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Nov 02, 2008 Longwave By Aaron Passman

Count Longwave as yet another “New York Band” from early in the decade that failed to live up to the hype (or potential). While the quartet’s earlier efforts maintained a shoegazey vibe, that’s mostly been abandoned this time around in favor of more straightforward (and less interesting) songwriting. The distortion is turned up higher here than on past releases, and generally that’s to the band’s determent; they work best on simple, rhythmic songs such as “I Don’t Dare,” which relies strongly on a bass riff to propel it. At their best, they recall Joy Division or early Cure, but too often they’re uninventive and derivative, as on “No Direction.”

To be fair, it hasn’t been an easy run for the band, including lineup changes and getting spit out by the major label machine, but after eight years and a handful of great songs (mostly on earlier releases) Secrets Are Sinister falls flat. (www.longwavetheband.com)

Author rating: 5/10