The Band

Happy Saturday, everyone! Our first review of November will be done by me – TK Lawrence of Totally Knuts. I’ve joined the team and taken over for Avery in the Wrock Wreviews, and I’m very excited to be here!

This week, I’m reviewing “You’re Just as Sane as We Are!” by Luna Wants a Long Bottom. While the album originally came out in 2008, it was rereleased in October 2020. Michaela Butler and Ruby Nicholson-Pallett created their band circa 2007 in Bristol, England. They played at local primary schools for children during Book Week and headlined ‘Accio Wrock’ at the Carling Academy in Oxford in 2008. “You’re Just as Sane as We Are!” was their debut album.

The Tracks

The first track in this album is called The Close. It starts with a synth and grows to include a beat and lyrics. I felt close to Harry as he made his journey to Voldemort with the Golden Snitch and the apparitions of his parents. This song has a chilling lyric in the middle of the song, whispered right after “I Open at the Close” – give this song a listen to find out what it is!

Piano and harmonies dominate the intro to this next song, Luna Lovegood. Halfway through the track, the sound changes drastically as we are introduced to a beat and rap-like lyrics. The song then finishes as it began, with slower harmonies and piano. If you’re a Luna fan, I highly recommend saving this song!

I’m Neville Longbottom has a catchy beat and great lyrics. With a guitar solo in the middle of the song, Neville sings about all the things the other characters are known for, while he lives up to his name by having a long bottom.

Next up is a lovely love song for Lily Evans from the point of view of Severus Snape. Lily – Snape’s Song has a beautiful xylophone part that repeats throughout the song. I love the melody and instrumental parts in this piece. Even though I personally think Snape was not a great person, I’m a sucker for a good Snape to Lily song (Lauren Fairweather’s The Prince’s Tale comes to mind).

Tribute to Romilda Vane is exactly what the title implies. This upbeat song makes me feel sympathetic for this character that did not get a lot of screen time in the books or the movies.

One of my favorite non-major characters in the books is Merope Gaunt. This song, entitled I’m in Love with a Muggle, tells of Merope’s lineage and the problem that she cannot reveal to her family: that she’s in love with Tom Riddle, a non-magic person. Even though on the surface this song is upbeat, the bassline has a sadder downward spiral, and the lyrics themselves are pretty sad. I love a sad wizard rock song, and this one really hits the spot.

Torture, murder, follower of Voldemort – Bellatrix Lestrange has it all! Neville sings about her in this next song with a Motown vibe, Bellatrix.

A parody of Hey There Delilah by Plain White T’s, Hey There, Hermione praises Hermione’s awesomeness. “A thousand miles seems pretty far, but we’ve got brooms and flying cars” is by far my favorite lyric in this song.

The album ends with a funky Elvis-like piece, Herbology. Neville’s favorite (and best) subject at Hogwarts, Herbology helps him learn many things that not only guide him toward his future as a Herbology professor, but also comes in as handy knowledge for Harry during the second task in the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

In Summary

“You’re Just as Sane as We Are!”  is available for free download on Bandcamp (name your price). With so many different styles of music in a single album, I highly recommend that you give this a listen. The fun of creating wizard rock comes together with topics that range from silly to serious. Out of one Longbottom, I give this album a full-on Neville!