A Brilliant Mistake is the third full-length album by American alternative rock band Tsunami, released in 1997. It was the band's last album.
The album was recorded in Chicago. Members of The Sea and Cake, the Coctails, and the Pulsars contributed instrumentation to the album.
The Washington Post wrote that "Tsunami still doesn't compose outgoing melodies, but the band's control of mood and texture has become formidable." CMJ New Music Monthly called the album "heady and beautiful," and praised Jenny Toomey's "rich, liquid voice." Nashville Scene called the album the band's best, writing that "the instrumentation on A Brilliant Mistake is a remarkable achievementâÂÂan absorption of some of the prettier sounds of the 'post-rock' movement while retaining a fundamentally aggro-punk edge." The Courier-Journal wrote that "Tsunami hasn't forgotten how to write challenging pop songs, and Toomey's voice remains one of indie rock's most beautiful instruments."