condition (record/cover): NM / VG+

A unique pairing of one of the U.K.'s most pioneering labels and members of one of its most innovative bands, 3R4 has the distinction of being 4AD's second release and one of the earliest ambient experiments Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis explored outside of Wire. The duo, joined by bassist/vocalist Davyd Boyd, percussionist Russell Mills, and engineer Eric Radcliffe, dive deeper into the free-flowing territory they mapped out on the Like This for Ages EP, which they released under the Cupol moniker. At times, 3R4 plays like an exploded drawing of Wire's music just prior to their early-'80s hiatus: the call-and-response interplay between the noodly bass and choppy, distorted guitar that gradually overtakes "3. 4..."'s shimmering drones and shuffling beats could have been extracted from 154 and then expanded seemingly into infinity. However, most of the album finds Lewis and Gilbert moving away from Wire's overt structures and defined sounds, particularly on the 20-minute "R," on which they let a few elements -- tape manipulation, distant vocals, hints of percussion -- drift into and over each other almost imperceptibly. As with the best ambient music, 3R4 rewards listeners whether they're paying close attention to its minute shifts or letting them flow into the background, and also marks an important time in Gilbert and Lewis' post-Wire careers.