The Wrens
Abbott 1135
Ten 23
The Wrens are a band that never fail to catch and bend my ear with the same ease that Superman bends steel. This EP, issued after the band parted ways with their previous label and turned down a shot with the majors, contains six songs that carefully reconstruct the Wrens’ unusual melodic approach. To me, listening to the Wrens is like catching glimpses of familiar faces across the street – hearing bits of the Pixies with Police vocal harmonies, or a melody straight out of the Velvet Underground streaming through a jagged guitar attack worthy of the Archers of Loaf. “I Guess We’re Done,” the slower song on this EP, is a beautiful swaying ballad whose chiming (literally) background sticks in my mind. Everything I’ve heard of the Wrens’ is worthy of repeated listenings, and that’s rare for me these days. Ten 23 Records, 446 9th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215
