Strangest Things
by Longwave
  • Record Label: RCA
  • Release Date: Mar 18, 2003
Metascore
63

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 13
  3. Negative: 1 out of 13
  1. Launch.com
    87
    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.
  2. AllMusic
    80
    Echoes of classic U2, Echo & the Bunnymen, and Swervedriver resonate throughout.
  3. Alternative Press
    80
    Longwave aren't so much groundbreakers as they are purveyors of haunting, earnest pop. [Apr 2003, p.80]
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  5. Mojo
    70
    Bold, stirring and so unfashionable it just might work. [Mar 2003, p.114]
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  6. Playlouder
    70
    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.
  7. ShakingThrough.net
    70
    A full three-fourths of the record feels more like the work of a band that hasn't yet staked out a sonic identity.
  8. Trouser Press
    70
    A little blood and dirt and humor might have catapulted this album into greatness.
  9. Junkmedia
    60
    Often dreamy, sometimes rockin', but rarely more than pedestrian.
  10. Billboard
    60
    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.
  11. Q Magazine
    40
    Where the big boys tick and twitch, Longwave merely plod. [Mar 2003, p.111]
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  12. PopMatters
    40
    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.
  13. Blender
    40
    Longwave sound more British than Strokes-ish, with a mild talent for writing melodies that demand your attention. [Apr 2003, p.125]
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  14. Pitchfork
    37
    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?

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 4 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. star_gazing
    Oct 29, 2012
    9
    This album may just be their best to date. It's the first I listened to, and it has always been an enjoyable one. There are relatively fewThis album may just be their best to date. It's the first I listened to, and it has always been an enjoyable one. There are relatively few flaws to it; the feel is very varied, the songs have a flow into each other, but are distinguishable. The songs are memorable because they've all got different feels to it. Everything on the album is just enough to make it into a genuine work of art that goes underappreciated in today's mainstream. Again, the band's best album to date was their first major debut.… Full Review »
  2. MusicMaven
    Aug 12, 2005
    6
    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 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.… Full Review »
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