Meadows are liminal spaces that lead to or from destinations – in and of themselves, they are often bare and underdeveloped. Seven years after their previous record, The Wrens’ members were either working in advertising, financial services, or for pharmaceutical companies. That’s not to imply that the individuals had failed – only that their subsequent art, while beautiful, is devastated by reality. ‘The Meadowlands’ is crushing, but it has the pop sensibility to totally captivate. The album’s enduring pull can be felt in the peppy ‘Hopeless,’ which happens to feature some of the most cutting lyrics of the 00s. The scream on the closer belongs in The Indie Rock Museum.
29/30
A favourite: ‘Hopeless’
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