“Zee zee zee, zum zum/ Buzz buzz/ buzz buzz in the eardrum.“

So goes the biggest hit single that Wire ever released, the new wave dance-rock thumper, “Eardrum Buzz.” It’s a fun bit of frivolity, almost atypically silly by Wire’s standards. Not that they ever kept their sense of humor hidden, but considering how deeply the band had descended into art-rock gloss in the late ’80s, it’s actually a little refreshing to see them throw their hands up and say, “Fuck it! Let’s make a pop song.” That it actually more or less paid off — placing on both the UK singles chart and Billboard modern rock tracks chart — proves that Wire were certainly capable of going pop, if not necessarily interested.

“Eardrum Buzz” isn’t all that representative of It’s Beginning To And Back Again, however, which might account for why so many cassette copies of the album ended up in bargain bins not long thereafter. Yet that Wire would slot one of their catchiest songs into a selection of some of their most peculiar seems, in retrospect, entirely in character. By and large it’s a good peculiar that Wire pursues here, best displayed on the extended reconfiguration of A Bell Is A Cup’s “Boiling Boy,” or the shimmering post-punk of “German Shepherds,” the only song here that can stand toe-to-toe with the highlights on their stunning third album, 154. But while the lows on IBTABA certainly didn’t tumble as far into the valleys of their next couple albums, there are some definite missteps, like the aimless ambience of “Public Place” or the vintage Wax Trax buzz-and-thud of “Illuminated.” And that the band saw it necessary to fill holes in the tracklist with alternate versions of existing songs suggested they might have begun to run out of steam. Yet these aren’t cardinal sins by any means. As the centerpiece of Wire’s second act, IBTABA reaches neither zenith nor nadir, as the band seemingly opts for having fun rather than breaking ground.