Long Long Long

If anyone has a finger on the pulse of up and coming indie music in the pan-Canadian scene, it’s my bud Cecil Frena from Gobble Gobble. While passing me a tip to this Halifax, Nova Scotian band, he said ”particularly now that Women have ‘broken up’, its nice to have these pals shredding it… although they are more like Women on ecstasy.” Sold.

This track is from their newer, free 4-song Shorts EP and they’ve got a longer set of songs on a self-titled collections from earlier this spring. - yvynyl

Okej, vi börjar dagen med lite sommar-rock och en söt bebis. Long, Long, Long kommer från Kanada och deras låtar dök ner i min dropbox under natten. Det visade sig att jag redan hade allihop eftersom jag hämtat hem deras EP Shorts tidigare (på Bandcamp), och varför den inte postats här är underligt men beror antagligen på tidsbrist. Just idag har jag dock all tid i världen och då passar det här Vampire Weekend-klingande tidsfördrivet perfekt - www.nomodestbear.com

The above picture technically isn't of Long Long Long, but rather of York Redoubt...but since all three members of York Redoubt are in Long Long Long, and no pictures of Long Long Long seem to exist outside of this article, it's good enough for my purposes. It doesn't really have anything to do with the contents of the band's self-titled debut, of course, since Long Long Long bear very little sonic resemblance to York Redoubt, but I just thought I should clarify things.

That said, it is a fairly random way to begin a review, and if there's one thing that would seem to define Long Long Long, it's randomness. After all, they're a band that sees no reason not to kick off their album with big, chiming guitars and decent vocal harmonies for forty seconds, before ending that entirely and introducing sped-up voices with no musical backing, and then abruptly changing into a fuzzy garage rock band just moments later. It's a disconcerting way to start off a debut, but there's just something about the way the band goes about doing it -- at breakneck speed, with just enough hints of catchiness that you can tell they know what they're doing -- that makes it difficult to turn away.

The best comparison I can make would be to Unicorns, since the whole thing has that same tossed-off-genius feel, but as songs like "Drugstore (3 am)" and "Tell Me It Isn't Your Blood" show, it's not a perfect analogue. Long Long Long are a little less poppy, and a whole lot punkier. They do, however, show every indication that the "genius" moniker might not be that far off, since every song on their debut sounds pretty awesome. Couple that with the fact you can download it for free (along with a bonus EP the band released back in June, just one month after their debut's release) and there's really no reason to not check them out this instant. - i (heart) music

I don’t even know where to start talking about this one. Halifax’s Long, Long, Long have released one of the coolest (or strangest, depending on who you talk to) albums this year. Their music is what I would like to refer to as schizophrenic rock.

Their self-titled debut is all over the place from start to finish. I thought, when listening to Ghostkeeper’s sophomore album earlier this year that they were the band to beat as far as unpredictable rhythms and instrumentation. Long, Long, Long has thoroughly defeated them in that category. There is so much changing of rhythm and style that I could scarcely tell when one song started and ended.

Take the opener, “Thoughts on Declaring Victory over the Sun,” which begins with simple guitar chords and a few vocal phrases. After about 30 seconds that stops and there is a bunch of chattering before it launches into more frenzied guitar, drums and vocals. Before I even know it, it was already at the second song, a 58-second assortment of rhythms called “and then he just stayed out of bounds.”

“Drugstore (3am),” one of the strongest tracks starts with soft group vocals and a catchy guitar riff. After about two minutes it suddenly goes seemingly silent, but is actually a whirring sound which you will need to turn up the volume to hear. I recommend listening to this song a computer so you don’t get blasted by the next song.

“Goose is Dead, Maverick, Goose is Dead” has numerous members of the band singing on top of one another in a way that made me think of Los Campesinos! I barely knew who I was supposed to be listening to. “Davids, Burning Down the Houses” is seemingly the most coherent on the album, with almost identifiable verses, bridges and choruses.

By the time it closes with “Joseph Just Walked By” you are bombarded with a slew of instruments similar to the frenzied jam session in Radiohead’s “The National Anthem.”

This album is truly a fantastic listen. It’s a rare sight to see a band put something like this together- the album doesn’t seem to follow any kind of structure but still manages to work. I won’t lie- my first reaction after listening to this was “What the fuck?” But an album that makes you do that is one that could end up becoming one the best you’ve ever heard. - glass paper weight

Long, Long, Long (or Long Long Long, or LongLongLong?) continue the phys-rock freakout tradition of York Redoubt with a new drummer (Dog Day's Rob Shedden) and more grainy, in your face riffs that twist and turn faster than your mind can keep up, sometimes.
The opening track, Thoughts on Declaring Victory over The Sun kicks off with classic off kilter rhythms before cutting into jabbering, circusy vocals that confuse you even further. Then out of nowhere it's back to catchy riffs and dirty vocals. It's a theme that repeats throughout the album, but it never gets old as these guys never seem to run out of riffs.

The next track starts with more space-surf guitar riffs. It's just shy of a minute long but packs intense drumming and square-wave tempo shifts with catchy vocals, done in a dizzying array of styles.
Everything is really sharp here – the guitars, the drums, very high and and crispy. The bass takes most of the low space with a sliver of kick drum. Any lack of fidelity (intended or otherwise) is easily made up for by the strength with which the instruments are played.

The third track throws a hint of field recording/sample at us before moving into fast arpeggios with seemingly no percussion accompaniment until thick, tight drums and bass come in. More bendy, washy riffs sound like Radiohead style space rock, until new guitar hooks almost hark back to 90's Canadian Radio Rock, though the surroundings keep you firmly grounded in 2010.
A long pause suddenly before the track jumps in more electronic sounding riffs, and then your stereo starts to glitch like a dying gramophone. There's clearly more thought going into these songs than just melodies and chords, and it's nice to hear some ideas on a record that actually work with the music.
It's definitely one of the more 'futurist' records I've heard since Battles' Atlas, though in a totally different way. Just when you think there's nothing truly original left to say in music, along comes a band like LLL.

Track four, the amazingly titled Goose is Dead, Maverick, Goose is Dead (Throw his chains off the aircraft carrier) is probably one of the best songs on the album. Pin point vocals stab from left and right, as scales ascend and descend, almost like a Tortoise song. Perfectly timed bell/clock/chime noises round out the effect, though it uses a far more noise/math rock style scale on the descending turn-arounds.
At least in Halifax, the only other band that's impressed me this much recently with their vocal work is Bike Rodeo. It's nice to see that bands are realizing again that the vocals are a key element and not the place for an after though. The band have mentioned a Beach Boys influence a few times, and it's not hard to compare the close vocals with scrappy rock bands of the 60's and 70's, and even the 80s' – XTC, Echo & The Bunny Men, Wire, etc – and modern bands like Animal Collective and Dan Deacon – maybe we can forget that the 90's ever happened to rock vocals.

Judy Chicago starts off almost like a Rolling Stones riff with a serious swagger – it's nice to hear the band pound on a riff for a good while. The vocals on this song are very mature and I think a step above a lot of typical 'math rock' lyrical content – clearly these guys are coming into their own on every aspect of their music, and it's the little differences like this that move bands from local sensations to national recognition. The band I'm sure will be touring heavily at some point, if their progression in YR is any indication (You can find footage from their Sled Festival set, the culmination of a cross Canada tour, online on YouTube).

This song is maybe the closest on the album to a radio ready rock song, and the reality is that good records do have that feature – it doesn't make less any of the other songs, but it gives people a hook to buy the album.

Tell Me It Isn't Your Blood brings more great vocal work that harks back to Genesis, Queen, the Allman Brothers, and lots of classic vocal harmony styles, rearranged into typical twisted LLL riffs. The guitar work isn't as intense in the second, more vocal half of the song, but the the machine gun drums and thick bass give all the groove and hook needed. The hit hats sound like a machine - clearly years of playing and touring have payed off, and this breakdown makes it amazingly obvious why hiring a studio ready pro drummer is the key to taking your band to the next level.

