American indie rock bank Longwave released their fourth studio album Secrets are Sinister today. I was excited to give my copy a spin. This is my first experience with Longwave so my familiarity with their previous releases is nil.Wikipedia reports that the band has been compared to Radiohead and The Strokes. If this comparison holds any water then Secrets are Sinister diverts sharply. But when a comparison with Radiohead is made I find you can never take it too seriously.
The album begins with "Sirens In The Deep Sea," a rock anthem heavy on the guitars. The variation between the beefy guitar licks and calm vocals is enjoyable.
Track 2 is "No Direction" which begins with guitar feedback that is sustained throughout the verse. I started to form the opinion that the album might be a little too heavy on guitar. At least for the first two tracks the guitars seemed to get more focus than the vocals.
Track 3, same thing.
I have now written guitar in this review 6 times and we haven't gotten past track 3. This is fitting for an album with so much guitar (7 times)!
Personally, I love this album. I admire the different sounds Longwave gets from their guitar setup. But I wonder if those who don't dig guitar in extreme doses will feel the same. If you love crazy sounds that catch and keep your attention you should definitely give this album a try.
Update (11/13/08) - I am raising my grade to B+. The more I listen to this album the more I love it.
