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The Meadowlands is absolutely essential.
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With about twenty killer lines or couplets per song, unexpected hooks coming from everywhere and one of the most ingenious track sequences of the year, it’s not really so hard to imagine what The Wrens have been doing all this time.
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With all four members taking the mic, cohesion should hardly be expected. Yet, for all the different styles the band employs on this album, all but the closing number seem indelibly stamped as this band's work, uniquely The Wrens.
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It's possible that The Meadowlands might be a "better" album if it were more focused and logical, but there's something to be said for its immersive, stream-of-consciousness approach.
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Unlike the overstuffed Silver or Seacaucus, The Meadowlands manages to reveal the expanse of the Wrens' vision without trading on their intimate charms.
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The Wrens experiment with sounds and textures you don't normally hear in so-called "rock" records, but unlike many groups, they manage to do this in a way that attracts attention without upstaging the actual music. And the songwriting just keeps getting better; there isn't a lackluster track in the bunch.
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In trading the adolescent kick of Secaucus for ripened resignation, meticulous refinement for crippling maturation, they have realized their magnum opus.
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Under The RadarA stunning return filled with irresistible pop of all varieties.... Note to major labels: you missed a gem. [#5, p.116]
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A fascinating, brokenhearted mess of a record.
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Q MagazineThe Meadowlands represents an impressive triumph of persistence over talent. [Oct 2005, p.121]
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New Musical Express (NME)The ultimate rare treasure. [24 Sep 2005, p.47]
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MojoThey've perfected their emo pop. [Jan 2006, p.132]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 92 out of 103
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Mixed: 2 out of 103
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Negative: 9 out of 103
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Sep 14, 2017
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PimW.Aug 15, 2007
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JamesS.Aug 10, 2007