Track 7 starts off with a bizarre sounding pseudo guitar horn section and suspenseful guitar that recalls vintage King Crimson, including the requisite monster power chord turn around. LLL throw us back and forth between decades and fantastic futurist riffs so often that I actually got a little dizzy listening to this song. I think this song might be one of the best gems of the whole record, it just leaves a person very pleased. The only complaint you could have is that the band throws out amazing riffs and never returns to them – there are probably enough disposed off riffs on this album to make two rock n' roll albums at least!

Money Feel Like Money gives you a second to catch your breath with white noise waves. Fantastic mixing on delayed guitars and lush vocals give this track a sedate, dreamy feel. I still can't believe the variety of vocal styles that they pull off on this record. This song almost sounds like the aforementioned Bike Rodeo – nice vocal harmonies and pentantonic garage rock riffing. More spoken vocals recall both the previous Genesis, Yes style prog vocals, and also the beginning of the album, before we knew what to make of it. A pretty clever move, especially in a album that clocks in at well under half an hour.

By the the time we reach the penultimate It's at Night that you Might, LLL is running out of tricks, but it's not making the songs any less enjoyable. You can lean back and just be relaxed by another semi-sedate sounding track. Now that you know what to expect it still doesn't cease to take you by surprise - the end of the song blows up in epic, Broken Social Scene carnival style riffing that grabs you and doesn't let go for a minute. Again, the only complaint that you can make is that the songs are so short that they're almost over before you begin to really appreciate them.

The final track is a nice cool down, with more outstanding vocals; a mid tempo rocker with beautiful guitar tone, glassy and crisp. Just before the half way point, something that sounds suspiciously like a banjo joins in , then another, then percussion.... then a building high piano note then suddenly, Beefheart! Where did this come from? Will the riff return? (Does it ever?) This is classic freakout prog ala Can, Zappa, then whew – riffs and vocals like it never happened. At this point you are pleading for the album not be over, even though you can see the end coming. Still there are enough riffs packed into the closing to make it feel like you've heard another whole half of an album. It's a lot to handle but you're very thankful for it.


Overall this album is highly recommended. It was almost impossible to find any faults: some of the songs run together, since they're sometimes just a collection of riffs back to back. Sometimes the bass was a little muddy or too low in the mix, but 90% of the time everything worked. Someone (not me) pointed this out as a guitar and vocal based album; but to me it once again proves that without the bass and drums, even the best guitar hook laden songs wouldn't work.

The razor sharp drumming, the freshest riffs since the Beatles (interestingly, the Wikipedia page for the eponymous Harrison song describes it as “an off-beat mixture of styles,” which surely describes this band just as well) truly dedicated vocal work, and fresh ideas make this album a huge hit. Make no mistake, this is probably the best new Canadian indie record I've heard this year. It carries the same vibe that worked for Women, and I can't see this record not shooting to the tops of the Radio 3 and campus charts with the right promotion. I'm looking forward to seeing this iteration of the band live as soon as possible, and I have no doubt they'll be coming to a town near you soon.

5/5 - www.noisography.com

Some people are friends, that should never be friends, but they AAAAAAAAARRE!!!

In the dream it was hard to read, almost impossible. I was trying to read the DVD case for what is now obviously Brüno, but in the dream I was reading T....L....U....T...C..H. If I would read Brüno as T.L.U.T.C.H. what would trying to write be like? I tried to write my name and it came out as Disney Bee, and the pen had a lot of difficulty writing, I put many holes in the paper. I think inhabiting the world of Long Long Long, I would be much better off with a name like Disney Bee, and for all my meals to be made out of macaroni and snakes, and to have an apartment in the sewer, and to have a cell phone installed in my head, and to cry at the drop of a hat. Dream life.

