The Auteurs | ||
| Allmusic Biography : When the Auteurs released their debut album in 1993, the British press linked them with the massively popular Suede as part of a "glam revival." While the band could blast out guitar-drenched rockers like Suede, the Auteurs came to life when they drew from the quiet side of such distinctively English guitar pop bands like the Kinks, the Smiths, and George Harrison. Luke Haines, the groups guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, wrote highly melodic pop songs that combined the airy melodies of Harrison with the cutting social observations of Davies; they were sharp, intelligent songs, full of humor and gorgeous melancholy, even when loudly rocking. With their first two albums, New Wave and Now Im a Cowboy, they earned a devoted cult in the U.K. without gathering much support in the United States. By the time the group released the Steve Albini-produced After Murder Park in early 1996, they had even lost most of their cult audience in the U.K. Accordingly, the album was a stiff, even on the indie charts. Before its release, Haines had dropped hints in interviews that the record might be the Auteurs last. Six months later, he released an album with his side project, Baader Meinhof, although a new Auteurs record, How I Learned to Love the Bootboys, also appeared in 1999. Haines focused his energy on Black Box Recorder for a few years, released a pair of solo albums in 2001, and re-recorded several Auteurs songs with an orchestra for 2003s Das Capital. While an official break-up was never announced, Haines continued to work primarily as a solo artist well in to the 2010s. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 8 Title: Les Inrockuptibles Released: 1993 Tracks: 8 Duration: 22:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 She Might Take a Train (01:38) 2 Wedding Day (alternative mix) (02:07) 3 Junkshop Clothes (Mark Goodier session) (02:48) 4 Bailed Out (acoustique) (03:45) 5 Valet Parking (acoustique) (02:43) 6 Staying Power (acoustique) (02:39) 7 How Could I Be Wrong (Mark Goodier session) (03:51) 8 Housebreaker (acoustique) (02:47) |
 | Album: 2 of 8 Title: New Wave Released: 1993-02-22 Tracks: 12 Duration: 43:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Show Girl (04:07) 2 Bailed Out (03:44) 3 American Guitars (03:31) 4 Junk Shop Clothes (02:42) 5 Don’t Trust the Stars (02:25) 6 Starstruck (02:59) 7 How Could I Be Wrong (03:53) 8 Housebreaker (02:57) 9 Valet Parking (02:56) 10 Idiot Brother (05:45) 11 Early Years (02:40) 12 Home Again / [silence] / They Can’t Find Him (05:59) |
| New Wave : Allmusic album Review : With their 1993 debut album, New Wave, the Auteurs established themselves as one of Englands best guitar bands of the early 90s. Driven by the bittersweet, ironic songwriting of Luke Haines, the bands carefully crafted, three-minute pop songs are in the vein of the Kinks, the Smiths, and the Beatles, particularly the songs of George Harrison. Yet the Auteurs never sound like imitators -- they combine their influences into a signature sound, distinguished by Haines sharp lyrics and sighing melodies. [3 Loops 2014 reissue features remastered sound and 22 additional tracks, including B-sides, acoustic versions, demos, and a BBC session. Haines provides liner notes.] | ||
 | Album: 3 of 8 Title: Now I’m a Cowboy Released: 1994-05-06 Tracks: 11 Duration: 41:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Lenny Valentino (02:20) 2 Brainchild (03:43) 3 I’m a Rich Man’s Toy (02:54) 4 New French Girlfriend (04:15) 5 The Upper Classes (06:46) 6 Chinese Bakery (03:05) 7 A Sister Like You (02:48) 8 Underground Movies (03:32) 9 Life Classes / Life Model (04:02) 10 Modern History (05:36) 11 Daughter of a Child (02:36) |
| Now I’m a Cowboy : Allmusic album Review : "Brainchild" may have informed the title of the Auteurs sophomore album, Now Im a Cowboy, but it was the sneering, in-with-the-hip-crowd antics of the opening "Lenny Valentino" which flew in the face of the light retro-pop the band wielded just a year earlier. Rougher, sexier, more slipshod than before, this song had a lot to say, and the band was right behind it. But thats not to imply that the band didnt carry itself with equal aplomb across the rest of the set. The Auteurs blazed through a mixed mutant bag of smoothies and deadlies, where every title read like a trip around the world. Meanwhile, pre-empting all that Pulp would later perfect, Luke Haines feral lyricism touched on the struggle of upper and lower classes and the horror that falls when they collide. "New French Girlfriend" hashed Haines vocals to bits with a yummy guitar, while "Chinese Bakery" is an off-kilter rock rampage across streets that slice uptown and downtown, leaving "The Upper Classes" to fill the breach. Elsewhere, both "Life Classes/Life Model" and the sordid claustrophobia of "Underground Movies" emerge as biting commentary. Now Im a Cowboy served the Auteurs well, becoming an edgily delicious bridge between their immediate past and their enduring future. Dig a little deeper and add a pinch of hindsight, however, and its also easy to discern the treasure trove of embryonic nuggets that would surface in Haines Baader Meinhof and Black Box Recorder solo projects. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 8 Title: µ-Ziq vs. The Auteurs Released: 1994-10 Tracks: 6 Duration: 45:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Lenny Valentino 3 (08:08) 2 Daughter of a Child (06:09) 3 Chinese Bakery (04:51) 4 Underground Movies (05:22) 5 Lenny Valentino 1 (12:27) 6 Lenny Valentino 2 (08:49) |
