.longwave.
Camden Monarch London 3/30/02
Downstairs, in the glitzy swirl of the Casino Royale Club, fortunes are won and lost on the flip of the dealer’s 63 ace. Upstairs NYC whooshrockers Longwave have the odds stacked more firmly in their favour. They’re mates with The Strokes, they’ve got big floppy candyfloss hair that, with emerging from dry ice silhouette, spells ‘GRUMPILY SEXY ROCK ENIGMABABE IN THE HOUSE!’ and, most importantly, their guitars are set to ROAR.
Of course, we only think they’re good because they’re from New York. If they were from Chingord we’d think they were FUCKING AMAZING. We’d be leaping naked on our desks and gibbering, CHRIST IN A SONIC CATHERDAL! A STORMBURSTING RIOT-CLASH OF THE ICICLE WORKS, SONIC YOUTH, RIDE MY BLOODY VALENTINE! FROM THE FUCKING CHINGFORD! SHOOT THE CORAL, BRAIN WE’VE FOUND THEM! ‘Pretty Face’ is Death Cab For Cutie poring over a bucket of pig’s blood over Weezer at the prom and ‘Holocaust’ comes from that noble tradition of songs which attempt to make your jellified brains squish, out of your ears and with one BASTARD LOUD CHORD player FOREVER.
Stupendous modern day shoegazing, eh? A 1000-1 shot plays out big.
Mark Beumount NME 04/02/02