Long Long Long are, I'm told, a sister band to Mean Wind. Collectively, these two bands have three of the freshest records I've heard in a few months. Right now all their stuff is free, which is pretty incredible, but that won't last for long, stuff this good deserves to generate some payback sooner or later. - www.saidthegramophone.com

-As for the previously mentioned Phonopolis basement cave-in fiasco… it wasn’t actually that bad. A few chunks of plaster and dust clouds fell on some people, but all were left relatively unscathed. Worries ran high that Gobble Gobble would blow the roof off even further during their set directly after the accident, but again, all was well. With their fever-pitched dual guitar skronk skree, Long, Long, Long themselves were the highlight of a series of sets in the smallish space below the Mile End record boutique, blasting through winner after winner from their self-titled cassette and Shorts EP. Look for an upcoming 99 Sevens 7” to continue these wunderkinds’ hit factory streak. - texture magazine

If you, like me, remember the early 1990s as a blur of sweatpants, uncooked ramen noodles, and listening to whatever record store leftovers Columbia House sent you, I hope it’s because you were also, like me, between the age 6 and 9. Otherwise, that’s pretty rough.

One way or the other, we likely both probably missed out on Halifax music when bands like Sloan and The Super Friendz were at their peak, showing off the uncanny aptitude that small groups of Haligonian dudes have for singing harmonies.

Thankfully, this phenomenon persists, and perhaps the best recent manifestation was York Redoubt, whose nationally acclaimed album and free for download EP blended glorious Sonic Youth-y guitar noise and confusion with comparatively clean vocals by three members.

York Redoubt disbanded earlier this year after losing their drummer, but have re-formed as Long Long Long (that’s the letter ‘O’ to all you Morse-coders). Their new tape, which can be downloaded for free at their Bandcamp page, shows the band taking a more experimental approach to their song structures, with a lot of radical shifts between parts. Most of these are parts are individually amazing, but the channel-surfing song structures can be frustrating; it’s like you get to watch twenty seconds of The Sopranos before it switches to an ad on TSN where a cat’s wearing a wedding gown. Both are cool, but by the time you get back to The Sopranos, you kind of want to punch up your little brother and make him give you the remote.

However, the final track “Joseph Just Walked By” is pure genius. It’s a rewarding pop song with a culminating guitar breakdown that sounds like Deerhoof at their best, and it still plays around with elements like an atypical time signature and an Ornette Coleman-style saxophone in the middle.

This is a challenging album at times, but Long Long Long are as great as they are because they’re willing to experiment and be abrasive. The band is immensely talented, and I have no doubt that they’ll continue to do great things. - snowsuitsound

Halifax’s hypernetic double-pop quartet continues to push the limits of catch. This time the eccentric youngians are deep-ear diving in a power-pop tornado, channeling chaotic waves into torrential harmonies and six-string rhythmania. They’re conjuring a vortex of guitar leads with every steadfast listen, so hit play and dance until their magnetic overtow engulfs you. - www.weirdcanada.com

rom the ashes of York Redoubt‘s blitzkrieg through Canada’s art-pop continuum, Long, Long, Long have emerged a deliciously sauteed phoenix. More ambitious, weird, angular, and, dare I say, funkier (maybe?) than York Redoubt, Long, Long, Long is a wild continuation of the brilliant stream of pop cognizance festering in Canada’s mathematical east. Long, Long, Long is a marvel of price-per-hook insanity and is brimming with narrative, noise, and every pop sensation known to humankind. I suggest you grip. NOW. A+++(infinity). - www.weirdcanada.com

Long, Long, Long can't sit still. They've barely played their second show, and they're already working on their second release and preparing for a mid-June tour.

After three of four band members began building a reputation across Canada as York Redoubt last year, the band's sudden split late in the fall left plenty of disappointed music fans in Halifax and elsewhere. In Long, Long, Long (named for the 1966 Flintstones movie The Long, Long, Long Weekend), York Redoubt's fuzzy, lo-fi math rock has turned poppier, with a certain Beach Boys sound audible.

They're sampling a wide range of rock 'n' roll and listing off various changes to the music when we meet at guitarist Caleb Langille's house on a rainy night. "Less of a rock band," says guitarist Brad Lahead.

