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Long-View: Coming Down / When You Sleep
by Anthony Gibbons
In the music industry, January is traditionally the dumping ground of lost causes (I mean, have you heard the new Manics' single? Exactly.) Into this desolate wasteland come Winchester’s Long-View (note the new hyphen due to an enforced name change), with a hastily released single taken from a near two year old album, namely 2003’s ‘Mercury’, now given the remix treatment by, among others, Elbow and Mogwai, and repackaged as the limited edition ‘Subversions’. Four words: Flogging. A. Dead. Horse.
We're not treated to any of the remixes here but that aside, ‘When You Sleep’ is actually quite good. It’s got a big sounding, vaguely American production (which will please their new US label Columbia), and pulls off the neat trick of being all epic and yet wistful at the same time, and sounds like it was deliberately written to be heard on The O.C. Very nice.
It’s backed with new song ‘Coming Down’ which sounds a bit like a slowed down Catherine Wheel (ask yer older, wiser indie brother, kids) thus rendering it pretty much forgettable.
Given that Long-View are signed to the same label as Damien Rice, this single, and ‘When You Sleep’ especially, will probably attract a similar audience. Yet, unless they can come up with something more substantial they could end up becoming a lost cause.
From the archive
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Longview - Coming Down / When You Sleep
Saw an advert for their album on TV once. Switched off as soon as I heard the word "epic". -
Long-View - Coming Down / When You Sleep
Longview are the dullest band I've ever had the misfortune to hear. Actually, Further was suitably sappy for a few listens. Like Haven to the nth degree. But I just can't be arsed with them any more. -
Long-View - Coming Down / When You Sleep
Album was awful, but I've never been so surprised by how great a band were live and have since (especially with In A Dream being quite good) held out some futile hope of them improving -
Re: Long-View - Coming Down / When You Sleep
saw them live, quite liked it.
Heard a track on MTV, quite liked it.
Bought the album - poo.
Ebay here I come -
Long-View - Coming Down / When You Sleep
They are good live. But their lyrics are a bit sixth-form... which makes this the second time I've said that about a band today. -
Re: Long-View - Coming Down / When You Sleep
indeed the only time i saw long-view (supporting elbow) they were pretty good live but on record i find them hard work. -
Long-View - Coming Down / When You Sleep
ain't they from Manchester? they got a giant of a singer who looks surprisingly like a Ben from Winnebago Deal? see him in Big Hands often? -
Long-View - Coming Down / When You Sleep
I saw these supporting Funeral For A Friend and they were fucking terrible. Just so dull! But 'When You Sleep' is a great song. -
Long-View - Coming Down / When You Sleep
longview are pretty good in my humble opinion and i dont normally go for bands ;like this -
Re: Long-View - Coming Down / When You Sleep
I only really like one track from Mercury, and that is further. the rest of it, i can take, but would rather leave it. I've seen them almost a year exactly now, and they were very good, got the crowd up for it and stuff. there nice lads and all that, but they're probably gonna have to do something new to keep themselves going.
Didn't realise bout the forced name change thing, i though they were doing what other bands and do and adding unecessary punctuation e.g. yourcodenameis:milo?? or Stellastar*(which i thinks pretty cool) -
Long-View - Coming Down / When You Sleep
Long-View are great, thank you. -
Long-View - Coming Down / When You Sleep
Yes i agree, Long-view are a great band. Of course people who like Funeral For A Wank arent going to like longview because they obviously have no taste.
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