Pitchfork: The Wrens Prepare Expanded Reissue, Tour

The Wrens Prepare Expanded Reissue, Tour
Blue Jays prepare big win against SF, but suck at life

Ryan Schreiber & Joshua Sharp report:
On the heels of last year's revered full-length The Meadowlands, their first in seven years, indie rock's favorite 40+ indie rock ensemble that's not the Pixies are gearing up for another full-length release-- of sorts. Presently, co-frontman Charles Bissell is holed up in the band's studio remastering The Wrens' 1999 EP, Abbott 1135, for re-release. The disc, which originally contained six tracks and is currently out of print, is receiving a major facelift from the band, who plan to tack on several tracks recorded between 1996's Secaucus and The Meadowlands but which have never before been released. This will effectively expand the disc to a full-length LP-- their own "lost album" of sorts.

The disc is tentatively slated for release in October via Absolutely Kosher, which issued The Meadowlands, although label owner Cory Brown voiced some uncertainty when we spoke to him yesterday afternoon: "I'd like to get the record out before the end of the year, and I know Charles is working hard on it. He just bought a table today to help with the mixing." Needless to say, this unnecessary extravagance deeply disappoints us at Pitchfork. Engineering can be just as easily accomplished lying in the dirt-- to say nothing of the band's apparent support of the notoriously corrupt table industry.

So what of The Wrens' first two out-of-print full-lengths, Silver and Secaucus? Well, Brown has been in talks with Wind-Up Records, formerly Grass Records, who originally released the albums, for upwards of a year now, to no avail. He has recently made offers to win the two albums back from Wind-Up, but the label continues to show a lack of interest. Still, Brown was optimistic this afternoon, stating that he feels he is making progress with the Creed-pushing powerhouse, and that it is possible that they could come around. Until they do, Silver and Secaucus both remain out of print, and are only readily available via shady eBay merchants who'll be expecting you to dish out upwards of $40.

In the meantime, The Wrens are set to administer a breath-reducing chokehold upon your town, having embarked upon another U.S. tour that features sporadic appearances throughout the nation over the course of the summer. The Wrens have dubbed this tour "Saturdays Only '04", which is a bit cryptic and misleading, as several of the dates fall on Fridays. We're not stupid, you know. But we can't say that we blame them; the band has been on the road nearly nonstop since the release of The Meadowlands back in September. Tell them I love them at your pick of the following dates:

06-19 New York, NY - The Bowery Ballroom 07-16 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall (w/Jim Yoshii Pile-Up) 07-17 Los Angeles, CA - Knitting Factory (w/Jim Yoshii Pile-Up) 08-20 Denton, TX - Hailey's 08-21 Austin, TX - Emo's (w/Okkervil River) 09-10 Seattle, WA - Crocodile Cafe (w/Swords Project) 09-11 Portland, OR - Berbati's Pan (w/Swords Project, Crooked Fingers)