"No cymbals, no third choruses," adds Langille. "Maybe weirder---some York Redoubt stuff was kinda weird, I guess, but I want this weirder. Sparser."

Bassist Mike Wright nods from the back: "Those are all good things."

Though York Redoubt's breakup may have been a surprise to the Halifax scene, the band doesn't see it that way. "It ended when it was supposed to end," Langille summarizes. Wright adds that they were getting sick of playing the same songs, a complaint bands usually make after longer than York Redoubt's existence of scarcely a year. It's just one clue that Long, Long, Long is onto something uncommon.

Hooking up with drummer Rob Shedden (Dog Day) to form a serious Halifax powerhouse lineup, they played their first show on May 1 to a packed Lost & Found buzzing with excitement. They had their first tape ready for the show, and have been recording a second, of "summer pop hits," in time for the tour (with Quaker Parents, which Lahead also plays in, and Special Noise, all three bands piled in one van).

"We'd like to put out a lot of releases, especially in this year," says Langille. "Maybe 18, maybe 32...I'd like to be prolific at an extreme rate. A lot of bands we like are doing that, Thee Oh Sees are putting out a lot of records, I keep thinking about how in '64, if The Beatles didn't put out two records a year, often three records a year, their manager was afraid they'd be forgotten about," he adds. Long, Long, Long is interested in constantly reinventing themselves, looking to always play new material and not get bored.

"I think it's a good way to not dwell on things, to move really quickly writing and recording songs," says Lahead.

Despite the speed of their songwriting and claims of sounding rough, the band's two live shows so far have sounded sharp, and they've been getting rave reviews from local music fans. The vocals are more upfront in Long, Long, Long, with Langille taking on crazy, rambling vocal improvisation at live shows that suggest effects usually only found in recording.

"We all really like to experiment with vocals," Lahead says.

"You can be crazier with recording," Langille chimes in. "I think things will get crazier. The new tape is still only alright."

All four members have been writing songs, and though three of them have been playing together much longer, they're all quick to add that Shedden is being integrated into their creative process. "I'm into composition from a concept," Langille says.

Listing off their recording plans, tour plans and dream labels to release this year's anticipated 32-tape catalogue, the band has big dreams, and looks poised to fulfil them.

"We're hopefully learning new songs every show," says Wright.

"It's a lot easier to find time to record than practice. It's a lot more exciting," Lahead says---apparently Long, Long, Long's official philosophy.
- www.thecoast.ca

The evolution of blogs has unfortunately led to tendency to focus on the safe musicians that everyone has already got on board with. Within a few hours of the release, people assumed the new BSS record was amazing because a few people said it was, and just as quickly moved on to something as if the lights came on to tell us that the dance was over.
Honest, negative critiques have been replaced by hyperbole laced press quotes and a fear of stepping out of line with the general mindset of music reviewers. As music has become more disposable, the term taste maker has slowly, but certainly, evolved into taste aggregator and sitting down with a challenging record is somehow no longer worth the effort. When we have access to hundreds of records from new artist with the simple click of a button, why bother wasting time on something that may or may not be great? Sadly, that question is pushing bands away from genius and more towards immediacy.



Obviously some records jump out the speakers and hook you and that’s great, but it seems that we have given up on artists that take the risk to create genius, game-changing music and open themselves up for epic failure. People are afraid of music they just don’t get, and don’t have the patience to keep digging. If songs don’t sound good, it’s too easy – and too accepted – to hit >> or ctrl + shift + delete or post it with some halfhearted, “it sounds like x,y & z.”



That’s why a band like Long, Long, Long is so exciting. It’s no secret that most of the people that digest music online have nothing better to do than waste our time discussing how other people waste theirs. If that’s the case, that discussion better be a debate worth having. Call it the recklessness or even naivety of youth, but this group of young Haligonians is determined to break through barriers, avoid standard melodies and influences and honestly try to make their own sound. As guitars shlonk out of place and noises and samples disjoint serene calms Long, Long, Long really challenge you to keep listening through the meanders, tangents, and experimentation that threaten to derail each and every song.



