The Vanguard
October 2000

"Bare wire consists of a young woman named Simone Grey, who has a very unique and beautiful voice. She sounds similar to artists like Sarah McLachlan and Tori Amos with a dark and gloomy type of aura. Her voice is very entrancing and she has a very wide range of notes and emotions in her music. There is no doubt that she is a very talented singer. Her lyrics portray a sort of dark and sad plethora of emotions and would appeal to more feminine listeners.

"The CD 'Delicatessen' seems to give me the 'I want to go out and kill myself; feeling, and it could be very depressing if I were in an already depressed or sad mood to begin with. Her lyrics seem to relate to a darker side of feelings and don't put the listener into the best of spirits to say the least. Sometimes, however, I enjoy going taking a bath and this is the perfect bath time music; her captivating voice is ideal for laying down and going into a trance while taking a nice relaxing bath or just to lie down while listening. This music, however, does have a label on it, specifying that her music would not be suitable for suicidal persons, and is best listened to very loud, in the dark, with headphones.

"The background music is very unique to anything I have ever heard. It gives kind of a feeling of being in a dream with background music. The varying sounds and instruments sound hypnotic and just highlight the talent that emanates from her vocal chords. The background is dark, but it doesn't overpower the intensity of her voice.

"'Delicatessen' is a good CD for those persons specifically interested in saddening type music with a talented artist and deeper lyrics. One who isn't into some of the darker music put out by Sarah McLachlan or the Cranberries would not be very interested in listening, while one who is interested in that genre, would find "Delicatessen" rich with talent and depth of emotions."

-- Nicole Guadagnoli

"Bare Wire is a conceptual artist, something different from the drudgery of the standard female singer-songwriter scene... Delicatessen is a decidedly odd album, but it does make surprisingly good background music for studying or being contemplatively alone."

-- Rob Bellinger

Do not listen while operating machinery.

"The slow songs with a trance-like synthesizer as the major instrumental implement other than a weaving of the voice patterns of Simone Grey, not to mention the subject matter itself, does not make for an adrenaline pumping adventure. Instead, the sound lets one peer into the depth of what this person is feeling and going through: the passion, love and agony of relationships. At a first listen, it seemed as though there was no climax, but after the next listen, when I understood the sound better, it became clearer and had a good sense of depth. Much passion that most people try to hide themselves from, is interestingly hidden within the music. In songs such as 'Dirt,' there is a masterful use of the voice. Grey, the performer, writer and producer, knows what her qualities are and brings them out quite well in the production stages of the musical composition. The songs do not possess the seemingly generically set length either. Some songs top off at 10 seconds and others are minutes long. ItŐs nice to see a performer break the general mold set by the industry..."

-- Dennis Edson

'Delicatessen' prompts listeners to do some soul searching

"Simone Grey, the voice of Bare Wire, is an artist on her way up. Through her recording, it is obvious she is forging a new genre of music, as all great artists do..."

"...on my first listen I put the album in my stereo and walked away. I figured it would be good background music to accompany my homework. I tried working, but it was like a siren was calling me, beckoning me to listen to her. Then I turned out the lights and just listened to 'Delicatessen' again and again.

"I did not finish my homework, but I feel I gained so much more by just absorbing Bare Wire's duablity of simplicity and complexity. Her songs are not riddles that leave you wondering the meaning, but are instead poignantly evident. Unlike most artists, she completely unmasks the barriers between her personal life and her lyrics. As the name Bare Wire suggests, she has left everything open for all..."

"From my point of view, this album is disturbing, which is also what attracts me to it. It is as though all of the songs flow together around the central theme, yet each song stands alone, as its own entity. It is not too heavy or too folky. Her sound is of raw and subversive sorrow.

"She reminds me of Sheila Chandra, although she is not an easily-accessible comparison either. Holding the most attraction for me is the song 'Compulsion.'"

"Chanting her way through each song, the only instrumentation is a synthesizer. That would also probably be the only aspect I could find fault in. I prefer some varying instruments, but 'Delicatessen' seems to do just fine without them. I would, however, expect more experimentation on the proceeding albums.

"Thankfully, she is not screaming her lyrics, and added to that the repetition of particular words give her sound a mantra-like quality. The songs are definitely short, but carry an ocean of depth and emotion with every wave of sound. Imploring for love and acceptance, her despair is quite eerie.

"'Delicatessen' allows us to be witnesses inside Simone's mind and heart. It is with this genuine truth that Bare Wire is in a category all by itself. The album may not suit a majority's acceptance but it will be adored by listeners who like innovation.

