guitar-post-punk of the day, paring down Krautrockist aspirations into trim, herky-jerky bop. (1980’s “2Split Seconds” anticipates both Josef K and US cousins The Minutemen.) Yet, from debut single “White Night” onward, there’s a melodic undercurrent that also makes The Lines a sort of missing link between Wire and The Stone Roses. Never is this more evident than on ‘81’s splendid “Nerve Pylon.” Youthful copyists take heed: here lies buried treasure. 

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