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 can blast out guitar-drenched rockers like
Suede,
the Auteurs come to life when they draw from the quiet side of such distinctively English guitar pop bands like
the Kinks,
the Smiths, and
George Harrison.
Luke Haines, the group's guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, writes highly melodic
pop songs that combine the airy melodies of
Harrison with the cutting social observations of
Davies; they're sharp, intelligent songs, full of humor and gorgeous melancholy, even when they're loud rockers. With their two albums, New Wave and Now I'm a Cowboy, they've 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 may be
the Auteurs' last. Six months later he released an album with his side project,
Baader Meinhof; a new
Auteurs record, How I Learned to Love the Bootboys, 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 2003's Das Capital. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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How I Learned to Love the Bootboys
Now I'm a Cowboy