"There does not seem to be any particular song that might get a lot of airplay on the radio, but her time will come. Overall, I truly enjoyed this album."

-- Skye Enyeart

"A sharp-pitched voice bellows out, and soon you feel as if being led down a very dark and long tunnel. Don't panic! its just Simone Grey enveloping your senses by taking you along her desperate path. Filled with thick textures and layered vocals, Delicatessen is a rare work of music performed by this one-woman band.

"Resonating with tones similar to Tori Amos and Dolores O' Riordan, Bare Wire explores the use of deeply emotional voice inflection and vocal movement to construct a web of sorrow and sensitivity. Simone is open about her vulnerability, which is what makes the album so striking. As she whines and whispers out vocals such as 'please don't break me,' and 'I am nothing without you, I am nothing,' the album's purpose becomes visible. It is to expose Simone's feelings, using the unseen audience as a cathartic outlet. Listening to the album makes one feel as if they are reading her personal diary, and slowly becoming entangled in her vocals that scream for understanding. One of the most lyrically powerful songs, which makes any Prozac pill worthless, is 'Seaweed': 'Here you will find my broken body, my broken soul, washed on the shore, torn on the rocks of your disaffection and your neglect.'

"'No Auto Focus' and 'Compulsion' are some of the best tracks on this album. In these songs Simone really explores her voice more and inflects differently than on many of the other tracks, which can seem quite repetitive in tone. The lack of change is the biggest downside to this album. Often the background percussion stays at a melancholy low, without enough variation. It also seems that in this album, the listener is only getting a taste of what Simone Grey is vocally capable of. Her voice cries out beautifully, but doesn't range beyond the depressive. Many of the songs are also quite short in length, which may be seen as a drawback to some people.

"What this album definitely does achieve is a different tone than what is out there, especially in comparison to what is being played on popular radio. Bare Wire has a stark and experimental sound that makes it very unique, and for this reason it is worth giving it a listen. But this isn't the kind of album where you can hear one song and be merrily on your way. Instead, Delicatessen should be listened to as a continuous whole in attempt to really get a sense of what it's trying to accomplish."

-- Mandy Major, Music Desk Writer

"Is it possible to walk by an incomplete puzzle without placing together some pieces?

"Bare Wire has laid down its puzzle pieces, 15 songs of melodic aggression and sorrow, leaving them to be combined in your personal interpretation..."

"Grey's vocal sound could easily be compared to Alanis Morisette or Dolores O'Riordan, while the music is reminiscent of Portishead.

"The lyrics on 'Delicatessen' are basic when read alone, but when listening to Grey pour her heart into them, crooning one syllable words into multisyllabic moans and groans, they develop into mini soap operas, leading you to believe they've been taken from her diary after the end of a bad relationship.

"In 'Seaweed' Grey angelically sings the lines 'Torn on the rocks, of your disaffection and your neglect,' an excerpt of her hurt and pain.

The album, correctly described as 'the soundtrack to your next suicide attempt,' is little more than a half-hour long, with few of its songs lasting longer than two minutes, although, sometimes less is more.

"The album, like the puzzle, overwhelmingtly draws you in. And like the puzzle, you don't get the whole picture until the album is complete..."

-- Heather Duffy, Entertainment Editor

Bare Wire is not for the light-hearted

"The sticker on the CD itself reads, 'A first listen is best if very loud, in the dark, with headphones.' Since I was studying psychology already, I figured why not, and strapped on the headphones...As I began to listen to the CD, I dropped my psych book and realized that there are more issues on this CD than in that book...

"As you might guess, Delicatessen isn't a light and airy pop album for easy listening moments. Complexity in simplicity seems to be the essence of this album as Simone Grey's powerful and seductive vocals combine with simple, percussion-less backgrounds to create an eerily beautiful atmosphere. The album has been affectionately dubbed 'the soundtrack to your next suicide attempt,' a name which, due to Grey's obsessive and dark vocals may be well deserved. However, this album could also be 'the soundtrack to the next time you get laid.' Grey's sensuous vocals have been compared to those of Tori Amos and Bjork, but the simplicity of the album forces her vocals to shine in a different light than other similar artists. Grey has no band or glitz to hide behind. It's just her, and a bass, bare.

"Bare is also a good adjective to describe Grey's lyrics. Of course, bare is not to say lacking. Even though some songs are only three or four words, like 'Water Glass,' whose lyrics are 'please don't break me,' Grey has found a way to make one or two words speak volumes. Grey's voice conveys both urgency and existentialism, at times evolving the words themselves into music.

