Never enough neck.

I’m plumbing the shallow depths of instant nostalgia here, but it makes me a little happy to see J. Crew offering a rollneck sweater again. As J. Crew has shifted its identity from its 1990s, collegiate, offer-everything-in-oatmeal catalogue to today, when many consider it a preppy trendsetter (or at least a choice of tastemakers), it dropped some of its old standbys--the rollneck sweater is one, a heavy cotton sweater would be another (everything seems to incorporate cashmere in current catalogs... trying too hard, J.).

The rollneck reminds me of high school, of sweaters that smelled like smoke so you had to leave them in the car so as not to wise up the parents, of sweaters not cleaned for semesters on end, of lending your sweater to your girlfriend at the movies and her saying it's gross but wearing it anyway. Wait, is the baggy rollneck sweater emo?

The new version is less baggy, which is at least kind of a shame. But it looks pretty great nonetheless.

J. Crew rollneck sweater in marled wool. Available at jcrew.com, $88.

Recommended Listening: The Wrens.

Well, duh. The Wrens are like a rad sweater you forget about for a few years, and then notice again when you're putting away your shorts and tshirts and digging out your corduroys again. It's a little scratchy and has a moth hole in the armpit, but it smells like a good time you had in 2003. I wish they'd put out a new sweater. I think I'm torturing the metaphor a little.

Wrens arguable head dude Charles Bissel has been hanging out with Okkervil River (and Will Sheff, in particular), and they've contributed to an R.E.M. covers album, but otherwise they've been quiet for a long time. Like, almost since I graduated from college. They contributed a track for an obscure Australian comp coming out soon (stereogum covered this awhile back, thanks KC for the heads up). "In Turkish Waters" is a typical Wrens track, in that it doesn't club you over the head with its awesomeness, but quietly becomes one of those songs you look for on your ipod.

The Wrens - In Turkish Waters

Also, if you ever lend that sweater to a Wren, get it dry cleaned.

Photo from The KEXP Blog (live Wrens tunes there).