via//chicago

np : "Satellites" - Longwave

Poor, poor Longwave. One of those bands that I've always been impressed with, but have never really seemed to catch a break in the mainstream. They were one of the many bands scooped up by the major-labels in the wake of The Strokes, Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs heyday, and other heavily hyped exploding out of the New York scene. Their second album, and first major release, caught a decent buzz on its own merits, but they always seemed to be outshined by the other names in their scene. Despite the attention paid to the "big" single, "Wake Me When It's Over", these guys faded quickly into the background.

A third album, There's A Fire, was produced by legendary Brit-helsman John Leckie and again received some favorable reviews, but from a continuingly dwindling list of supporters. It wasn't quite as solid as The Strangest Things, but I found myself returning to it time and again. I was alwyas surprised to not see their name pop up more often, but kinda happy to have them all to myself.

Thankfully, the band is still very much a going concern (despite the constantly revolving line-up and a variety of setbacks) and November just saw the release of their most recent album, Secrets Are Sinister. And what an album it is, packed with fuzzy basslines, propulsive drumming, and a fair amount of shoegaze fuzz. It recalls the best moments of The Strangest Things, while pushing the band's sound in exciting new directions. Another fantastic release from a perenially overlooked band. Maybe this album can help turn the trend around.

Check out a few of my favorites from the new one:

Longwave - "Sirens in the Deep Sea" (taken from Secrets Are Sinister)
Longwave - "Satellites" (taken from Secrets Are Sinister)
Longwave - "No Direction" (taken from Secrets Are Sinister)