Has anyone checked out this album? It's the Wrens' first in about seven years, and I'm thinking right now that it's one of my favorites of the year. Everything in it is right on--great songs, tight musicianship. It's an underdog of an album, but I am almost certain that you won't be sorry if you make a blind purchase on this one.

This was another one of those albums that took me a couple of spins to actually start enjoying it. The first couple of times, it was sorta like "I've heard this one before." After that, I really started to notice some of the brilliance in the songs. I kind of expected more after reading so much positive press on it, but it took a while for me to actually appreciate this album. The musicianship is tight; the guitar work is head-turning, and the production is solid.

It's the albums that slowly grow on you that tend to be the ones that stick the best.

Meh, I've listened to this several times and it still leaves me dry. It isn't terrible -the songs are rather tight, the hooks aren't bad- but I just can't see what the incredible fuss is about. It's another good indie-pop band. Okay.

I guess part of my bitterness about them is the amount of press they've received lately. For an album that doesn't strike me as *that* remarkable, the publicity seems ill-fitting, IMHO. Interpol leaves a sour taste in my mouth for slightly different reasons (could they please release some new damn music?), but essentially I feel they went through a similar treatment: put out a good rock record and the press blows it into an out of control beast.

Hm. I have only read one review of it ever, so I didn't know that the critics were blowing it out of proportions. Tha doesn't mean they aren't, though.

Yeh, Metacritic's cumulative score (out of 100) is 90. Pretty high for a collection of reviews. I know Pitchfork gave it a 9.5 and of course you know the rating yr site gave it .

I haven't heard this album yet, but I think a 9.5 from Pitchfork pretty much guarantees I won't like it.

Actually, I didn't know we even reviewed it until just now. But yeah, it got a 5/5 from one of our writers:

from www.tinymixtapes.com:

"New Jersey's The Wrens are finally back. After 1996's pretty-much-brilliant Secaucus, the band has been on where-are-they-now status for the last six or so years, playing no shows since 1998 (though there's at least one upcoming show penciled in) and rumors of record contract mishaps and recording troubles buzzing by the ears of anyone who bothered to care. So they're back, and why should YOU care? Well, plain and simple, this is what those of us who bought Secaucus and loved it have been hoping for. Frankly, the sheer volume and quality on that record and the Wrens' debut, Silver, had pretty well assured me that they'd be able to put something awesome together yet again. Here it is. In the same vein as classic indie rock bands like Sebadoh and current rock-poppers Boyracer, this is a big, wonderful album loaded with hooks, balanced (more than previous albums) between softer, dreamy songs and loud, fast rockers. The record begins with nighttime cricket chirpings, strummy guitar, and fuzzy falsettos on "The House that Guilt Built," builds up more on "Happy," and falls into poppy step by the time "This Boy is Exhausted" begins. My personal favorite is the indie anthem "Boys You Won't Remember," which sounds a bit like "Safe & Comfortable," my favorite tune from Secaucus. This year is going pretty damn well so far, but this record will be remembered. It's really ****ing good. Don't wait around for Pitchfork to laud it. Order it right now, a**holes."

I love our writers sometimes.

Yeah, but they gave the Shins' new record Chutes too Narrow an 8.9 or something close, and that's a right on target review. That's one of my favorites of the year so far.

By the way, thanks for the new sig.

At one point I thought that place was the holy garden 'o criticism...then I realized they spend more time writing obtuse analogies than talking about the music. William Bowers excluded - I usually disagree w/ him but love reading his articles.

But I'll never admit it.

Interesting. Do you normally prefer short and sweet reviews? We find this kind of info helpful.

Mmm, the length of the review doesn't really mean too much to me. I like Tinymixtapes because the reviews are very quick and unpretentious, but I don't always walk away with a good understanding of what the album sounds like. My favorite webzine, Dusted Magazine, has longer reviews but they are always very quality. I do give kudos to yr website on the news updates/writing, though. You guys are my #1 pick for grab bag info on bands - always on top and precise.

-edit-

Some more on...

Dusted also has really excellent features. I especially enjoy the "Listed" article: each Tuesday they select two of their favorite artists and ask them to make a 'top' list of their choosing. Usually it is 10 bands or albums that greatly influence them or that they especially like, but sometimes the artists mention books and live shows, etc. I also like the way they do year end lists - ask bands to make top 10 lists and they post all of them. I haven't taken the time to look at all of the listings, but they have many, many, many contributors. The site's critics then each write up their own year-end lists (kinda like Neumu w/o the point system) and you can read whichever crit you happen to like. It's more of a collective than an organization, I suppose. Regardless, I feel like there is more freedom in their site.

I also appreciate that they have a forum and encourage the readers to critque their articles. There isn't the untouchable feel that Pitchfork has (ie - that ILM conversation where Chris Ott basically said something to the effect of, "I am a writer, you are my readership. If you think I care what you have to say, you are overestimating your place in the world." ) Ben Tausig has a very interesting write up from a week or two ago that I really appreciated.

Thanks for the input, fallow!

I caught these guys on Satuday night, in an opening slot for the Magnolia Electric Co. (Songs: Ohia). Easily, it was one of the most impressive sets that I've seen all year. These guys came out strong and on fire! For such a short set, they managed to impress a small room of people who were not really prepared for such rockedness (for those unfamiliar with the music of Songs: Ohia, it doesn't share the same amount of intensity that a power pop band like the Wrens has). I love Songs: Ohia, but the Wrens totally outshined them for the night. Whoever put that billing together should think twice about the kind of music they're pairing.