More sinister pop on the Auteurs second album
12/28/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is the outstanding follow up to the Auteurs first album New Wave, and Haines loses no momentum. The album is more dark then the first while keeping that refined glam noir rock feel. The album opens with the menicing Lenny Valentino, the rocking single off the album that scored the highest for the Auteurs on the UK charts. The album deals with film icons, crime, bohemian existence and child abduction(something Haines will touch on fully in After Murder Park). This is a must for fans of the Go betweens, the Smiths,Suede,Bowie,pixies, and the Only Ones."
"champagne highs and giddy lights"
mwreview | Northern California, USA | 04/25/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The Auteurs have a very unique sound. At first I did not like this album but, because it was odd in an interesting sort of way, I kept listening to it and the sound grew on me. It has a very soft, semi-folk, alternative sound; a little like Bettie Serveert (especially the guitar on "New French Girlfriend") but very posh British. Luke Haines' vocals are a little raw, but quiet and free which suits the music well. The lyrics range from the interesting to the bizarre; for instance, "A Sister Like You": "Two sisters sighed, Said we might as well be lovers, We're so close, Just like blood brothers." The cello and occasional oboe give the album the air of sophistication. My favorite tracks here are the ones that rock like "Lenny Valentino" (an excellent opening track) and the catchy "Chinese Bakery." It is a solid album. I recommend it to fans of alternative folk and very British-sounding music."