BAND WE LIKE: LAUNDER ((L.A. dreampop))
((The Wrens)) Band Profile and Upcoming New York City Concerts - Oh My Rockness
The Wrens
The Wrens, it has often been said, are the hardest working indie band in the business. One thing for sure is that these guys have crazy perseverance. Forming in Jersey in the late 80's, it wasn't until 1994 that they were able to release a proper full-length album. Their debut, Silver, was followed two years later by Secaucus.
Both albums were critically acclaimed, if commercially overlooked. They blended the best elements of dreamy shoegazing acts like My Bloody Valentine with their own brand of quirky pop. Things finally seemed to be moving in all the right directions until the dog doo majorly hit the fan (my local pharmacy calls them "wind machines.") Their label was bought out and the higher-ups wanted to package The Wrens's sound for a wider audience. The Wrens said no and they were promptly dropped from the label.
Seven long years later, they were finally able to release their third album, The Meadowlands, on Absolutely Kosher. Though long overdue, the album was well worth the wait; it ended up on everyone and their mother's Top Ten list for 2003.
The Wrens haven't put out a new full-length since their modern masterpiece. But who cares, I still listen to that album all the time. It never grows old, I tell you!
Both albums were critically acclaimed, if commercially overlooked. They blended the best elements of dreamy shoegazing acts like My Bloody Valentine with their own brand of quirky pop. Things finally seemed to be moving in all the right directions until the dog doo majorly hit the fan (my local pharmacy calls them "wind machines.") Their label was bought out and the higher-ups wanted to package The Wrens's sound for a wider audience. The Wrens said no and they were promptly dropped from the label.
Seven long years later, they were finally able to release their third album, The Meadowlands, on Absolutely Kosher. Though long overdue, the album was well worth the wait; it ended up on everyone and their mother's Top Ten list for 2003.
The Wrens haven't put out a new full-length since their modern masterpiece. But who cares, I still listen to that album all the time. It never grows old, I tell you!
Published July 20, 2009
