Customer Reviews

Secrets are Sinister

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have to admit, I love Longwave, but I thought their last few releases lost the momentum of The Strangest Things...There's a Fire almost felt like diet Longwave. The good news is that the boys are back...the bass is warm and fuzzy, pushing and driving the songs. The drums are almost overdriven, and the overall sound is more aggressive. The production really brings out the songs and lets them get in your face. Basically, this is the record I've been waiting for since The Strangest Things!

Truth be told, I've been a fan of Longwave for a very long time. I can honestly say this is their best album to date. That's saying a lot, since all of their albums have been great.

I love this album. I loved "Strangest Things", but for entirely different reasons. The notes are haunting, the music is moving and all in all it is solid all the way through it's well placed and paced song tracks. A stunning album for 2008, don't let it pass you by.

"Secrets" has it's moments, but too many of the tracks are a bit too predictable and mundane, and lost my interest fairly quickly. "The Devil And The Liar," "Life Is Wrong," and the title track are the highlights for me, and are as good as anything they've done. It's similiar to "There's A Fire" in that sense...a few really good songs, and the rest don't stick with you much, despite their best attempts.

I would highly recommend Steve Schiltz's new side/solo project, "Hurricane Bells." The CD name is "Tonight Is The Ghost," and there's also an extra song he did for the "New Moon" soundtrack, "Monsters," which is very good.

Longwave apparently played their last show in NY recently, or at least the last one for what may be a long time, according to their web site.

"Secrets" lacks the sonic ambience Longwave and Steve are known for, with the exception of the excellent songs mentioned above. As a result it's a bit disjointed, uninteresting and predictable, plodding along at times with songs going nowhere for half a minute, and the lyrics really don't have much to say.

"Hurricane Bells" really improves on this aspect of Longwave that I missed...that sonic, ambient sound and divergence, lyrics that are at least more interesting and thought out, fitting the songs better, and introducing some new instruments and creative spins that were lacking on Longawave's last two releases.

So download a few tracks from "Secrets," and look up Hurricane Bells on Myspace, and see what you think.

Longwave successfully kept the shoegaze nerve grounded on their previous works, but taming a den full of Jaguars (and Jazzmasters) proved impossible, they have succumb to their natural instincts. The opening track shines an ethereal light on the album, an exploration of technique and sound, four on the floor drums paired equally in intensity by shimmering vocals, and layered guitars. Longwave has let loose the cats, who play loud, and cut deep.

I have been a fan of Longwave since the days of End Songs, and i have to say that they have finaly come into a sound all their own. I think what this album has that per say There's a Fire didn't have is consistency and uniformity of the sound that is Longwave. While The Strangest Things had set the sound for the band with crunching guitars, and melodic vocal lines, it left on a dark sounding note. Then the Life Of The Party EP cam out and add to the sound with distorted bass and droning guitar noise, all the while giving you a taste of what could be had from these boys. Now the sounds have come together, minus the hints of Darkness, and WOW, this is one fantastic album. A definate must listen to for 2008.

This is a solid rock album, something that is pretty rare these days. There are 2 songs in the middle that are mediocre, and sometimes the drumbeat is jarring, but there are 5 songs that I absolutely love and already know all the words to. I guess that leaves 3. They're really good, too. That's one thing, though. Longwave hasn't released an album in like 4 years, and it's only 10 tracks. Ah well. Overall, my favorite album of the year. If you're thinking about getting it, just do it.