 | Album: 5 of 8 Title: Back With the Killer E.P. Released: 1995-12-22 Tracks: 4 Duration: 09:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Unsolved Child Murder (02:08) 2 Back With the Killer Again (02:44) 3 Former Fan (01:43) 4 Kenneth Anger’s Bad Dream (02:34) |
 | Album: 6 of 8 Title: After Murder Park Released: 1996-03-01 Tracks: 12 Duration: 39:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Light Aircraft on Fire (02:17) 2 Child Brides (04:26) 3 Land Lovers (02:31) 4 New Brat in Town (03:55) 5 Everything You Say Will Destroy You (02:42) 6 Unsolved Child Murder (02:08) 7 Married to a Lazy Lover (03:55) 8 Buddha (02:52) 9 Tombstone (03:59) 10 Fear of Flying (04:41) 11 Dead Sea Navigators (03:47) 12 After Murder Park (02:00) |
| After Murder Park : Allmusic album Review : The pairing of two curmudgeons like Luke Haines and Steve Albini in a studio seems like a marriage made in heaven to some, and the very thought triggers an instant headache to others. The Auteurs are unlike the typical downtrodden U.S. indie bands Albini works with, but they nonetheless walked out of Abbey Road Studios with their nastiest-sounding record. Thats probably what Haines wanted, and thats what he got. Grittier guitars and sharper drums dont get in the way of the more intricate arrangements that involve strings and a dash of horn every now and then. First single "Light Aircraft on Fire" is probably the most feisty Haines song yet, kicking down the doors with the opening line, "When you cut your lovers slack, youll get a f*cking monster back." Haines guitar lines sparkle during the chorus but dig like claws during the verses. Ace utility man James Banbury, in his usual Auteurs role as secret weapon, contributes threatening organ swells during the seething "New Brat in Town." After Murder Park serves the usual combo platter of growlers and barbed lullabies, but Haines definitely sounds more embittered than usual, quite possibly the result of watching too many of Albinis wildlife videos. He paints plenty of "sucks to be you" scenarios with sneering flair, exposing the corrupted side of humanity just as well as his engineer when hes on the other side of the glass. Not many fates could be worse than having Haines write a song with you as the subject, but listening to him air his insightful dirty laundry is an entirely unique experience. Pretentious and snotty as Haines might be, hes one of the sharpest tools in the shed. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 8 Title: How I Learned to Love the Bootboys Released: 1999-07-05 Tracks: 12 Duration: 35:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Rubettes (03:27) 2 1967 (02:42) 3 How I Learned to Love the Bootboys (03:05) 4 Your Gang, Our Gang (01:46) 5 Some Changes (03:19) 6 School (02:58) 7 Johnny and the Hurricanes (03:51) 8 The South Will Rise Again (02:24) 9 Asti Spumante (03:27) 10 Sick of Hari Krisna (02:51) 11 Lights Out (02:10) 12 Future Generation (03:11) |
| How I Learned to Love the Bootboys : Allmusic album Review : The most refined of Englands bands manages to refine itself even further on their fourth disc. How I Learned to Love the Bootboys is Luke Haines most immediate sounding release to date, and even though his claim that each of the records 12 tracks are singles sounds a bit highfalutin, hes not far off. While each of the Auteurs three prior LPs are equally arresting, there are points at which the mind tends to wander, but not here. Haines familiar themes of Englishness, youth, and hooliganism remain, playing like another short movie. The cohesiveness of the record is no small feat, given the wide-ranging sounds and moods. Opening bedroom tale "The Rubettes" features a delicate, Brill Building lullaby chorus while a repetitive staccato riff offplays the fragility. The title tracks quiet chaos has Haines whispered vocals buttressed by sirens, percolating electro bleeps, and a graceful dub bassline. "Your Gang Our Gang" relocates the fight scenes of Grease and West Side Story to the streets of London with equal doses of menace and tongue-in-cheek. Tough and joyful at the same time. Haines and Pete Hofmann attain the bands best production yet. Haines guitar has never sounded so fittingly sharp while avoiding abrasiveness. Even guitar guru Steve Albini couldnt coax such an ideal sound from his guitar. Haines supporting cast punches in with some excellent work, providing all the necessary support for an excellent record. Surely the few who have stuck around since New Wave are being spoiled rotten by the Auteurs remarkable consistency. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 8 Title: Das Capital: The Songwriting Genius of Luke Haines and The Auteurs Released: 2003-07-21 Tracks: 11 Duration: 38:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 How Could I Be Wrong (04:33) 2 Showgirl (04:16) 3 Baader Meinhof (03:02) 4 Lenny Valentino (02:16) 5 Starstruck (03:32) 6 Satan Wants Me (03:09) 7 Unsolved Child Murder (02:26) 8 Junk Shop Clothes (02:46) 9 The Mitford Sisters (05:02) 10 Bugger Bognor (03:50) 11 Future Generation (03:35) |