Wren
Describing themselves as an indie rock/pop band, Columbus based Wren recently dropped us a line asking us to check out their tracks on their Facebook page, to see what we thought of things. Going on to say that they cover a wide range of sounds, from balls out rock to slower melody driven songs rank with grief and a mid-west twang – this is all sounding pretty interesting! I figured the only thing to do was to stop talking about it and to hit play, to see what was going on for myself.
As Suffer gets things going there’s a definite sense of darkness and foreboding running through the track, using the guitar and bass combination to lure you into the track before starting the vocals off fully. Their claim at being an indie rock/pop unit suddenly all makes sense as you hear the music, the dark notes combining with a sense of melody and harmony which brings the track to life, elevates the band and offers up tracks which are catchy, powerful and yet dark throughout. The band say that in order to imagine their sound you should imagine a combination of Radiohead, Death Cab For Cutie, Foo Fighters and Rage Against The Machine – and other than the latter there, I can see where they’re coming from in this track alone – it’s a combination of power and catchiness but it’s well balanced and sits well as a result.
Falling continues the idea of melodic power, this time opening the track with a simple drumline before ushering in an upbeat and energetic guitar line, this time adding in a sense of the likes of Placebo in the sound. This track stood out to me as my favourite from the 3 on their Facebook page, there’s just something about it which stands out to me. Combine jumpy guitar lines, intricate lead lines, pounding drums, rumbling bass and a vocal which will leave you jealous from the word go, the result is this track, it’s a seriously accomplished sound. It should also be said that their mix is good despite this only being a demo, it’s possible to hear all of the different elements of the band as the track plays out, something which all too often gets lost when the final mix is put onto a record.
Closing with A Thin Line we’re brought full circle, shown that Wren are a band that understand their music and how to craft songs which will appeal to the masses rather than just a select audience. This final track is more laid back and almost acoustic, yet it still holds that upbeat approach which gives these tracks such a feeling of light and dark combined. This sounds like the sort of track which is going to go down seriously well on the live scene, the sort of track which people are going to sing along to and want to see them perform – definitely one to look out for.
Wren were another band I went into listening to blind, not knowing what to expect, but I think that’s been a good thing. I don’t know that I agree with the inclusion of RATM in their sound as there’s a crucial heavy element missing if they were to achieve that, but over all the band should be pleased with their sound – it’s accomplished and beyond what I had expected. In all, this is a band I look forward to hearing a lot more from, and a band that I feel might have a bright future ahead of them.
To find out more about Wren, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
As Suffer gets things going there’s a definite sense of darkness and foreboding running through the track, using the guitar and bass combination to lure you into the track before starting the vocals off fully. Their claim at being an indie rock/pop unit suddenly all makes sense as you hear the music, the dark notes combining with a sense of melody and harmony which brings the track to life, elevates the band and offers up tracks which are catchy, powerful and yet dark throughout. The band say that in order to imagine their sound you should imagine a combination of Radiohead, Death Cab For Cutie, Foo Fighters and Rage Against The Machine – and other than the latter there, I can see where they’re coming from in this track alone – it’s a combination of power and catchiness but it’s well balanced and sits well as a result.
Falling continues the idea of melodic power, this time opening the track with a simple drumline before ushering in an upbeat and energetic guitar line, this time adding in a sense of the likes of Placebo in the sound. This track stood out to me as my favourite from the 3 on their Facebook page, there’s just something about it which stands out to me. Combine jumpy guitar lines, intricate lead lines, pounding drums, rumbling bass and a vocal which will leave you jealous from the word go, the result is this track, it’s a seriously accomplished sound. It should also be said that their mix is good despite this only being a demo, it’s possible to hear all of the different elements of the band as the track plays out, something which all too often gets lost when the final mix is put onto a record.
Closing with A Thin Line we’re brought full circle, shown that Wren are a band that understand their music and how to craft songs which will appeal to the masses rather than just a select audience. This final track is more laid back and almost acoustic, yet it still holds that upbeat approach which gives these tracks such a feeling of light and dark combined. This sounds like the sort of track which is going to go down seriously well on the live scene, the sort of track which people are going to sing along to and want to see them perform – definitely one to look out for.
Wren were another band I went into listening to blind, not knowing what to expect, but I think that’s been a good thing. I don’t know that I agree with the inclusion of RATM in their sound as there’s a crucial heavy element missing if they were to achieve that, but over all the band should be pleased with their sound – it’s accomplished and beyond what I had expected. In all, this is a band I look forward to hearing a lot more from, and a band that I feel might have a bright future ahead of them.
To find out more about Wren, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls