Longwave - Life of The Party

I gave Longwave a glowing review when their major label debut, The Strangest Things, came out almost a year and a half ago. I absolutely loved the record with it's great vibe and feel. It was refreshing to hear a NYC band at the time that didn't sound like their counterparts, the Strokes, but instead pulled their influences from Radiohead and other Brit-pop, shoe-gazer bands. When I heard they were releasing an EP before their next album was completed, I was pretty excited about what I hoped the band would do on it. Unfortunately, Life Of The Party does not live up to those hopes. One can argue that it's just an experimental release before a full-length is released, but nothing will excuse the fact that Life Of The Party is a horribly boring collection of songs. I hate to say it, too, as I really really like Longwave. And I really wanted to give this a good review. But the root of the problem exists in the songs themselves. The opening title track definitely borders on experimental, at least in terms of normal Longwave compositions. It's nice and all, but just kinda bores you halfway through. The second track, "We're Not Gonna Crack," sounds like the band listened to "Transatlantic Drawl" by Radiohead and tried to mimic it note for note. The Radiohead song ends after 2 minutes, but unfortunately Longwave drags theirs out longer. "Here It Comes" is probably the EP's saviour. It sounds like your normal, typical Longwave song. And while it doesn't push any boundaries with experimentation, it's just so freakin' good that you can't ignore it. The rest of the CD is pretty much forgettable, except for the brilliant "There's A Fire," where lead singer/guitarist Steve really shows off his voice on a beautiful acoustic track. However, again, the track just drags on far too long.. Since the EP's release, Longwave has gone through some turmoil. Their drummer and bassist left abruptly just before a mini-tour and before recording their next record for RCA. Keeping that in mind, it may give you some excuse to try and appreciate the CD as one made during a tumultuous time for the band. However, one thing that can't be ignored is the quality of the songs, which is gravely lacking. Hopefully the full length they're working on will more than make up for this sub-par release. [www.longwavetheband.com]