Snakedrill is an EP by English rock band Wire, released in November 1986 by Mute Records.
It was the first release after the band's five-year hiatus (1980–1985), and foreshadows their extensive use of electronic instrumentation on following albums, particularly on "A Serious of Snakes", which contains multiple layered synth and keyboard parts.
"A Serious of Snakes" and "Advantage in Height" are slightly mainstream, avant-pop tracks, while the droning "Drill", which is based around a single chord, is described by Paul Lester in the book Lowdown: The Story of Wire as "far removed from the luscious musicality" of earlier songs like "Outdoor Miner" and "Map Ref.
The almost a cappella "Up to the Sun," sung as a duet by Graham Lewis and Colin Newman, is likened to a Gregorian chant by Lester.
[2][1] The track is described by AllMusic as a "pseudo-mystical incantation" and was allegedly written by Lewis in order to "cure" Newman, who had been suffering from hepatitis.