Longwave
There's a Fire

(RCA)

First Appeared in The Music Box, June 2005, Volume 12, #6

Written by John Metzger

Over the course of a pair of full-length albums and a handful of EPs, Longwave has dabbled in everything from the post-punk gloom of Echo & the Bunnymen to edgy, Strokes-style rock to the grandiose theatrics of U2. Rarely has the band been as unified and focused as it is on its latest effort There’s a Fire. Indeed, under the guidance of veteran producer John Leckie, the New York City-based foursome has sculpted a seamless set that encompasses the entirety of its vision without sounding either disjointed or tentative. Leckie, whose previous production credits include albums for The Stone Roses, Radiohead, and the XTC-offshoot Dukes of Stratosphear, undoubtedly provided the glue for binding together the band’s disparate strands of thought. Yet, there also is a newfound sense of maturity to Longwave’s approach that is exuded throughout the endeavor. From the thrashing rhythms and whirring guitars of the Nirvana-esque We’re Not Gonna Crack to the soaring, U2-inspired anthems (the title track and Underneath You Know the Names) that serve as bookends to the collection, and from the hints of Pink Floyd and XTC that collide in the atmospheric folk of Underworld to the meshing of M83’s burbling ambience with The Church’s shimmering alt-rock on the instrumental Dancing in the Light, Longwave has crafted a stunningly sophisticated pop-rock outing that deserves to raise the ensemble’s profile to a national level. ½

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Ratings

1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2005 The Music Box