Pitchfork

Last we heard from The Meadowlands, claymation was the cat's meow. Now, just in time for its third birthday, the seminal Wrens record has been given a full-blown resurrection (and then some), courtesy of Absolutely Kosher/LO-MAX/BB*Island.

A double-vinyl, bonus-tracked version of the album is now available in the Wrens' online store. Added songs include "Splitter #7: Fireworks / James, I Wanna" (a two-songs-in-one project-- "James, I Wanna" on the right speaker, "Fireworks" on the left-- previously released via Saddle Creek as part of a Wrens/Park Ave. 7" split), "Our Brightest New Year" (a cut from a 7" put out on Boston label Sonic Bubblegum in 1995), and two previously unreleased (in the U.S.) numbers, "Nervous and Not Me", and "Such a Pretty Lie", which were originally developed for The Meadowlands.

The latter two were cut from the album due to time constraints caused by a string of family deaths and were put on hold...UNTIL NOW. "Nervous" was completed last winter in preparation for The Meadowlands' European release. "Pretty Lie" is, quoth the band's website, "the best existing mix of this 2nd or 3rd version of the song".

In addition to the Wrens' online store, the 2xLP will be available on the band's ongoing fall tour, the next date of which is slated for mid-October.

And finally, good news for all you film students looking to get the rights to Meadowlands tracks for your tight-ass indie flick. The Wrens have worked out a deal with Rough Trade Publishing for the disc, meaning anyone looking to get info about licensing songs can talk to RTP. And that the Wrens have done more in the past few weeks than in the last three years.

Now, maybe, it's finally time to move on? As the band says, "Dear Meadowlands, please end."

Tracklist:

Side A:

01 The House That Guilt Built
02 Happy
03 She Sends Kisses
04 This Boy Is Exhausted

Side B:

05 Hopeless
06 Faster Gun
07 Thirteen Grand
08 Boys, You Won't

Side C:

09 Ex-Girl Collection
10 Per Second Second
11 Everyone Chooses Sides
12 13 Months in 6 Minutes

Side D:

13 This Is Not What You Had Planned
14 Such a Pretty Lie
15 Nervous and Not Me
16 Our Brightest New Year
17 Splitter #7: Fireworks / James, I Wanna

Dates:

10-13 Columbus, OH - Little Brother's *
10-14 Newport, KY - Southgate House *#
10-27 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church ^
10-28 Washington, DC - Black Cat ^
11-10 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour %
11-11 San Francisco, CA - Be the Riottt!
11-17 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge (Charles Bissell solo) &
11-18 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge (Charles Bissell solo) &

* with Swearing at Motorists
# with Ruby Vileos
^ with +/-, Palomar
% with Asobi Seksu, the Bon Savants
& with Centro-matic, Bobby Bare Jr., David Vandervelde