Wednesday's Emotional Setup: Hopeless
This has been, as those who know me can tell, a pretty shitty year in some respects. I'm not going to get into the details here, but suffice to say it's been up and down for a long time. Which mean, if I can focus on something pretty unimportant for a minute, this was a great year for me to discover the Wrens.
I'm doing the blurb for their superb album The Meadowlands at Stylus, which isn't up yet, but I also did a thing on them for the Ontarion. I'll excerpt it here.
"The Wrens - The Meadowlands (Absolutely Kosher)
So you form a band with your friends. Years later, you’re all working shitty office jobs and playing the occasional show, but really, things have passed you by. What if you were secretly one of the best bands in the country? New Jersey’s Wrens have to live with that fact, and if The Meadowlands is any indication, near-crippling levels of despair, disappointment and anger follow from it. Songs like ‘She Sends Kisses’ (one of many tales of dissolving relationships here) are powerful enough when you can’t understand the slurry vocals; once you follow along with the lyrics, the impact hits you in the chest like a shot put. More than just some noble effort from a local band, this is the sound of lives being lived. The Wrens should be proud."
'Hopeless' might be my favorite song on the album, and is perfect to blast through the empty apartment as I do the dishes, wrap Xmas presents and prepare for tomorrow's board meeting. Luckily this is one of the songs I can't directly relate to on The Meadowlands, being about finally getting rid of someone who is bad for you (and for that reason, the climactic cry of "It just won't be me, ever again" bites every time I hear this song"). Instead, I just sing along to the chorus.
"Hopeless
That this will turn out better
This isn't what I wanted
I should have listened to them
Go thank yourself for nothing
It's really all you're good for
Ever year you wasted
And every half-assed offer"
Wish us luck.
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I'm doing the blurb for their superb album The Meadowlands at Stylus, which isn't up yet, but I also did a thing on them for the Ontarion. I'll excerpt it here.
"The Wrens - The Meadowlands (Absolutely Kosher)
So you form a band with your friends. Years later, you’re all working shitty office jobs and playing the occasional show, but really, things have passed you by. What if you were secretly one of the best bands in the country? New Jersey’s Wrens have to live with that fact, and if The Meadowlands is any indication, near-crippling levels of despair, disappointment and anger follow from it. Songs like ‘She Sends Kisses’ (one of many tales of dissolving relationships here) are powerful enough when you can’t understand the slurry vocals; once you follow along with the lyrics, the impact hits you in the chest like a shot put. More than just some noble effort from a local band, this is the sound of lives being lived. The Wrens should be proud."
'Hopeless' might be my favorite song on the album, and is perfect to blast through the empty apartment as I do the dishes, wrap Xmas presents and prepare for tomorrow's board meeting. Luckily this is one of the songs I can't directly relate to on The Meadowlands, being about finally getting rid of someone who is bad for you (and for that reason, the climactic cry of "It just won't be me, ever again" bites every time I hear this song"). Instead, I just sing along to the chorus.
"Hopeless
That this will turn out better
This isn't what I wanted
I should have listened to them
Go thank yourself for nothing
It's really all you're good for
Ever year you wasted
And every half-assed offer"
Wish us luck.
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