Title: New wave
Artiste: The Auteurs
Year: 1993
Chronological position: Debut album
Previous experience of this artiste?: Zero
Why is this considered a classic? I ahve no idea but I keep getting asked to listen to it, so hopefully this will keep Urban and Goofle happy. For now.
My thoughts
One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good, great, bad, meh, still waiting or other? Meh
One track in --- Meh
Halfway through --- Meh
Finished --- Meh
Comments:
Debut album from a band who, though associated with the nineties Britpop movement, seemed to dislike that tag and possibly as a result seem to have faded into obscurity, despite this album originally being nominated for the Mercury Prize and now being one of those “1001 albums you must hear before you die” deals. Personally, I've never heard of them, but the two boys have been so voiciferous in their attempts to get me to listen to this album that I felt it was only fair that I listened to them.
Good immediate opening with cracking drums and a nice guitar to open
Showgirl, and the voice of the singer, Luke Haines, is interesting, sort of reminds me at times of Neil Tennant. Touches of Bowie in there too, oh yeah, and yer man from The Lightning Seeds. The song is a mid-paced one with a kind of marching rhythm, and stops once or twice before coming back in on the basswork of Alice Readman. Very pleasant, sense of The Adventures about it too, particularly “Sea of love” era. The second track has more of an almost Shadows feel about it with a belt of Country in there, piano from Haines adding to the appeal of
Bailed out, but again it's pleasant but nothing terribly great or memorable. Hmm. Not overly impressed so far.
First instance of cello then from James Banbury, and I've always got time for cello or violin. There's quite a muddy vocal initially for
American guitars but I have to say it's a bit nondescript and is over before I can really even appreciate it.
Junk shop clothes is a slower song, with tinkly piano and what sounds like accordion, but still pretty boring. Tempo goes up then at least for
Don't trust the stars, and it rocks along okay but again I'm not too impressed. On we go into
Starstruck where the pace slackens again. I have to say, I don't really like this guy's voice; it's a bit weak and sort of wimpy. Not that I want to hear death vocals exactly, but this is just a little whiny for my tastes. Getting very bored now. Ho-hum.
Yeah. I heard a harmonica there which perked me up for a moment, but now I'm just drumming my fingers and waiting for this album to end. I just have zero interest in it. It's tedious and dull and with no life whatever, to me. There's a line in
Valet parking (think it's the chorus) where Haines sings “I'm sick of parking cars”. Replace the last two words with “listening to this album” and you have a good idea of how little interest I have in this now. Well, only (checks) three more tracks to go and then I can forget it. And now I can. God, what an ordeal.
Favourite track(s): None. I didn't like any of this album. Conversely...
Least favourite track(s): I didn't hate any of this album either. I just didn't care enough about it, after all the hype, to like or hate it.
Final impression --- No real impression. Bored to tears. Nothing here interested me.
Do I feel, at the end, A) I wish I had listened to this sooner
B) I'm sorry I bothered
C) I might end up liking this
D) Have to wait and see
E) Bit underwhelmed; was ok but a classic?
F) Definitely enjoyed it, but again would I consider it a classic?
Definitely a B
