- In 2003, American indie-rock also-rans The Wrens released what was to be their farewell album, The Medowlands. The record was a sprawling collection of quiet ballads and layered epics about the quiet despair of getting older and letting go of your dreams. The album developed a sizeable cult following, and eventually became recognised as an indie classic. The Wrens announced they were working on a follow-up, and their new-found fanbase waited with bated breath.
Then they waited some more. Year by year there would be the occasional mention of work on the new album, and it became an item of mythology - like an indie rock Loch Ness monster or something. The band signed to iconic label Sub Pop, but still the album never arrived. But then, a couple of months ago, 18 years afte the last release, it was announced that Wrens frontman Kevin Whelan was releasing a solo album as Aeon Station. First single Queens sounded like The Wrens at their best, and in fact featured three of the four original members. But as fans started to celebrate, the soap opera was just beginning.
Whelan claimed that his songwriting foil Charles Bissell was responsible for the Wrens album never being released, sabotaging it with endless perfectionism. The cover of Aeon Station’s album Observatory depicts a half-finished skyscraper; while lyrics refer often to broken dreams, pointless effort, disappointment and the passing of time. Album closer Alpine Drive seems like a bit of a rant about the writing and recording process, with lines like “Year after year paid in more than my crime… Still breaking rocks into songs we never get done”
Bissell, for his part, responded by saying he had been betrayed – the songs he helped form being released now without crediting him, while he was meant to take all the blame for the other record. He wrote a 4000 word emailing detailing his side of the story that he sent to music journalists.
That’s about the point that I stopped caring – two 50 year olds bickering over a pop album not really being top of my priority list. But for dedicated fans of The Wrens, the feud has dominated discussion of the Aeon Station album. Youtube comment feeds for the new songs are full of references to the split.
Observatory, as it turns out, is a great album – one after another gorgeous indie rock epics that start out minimal and build to grand conclusions. The layering of guitar and vocal parts shows the gifts of these two musicians obsessively dedicated to their craft. Like The Meadowlands, it mixes a kind of tired sadness with glorious euphoria.
In making guitar music that is intelligent, melodic and beautifully constructed, Aeon Station have reminded us what is great about indie rock. Hate to say it though, but the sight of two grown men having a public spat over a handful of songs, and plenty of other adults following along on their screen at home, is also a reminder of the things that make indie rock so boring and annoying. What can I say? Sadness and joy, perfectionism and pragmatism, talent and tantrums - The Aeon Station are a band that bring out the dualities in life.
- Andy Paine.