Careers in Science
/The Longwalls
- Release Date:
- 03-01-2011
- Catalog #:
- SMR012
Buy:
Format(s):
CD / Digital
other download options
Live video. Kind words. Alan represents The Longwalls at Outlaw Roadshow 2016 this past fall in NYC.
Well ain't this a hum-dinger! Alan opens up with "Sargasso in Space" off The Longwalls' classic 2012 EP, Careers in Science; follows it up with a tease from the band's forthcoming 6th release with (soon-to-be-blistering) "Red Shirts;" slows things down with "Rukia" from 2015's Gold Standard; and then closes things out going way back to 2010's "Playwrights" off the Dark Academy EP. Good on ya, Alan!! All that and some very kind accompanying words from our pal Ryan's Smashing Life! He writes: One of the East Coast's best sounds / Sneaky Good! - Alan and the band play dark pop songs influenced by cultural tides, historical figures and social ephemera and this set was no different. The Longwalls last two full-length albums, The Gold Standard and Kowloon are two sides of the same study of coins - demonstrating just how good they really are. This January, The Longwalls dropped a live album you need to hear (here!)More News >
The pure sound of these songs provide such visceral pleasure that between being swept along into the reflecting tide pool of tracks like “Sargasso in Space,’’ or being struck by the stately, Sheila Divine-esque “King of Country,’’ parsing any over-arching narrative or grand theme seems beside the point.
— Boston Globe
A start-to-finish power-pop gem with equal amounts jangle and twang.
— Beat The Indie Drum
With a burst of clash-like rhythms mixed with an Elvis Costello, jangling guitar, The Longwalls lay down an epic sound on Careers in Science as it slips and slides its way into an anthem of sorts for the post-punk, neo-new wave rockers.
— Culture Bomb
There’s an awful lot to like in these pleasurably jangly songs. Mostly this is a fun romp. “Sex and Work” is not only ingenious, but infectiously catchy. And tunes like “Sargasso in Space” and “UFO” are practically anthemic. Actually, even songs like the countryish “Homecoming” and the light-hearted “In the Cooler” (dig that middle-eight!) might well have the sort of staying power denied to more ponderous, self-serious local entries, in just the same way that currently I would rather listen to airy L.A. pop like the Turtles than to the querulous and far doomier Doors, or to the Rezillos and the Revillos than to, say, Public Image Limited. Highly recommended.
— The Noise (scroll)
Modern Springsteen, but with a indie touch
— Oh So Fresh! Music
Rock spunk and Americana bells and whistles (quite literally).
— Ride the Tempo
These Boston fellas sure know how to make some fine music for our ears.
— Dysonsound
A leap forward.
— Americana Rock Mix
The Longwalls are serious about their science. “Careers” is their pulpy run at sci-fi triumph and failure—equal parts spaghetti western and 1950s futurism, pedal steel and 8-bit keyboard, failed missions in space, dystopian states of the body and mind, and phantom extra terrestrials that we may or may not have seen. It’s cold and dangerous in space; Careers in Science is the cosmonaut’s companion in the dark void between the stars.
One of science fiction’s greatest attributes is its ability to present incredibly relatable, even classic themes through a modern prism, and it’s the perfect vehicle for The Longwalls this time around. Family failure and feelings of inadequacy are way more fun if they happen in space! Still rooted in their own brand of Americana and post-pop, The Longwalls stretch their legs in the studio, head in new textural directions, and collaborate in songwriting like never before.
Tracks
- Careers in Science
- Where Things Go to Fade
- In the Cooler
- Sargasso in Space
- Homecoming
- Sex and Work
- King of Country
- UFO
A start-to-finish power-pop gem.
— Beat The Indie Drum