Longwave - Endsongs

  by Olga Sladeckova

published: 29 / 3 / 2002

Label: Luna Sea
Format: CD

intro

Debut offering from eclectic New York rockers, Longwave, who have recently toured both the UK and the United States with the Strokes

'Endsong’ is the title of the debut album of the New York rock group Longwave. The album has been out in the United States since 1999, but only came out in the UK recently. The band have recently toured both the States and the UK with the Strokes and have proved themselves not only to be a strong act in the recording studio,but their live performances have also been popular and enlarged their fanbase. The influences of bands such as Radiohead and the Smiths are very evident, but Longwave also have their own musical character. ‘Escape’ and ‘Pretty Face’, the first and third tracks, act as a suitable introduction to the album and compel you to slip inside Longwave’s catchy tunes. It is hard to resist vocalist Steve Schitz voice when on this first track it challenges you “At least you’ve got a pretty face so take a chance and join the game cos nothing’s gonna bring you down.” That statement also more than perfectly characterises the attitude of the album. Dave Marchese's bass playing on 'Something' will make you shiver with its gentle sound. I couldn’t help thinking of Jason Pierce from Spiritualized as well when I heard Steve's broken voice on this track. I won’t lie by saying that Longwave are like no other band. The Velvet Underground also seem to be one of their greater influences. ‘Crushed Down And Faded’ finds Jeremy Greene’s drums enthusiastically speeding forward in the same sort of style as Moe Tucker. Don't, however, think of Longwave as simply copyists. This is only an indication of how many different styles and instrumental shades the band is capable of mixing together. The main stream of inspiration comes purely from them.Just try listening to Steve performing the 8th track ‘Crash’ as he proudly claims ‘You’re real. Yeah, you’re solid. It’s complicated but I like your style.’ Or just drift to the end of the album and allow Shannon Ferguson (guitar), Steve, Dave and Jeremy to become friends to your musical taste with their complicated musicianship . It seems a good idea to me anyway.

Track Listing:-