"Unfortunately, Grey's avant-garde attitude, combined with the fact that most of the tracks on the album are fairly short, means that you probably won't hear Bare Wire on the radio anytime soon. That may just prove to be for the better. Delicatessen is an album to be experienced as an album, not in radio-friendly singles but as a cohesive whole...

-- Matthew Chiabotti

"This is one of the most unusual CD's I've heard in a long time. Not so much unusual in its content or lyrics, I've listened to some pretty bizarre stuff in my time, but unusual in the sense that it's not the kind of thing I usually listen to. Simone Grey, the single artist behind the name Bare Wire, has been compared to Tori Amos, but since I'm not familiar with her work I don't feel qualified to make that comparison. My best approximation of her sound would be as a creepy yet inviting ambient droning that draws you in. Her voice is similar in tone to Emma Townshend, though I'm sure many aren't familiar with her work either, as is often the irony of unusual music. However, the similarities end there. The name 'Bare Wire' is an appropriate pseudonym...and the simple fact that if you take the time to listen and read the lyrics and the message, you will notice that Simone herself is the bare wire, leaving raw emotion exposed for all to see and interpret. Although I cannot relate to all of the emotions expressed, I respect her for sharing thoughts so deep and personal, as so few musicians are able to get past 'safe' superficial emotions. Delicatessen is obviously the creation of an artistic mind, as it can be interpreted on multiple levels. It seeks out to express not only a feeling, but a whole emotional world of one person's mind, the process of falling into despair through broken relationships. The lyrics are simple and concise, and the album is relatively short, only about thirty minutes long, but is arranged like musical poetry...

"One of the albums' strengths is that although it is expressing pain, it still retains a human quality, that there is a still a struggling person somewhere behind these emotions. Instead of pushing the audience away with the shock value of describing graphic or violent situations it describes the emotions themselves and invites the listener in to explore their own mind and even to leave if they choose. I noticed this with my own reactions to the CD. I didn't like it at first, but there was something about it that made me give it another listen or two. I set it aside and went back to it several times before forming a concrete opinion. I can't say for sure if I would recommend this album, as that would depend on whom I was recommending it to. It's one of those albums you have to be in the mood to listen to if you're not currently depressed, unless you don't pay attention to it and leave it as ambient background noise -- but it's still not for the top 40 crowd. Depressed or not, I would certainly recommend it to those interested in artists that experiment with the boundaries of music as an art form..."

-- Sarah Walkowiak, Associate Editor

"Every once in a while, a female musician comes along and rocks the boat of music just enough to make a few waves. In the past, musicians like Sarah McLachlan, Bjork and Tori Amos all made enough noise to gain the attention of fans and critics alike.

"A new artist, Simone Grey, the voice of Bare Wire, may just be the next to take the boat out for a ride. Bare Wire's album, 'Delicatessen,' is a moody mix of sounds that combines Portishead with Dead Can Dance and a splash of Enigma. Although the 'band' is composed of only one woman, she fills the spot beautifully.

"Bare Wire isn't a hard-hitting album full of radio-ready hits, but it is an interesting album worthy of being checked out.

"The tracks are rather short in length, but Grey's voice has an eerie sound that entrances the audience to listen to her tales of love, heartache and life. 'Here are my cold cuts -- my story, my existence, my demise, on display for all to see, to ridicule, to judge. Anyone can buy and eat or just walk away. Anyone can make me, break me or ignore me. Go ahead, you decide,' [as] said in her liner notes.

"So far, Bare Wire's challenge has been accepted by over 76 stations across the United States and abroad, including WCRD 91.3 FM, one of Ball State's radio stations.

"Instead of spending lots of money on flashy album covers and booklets, Bare Wire keeps it simple with black and white photos of women in different forms adorning the front and inside of the liner notes. Lyrics to the songs are also provided, giving the audience the opportunity to follow along on the musical journey of the album.

"Looking at the lyrics, one might notice a simplistic but meaningful style similar to Nine Inch Nails on the albums 'Downward Spiral' and 'Pretty Hate Machine.'

"Some of the gems on 'Delicatessen' include track number one, 'Verisimilitude,' which starts off with Grey crooning 'I know I said I'm fine, but I lied.'

"The one flaw of the album is a lack of any real drastic changes in the styles of sounds in the songs. In some ways this works, for example if the listener isn't concentrating on the album, but instead using it as background music while studying or sleeping.

"In other ways, this style leaves the listener feeling like they're hearing one continuous track and may cause some to grow weary of the album.

"Overall, 'Delicatessen' is a nice start to a promising career for Grey. Hopefully on her next album, Grey will continue to grow, taking the best parts of her previous work and building on them."

-- Angela Manginelli, Chief Reporter