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Music reviews |
The Wrens - The Meadowlands
A near-masterpiece, oozing integrity and talent, from a hard-luck N.J. indie band.
Absolutely Kosher
Release date: 9/9/03
Rating: A-1. The House That Guilt Built 1:22
2. Happy 5:33
3. She Sends Kisses 5:57
4. This Boy Is Exhausted 4:17
- (mp3 from Absolutely Kosher)
5. Hopeless 5:08
6. Faster Gun 3:50
7. Thirteen Grand 4:09
8. Boys, You Won't 4:29
- (mp3 from Absolutely Kosher)
9. Ex-Girl Collection 4:39
10. Per Second Second 3:38
11. Everyone Chooses Sides 4:39
12. 13 Months in 6 Minutes 6:50
13. This Is Not What You Had Planned 1:37The first record in seven years from a hard-luck veteran New Jersey group with day jobs, The Meadowlands is indie rock at its very, absolute best. Sounding a bit like Guided by Voices, a bit like the Shins, but not really like anyone but themselves, the Wrens have created a collection of songs that is hard to praise effusively enough.
The record draws you in as soon as the back-porch crickets, highway noise and forlorn guitar herald the first few seconds of the weary 1:22 opener, “The House That Guilt Built.” This fades into the stirring three-note riff of the masterpiece “Happy,” an achingly pretty midtempo breakup song that faintly recalls Death Cab for Cutie but bests most of that group’s output.
Next is the perhaps too-accessible ballad “She Sends Kisses,” which starts with accordion and slowly layers on instruments along with the first verses, but sort of deteriorates into one of the album’s rare weak moments with a sappy, soft-rocky chorus that strays too far into Dashboard Confessional territory.
Things pick up again with the fourth track, the faster, excellent “This Boy Is Exhausted,” which almost sounds like a bonus track from Chutes Too Narrow (I mean that in the best possible way). Like several songs on the album, this one compellingly vents the frustration – and the untrammeled hope – of a band that has been at it for fifteen years (though only three albums) and whose members now find themselves in their mid-thirties. “I can’t type, I can’t temp, I’m way past college. No ways out, no back doors, not anymore. But then once a while, we’ll play a show, then it makes it worthwhile,” croaks primary singer Charles Bissell – that lyric makes you want to send an e-mail to the address on the CD’s back cover telling them to stick with it, they’re doing something great here. Don’t give up please. And keep touring.
“Hopeless” sounds similar to its predecessor – lots of guitar and bounce – but with some perfect harmonies and synth, though it’s probably a minute too long at 5:09. It’s followed by the only song I’d probably skip, “A Faster Gun,” which starts out promisingly sounding a bit like Regatta du Blanc-era Police, but quickly gets a bit annoying, with siren-like synth and a too-often-repeated chorus. The tenth track, “Per Second Second,” succeeds at this faster new wave sound where “Gun” fails.
The wistful “Thirteen Grand,” another breakup song, slows things down considerably with a string section and gorgeous acoustic guitar. The song recalls the Pernice Brothers; in fact, the only drawback is that it reminds you that Joe Pernice’s voice is better than that of whoever is singing on this one – the Wrens switch off the vocals a lot – despite an earnest effort.
“Boys, You Won’t,” once you get beyond the shrieking guitar intro, makes clear that the Wrens listen to Built to Spill on occasion. But they do a very good job of it. Next is the magnificent “Ex-Girl Collection,” for the moment at least my favorite song on the album (picked out of a strong field). Those Byrds guitars, those dry, wry lyrics about serial infidelity, that parting shot, “I’m roger over and how, slower now men mark time, fine. Why, what else you got?” followed by a minute of two-guitar slow-down and fade-out. Wow.
“Everyone Choose Sides,” a choppy rocker about how much it sucks to be one of the Wrens, is another keeper. In fact, along with “Per Second Second” among the album’s faster tracks, it’s the least subdued and controlled. The playing is looser and fuzzier, and it works well, they could use a dash of grunge. The last two songs, the long ballad “13 months in 6 minutes” and the outro “This Is Not What You Had Planned” are skillful but slow and meandering, a bit of a comedown from the album’s high points.
My only across-the-board criticism of The Meadowlands is a small one: the songs’ relationship to each other. The album shifts gears a lot, and switches sounds and influences from song to song. This is more a problem of song order: anyone who’s ever made a mix tape (or CD) knows you don’t order your songs fast-slow-fast-slow-fast. But the Wrens did some of that here, giving the album an unfocused, less-than-cohesive feel that it doesn’t deserve.
But that’s the worst thing I could come up with to say about this record. It’s been stuck in my CD player for days and I’ve got no urge to take it out yet. And why should I – The Wrens spent four years making this (January 1999 to January 2003, the liner notes say). This is not disposable music – The Meadowlands is made to last.