Songs like Joseph Just Walked By start from the humblest of beginnings; simple guitar and distant vocals, but the quartet slowly and confidently add chaos, quirks and confusion with start and stop explosions of sound. Plinked out toy piano notes and horns that border on being lost keep you unsettled, but the band pulls back and reigns you in before running wild again. Odd sped up spoken word contrasts and clouds the warm, summery opening of Thoughts on Declaring Victory over The Sun and blasts of sound disrupt the surge of Judy Chicago, but somehow the band keeps it all together and moving forward. Even the most beautiful moments on the record – like the vocals on Tell Me It Isn’t Your Blood – are constantly fighting for attention, like moments of clarity clouded by layers and distortion.



Make no mistake, even though this record seems all over the map and spasmatic the young men writing the songs put thought into the outcome and have a vision. So many bands out there are trying hard to sound like The National or surf the next chill wave heading to shore, and it’s refreshing to find a band willing to swim against the current, challenging the surf to push them back. Will you like it? I have no idea but I fucking love it and will tell anyone willing to listen why. - www.herohill.com

Halifax’s Long Long Long are a band intent on perfecting the fine art of falling apart. Paper-thin guitar lines merge into mathy passages before the songs seem to career to an end, discordant guitars chiming and feeding back to the brink of collapse. Seemingly constantly in motion, and with a snare ringing out as true as the Halifax noonday gun, drummer Rob Shedden is the central force that pulls the band back from the brink, making use of every part of his stripped-down kit. The band (and their fan club who sing along to every word, and most guitar lines) have an infectious energy and their lo-fi party is the perfect way to kick off the festival. It is called the Halifax Pop Explosion after all. - www.exclaim.ca

Against our better judgment, we are bringing you more Long Long Long. Not because the bad has slipped after the release of their killer self-titled debut or because they fail to live up to their pedigree (the work that 3/4 of the band delivered as York Redoubt was glorious and earned the band a spot at the herohill showcase at HPX last year). No, LLL is back and the quartet is as infectious as ever, but last time we talked about the band we started a movement that was the antithesis to what Tribe Called Quest offered up to the masses.



I’d love to pull a Dave Silver, start dropping philosophical references and stacking hundred dollar words together in a nonsensical manner to fit in with the message board haters, but the goal here is to get LLL heard and appreciated outside of the small but fiercely loyal fan base they already have. Thankfully, only months after the release of their debut, the noise-laden art-popping Haligonians are back with a quick hitting EP – Shorts – that expands on everything that made the debut LP so challenging and ultimately rewarding and sheds a little light on the direction that band is moving.



Shorts may only be four songs, but it finds the band combining even more experimental, free formed sounds. The obvious jump-off point is the critically acclaimed quirk-pop the Unicorns/Islands used to create. Moving without the safety net of redemptive choruses and sing-along ready “oohs” and “ahhs”, these songs are an auditory train wreck; a crashing impact of styles and sounds that leaves the listener fixated by the shocking beauty and poignancy. Make no mistake, hidden by blasts of noise and guitar are pop songs that shimmer like a sun-kissed lake. “Mennonite Men (& The Women Who Miss Them)” rambles forward, teetering on the tracks but refusing to get derailed. “Cuba Gooding Jr.” uses a simple distorted guitar riff to deliver a punchy melody that competes with with scratchy tones and thumping drums to become one of the most shocking summer additions to your must have BBQ play list.



Shorts is available for free on LLL’s bandcamp site, and I highly suggest you grab the goods before they’re gone. LLL seems determined to get every stream of quirky pop consciousness on record this year and if they successfully deliver on their 32-tape goal of 2010, like the band itself, you won’t have time to look back. On “Mandarin Collars With Women”, Long Long Long points out a philosophy that more bands should adhere to; “it’s not about being liked, NO! it’s about being respected.” If they keep making creative pop music like this, the two won’t be mutually exclusive. - www.herohill.com