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Strangest Things
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 13 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 3 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: RCA
Release Date: 18 March 2003
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Alternative, Rock
Summary
'Strangest Things' is the second album, and first for a major label, for Longwave, who got their big break opening for fellow New Yorkers the Strokes (although their sound veers much closer to that of 80s-influenced Interpol than the neo-garage of the Strokes). Dave Fridmann produces.
Also By This Artist: Secrets Are Sinister There's A Fire
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Launch.com
An elegant masterpiece of unabashed Anglophilia, all slow-motion shoegazer guitars chiming like beautiful bells of doom and icy, disaffected vocals that sound like the Psych Furs' Richard Butler minus the three-packs-a-day larynx damage.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
Echoes of classic U2, Echo & the Bunnymen, and Swervedriver resonate throughout.
Read Full Review >Alternative Press
Longwave aren't so much groundbreakers as they are purveyors of haunting, earnest pop. [Apr 2003, p.80]
Trouser Press
A little blood and dirt and humor might have catapulted this album into greatness.
Read Full Review >ShakingThrough.net
A full three-fourths of the record feels more like the work of a band that hasn't yet staked out a sonic identity.
Read Full Review >Mojo
Bold, stirring and so unfashionable it just might work. [Mar 2003, p.114]
Playlouder
Even in spite of their obvious knack for a beast of a tune that knows no indie fear, they do a cracking job of getting peculiar on us as well.
Read Full Review >Billboard
Though this music could easily be viewed as Longwave's take on Interpol's take on Coldplay's take on Radiohead, it isn't that derivative or boring.
Read Full Review >Blender
Longwave sound more British than Strokes-ish, with a mild talent for writing melodies that demand your attention. [Apr 2003, p.125]
Q Magazine
Where the big boys tick and twitch, Longwave merely plod. [Mar 2003, p.111]
PopMatters
Taken on their own, tunes like "Pool Song" and "Tidal Wave" are hip songs to listen to while getting a tan. In the midst of a 12-song record though, they sink under the weight of their own drone.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
I just always felt comfortable in my thinking that one Toad The Wet Sprocket was more than enough to fulfill a specific emotional and intellectual niche. Am I wrong?
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 7.3 (out of 10) based on 3 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Music Maven gave it a6:
It's a clean, commercial take on the NYC style modern rock of the day. The best songs compare well to contemporaries like Interpol, The Strokes, The Walkmen, etc. The rest are somewhat nondescript and uninvolving. If you like this style of music and have already checked out some of the better bands out there, this is not a bad place to become acquainted with Longwave. Just don't expect to be blown away by the whole album.
