The Wrens - The Meadowlands

I must confess that like a stray cat ravaging through the garbage bins, I recently found myself scouring through the Pitchfork archives in search of their highest rated albums. While the web giant may be frequently misguided and always up themselves, they sure make the task of finding great albums a lot easier. One particular find was The Wrens’ latest album, The Meadowlands. It was actually released well back in 2003, but I like to apply the logic that if it’s new to me, surely it must be new to someone else out there. To my fellow ignoramuses, The Wrens are an indie rock band from the USA who formed in the late 80s. Despite being around for so long, The Meadowlands is actually only their third album. It’s a tragic tale of overbearing record labels and greedy entrepreneurs that resulted in a break of seven years following the release of their second album, Secaucus. Thankfully however, the very long gap gave them time to perfect their song writing, because the end result is simply brilliant. As I listened through The Meadowlands, I instantly got the impression that it was something special. It’s a feeling reminiscent of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. The album creeps along at a relatively slow pace which allows you to really appreciate every moment of it. The sound is relatively rough, often hidden behind a layer of distortion, but this is all part of their charm. It’s perfectly suited to the offering of clever melodies that are dotted throughout the album. If I was to cop out and describe them using comparisons, I would place them somewhere between Sparklehorse, Yo La Tengo and Pavement. Not bad at all. It’s been a while since I’ve found a new album that gives such an immersive listening experience. If you’re yet to hear The Meadowlands, I highly recommend it.

Happy – This would have to be the album’s epic. It undergoes quite a few interesting changes as it progresses, making it one of the albums obvious standouts

Ex-Girl Collection – This song on the other hand settles around just one melody and helps to mix the album’s sound up. It always grabs my attention as it gradually builds up from just a whisper.