New Wave

Remarkably unremarkable. The musical equivalent of a rich tea biscuit

There is absolutely nothing even remotely interesting, evocative or notable about this album. Nothing.

Totally uninspiring indie album. Not one memorable song on this. The sound of a band just going through the motions

There were fleeting moments of jangle pop glory but they just did not quite click with me. Listened twice to make sure but it never fully pulled me in. Not bad but just meh also, dumb band name. 3 stars

Assumed I’d hate this

A perfectly fine album. There's a lot about it I like, and there's something in it that's weirdly timeless. Nothing sticks out to me as particularly impressive. It's pretty good.

I like their ennui jangle a lot. I knew the name but I guess I'd never heard them. Thanks, 1001!

Never heard this. Smart and concise, it bears the requisite amount of 90s cynicism, yet it’s kind of an outlier sonically for its era. The singer reminds me of someone but I can’t figure out who. I like it.

Less annoying than Suede but of the same ilk and apparently released so close together one cant be said to have influenced the other. Sounds like the kinda thing that was huge in the UK for 8 months and then forgotten by all but the most loyal fans.

I never particularly cared for this lot back when this came out. I think I just found it a bit dull. I still do, but maybe marginally less so.

Whilst I liked the general vibe of the album, the production and vocals were weak and the whole thing lacked variety ending in a rather drab feel. I guess it flows well and I don’t think there were any poor songs, but the 90s had so much better indie albums than this.

I am somewhat on the fence on whether this is a 3 or a 4 star rating. But as I once worked for a week (packing boxes) with one of their touring guitarists (who much most interestingly had been in Spitfire), let’s give it the higher mark.

Before we dismiss it remember 1993- this was the start of Brit Pop

Not bad! I listened to it several times, and although nothing really sticks with me, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Quintessential "oh yeah, I like that album" music that you only ever think about when you hear it by accident.

Se dice con justicia que este disco es la antesala para la llegada brillante del brit-pop de Oasis o Blur. Pero estamos ante una música más oscura y barroca, y unas composiciones con un ácido cinismo que la convierte en una grabación difícil de catalogar dentro de la ola británica sin más. Se ven claras influencias de Bowie o T.Rex y, sobre todo, Roxy Music. Pero New Wave no es un disco glam, por mucho que sus guitarras a veces lo recuerden. En cuanto a los temas más destacados, "Showgirl", sencillo principal que abre el disco, contiene una melodía pegadiza para hablarnos amargamente sobre la superficialidad del mundo del espectáculo. Me gusta bastante "How Could I Be Wrong", repleta de ironía arrogante sobre el ego, la percepción de uno mismo y el autoengaño en las relaciones personales. "¿Cómo podría estar yo equivocado?" dice el título, mientras a lo largo de la canción asoma un hombre desubicado, frustrado y cegado por su propia soberbia. También me gusta bastante "Junk Shop Clothes" un medio tiempo cargado de cuerdas sobre la estética vintage y la pose bohemia. Pero si hay un tema que me gusta especialmente de este disco es "Early Years". Un retrato nostálgico de la juventud y las ambiciones creativas, que se desliza con cinismo al desencanto por la inevitable llegada de la mediocridad. La melancolía tiñe el viaje desde los sueños y la reveldía juvenil hacia la rutina y el conformismo ante lo cotidiano. Todo envuelto por un ritmo enérgico, batería contundente, marcado bajo y cortantes rasgueos de guitarras eléctricas.

I listened to the entire album earlier today. I have completely forgotten the experience.

Cohesion: 4.25/5 Theme & Narrative: 1/1 Sonic Identity: 0.25/1 Arrangement Synergy: 1/1 Genre Authenticity; 1/1 Transitions & Flow; 0.75/1 Production: 4/5 Clarity & Balance; 0.5/1 Vocal Delivery; 0.5/1 Sound Design; 1/1 Dynamic Depth; 1/1 Mastering; 1/1 Enjoyability: 1/5 Immediate Engagement; 0.25/1 Replay Value; 0/1 Emotional Resonance; 0/1 Playlist Potential; 0.25/1 Sticking Power; 0.5/1 Songwriting: 3.25/5 Lyrics; 0.5/1 Melody; 0.75/1 Structure & Contrast; 1/1 Hook; 0.25/1 Prosody & Emotional Resolution; 0.75/1 Favourite Songs: 3.5/12 - How could I be Wrong - Valet Parking - Early Years - Second part of Home Again Final Thoughts: - At times the sound was louder than the vocals and could not hear what was being sung - For fans of the genre I’m sure it works but album failed to catch my personal attention mostly because I wasn’t connecting with the lyrics, the vocals were around medium to low power, and badly sequenced - Appears to be quite slowcore - I liked the tracks that were a bit more upbeat like Valet Parking caught my attention as it went from slow to more upbeat and then back to normal. - I can’t lie, Early Years is probably the one song that stood out to me the most as it had a more interesting pace for me. - Reminds me of Elton John. - On a normal day, would’ve skipped if I hadn’t discovered Early Years.

Never heard of them but really enjoyed it.

Is this a Death Cab for Cutie album?

Can hear a lot of modern bands influences in their music. Album as a whole isn’t bad

7 / 10

Was expecting to give this a 2 based on, well, everything about it. But for an anonymous Brit-pop album it did a decent job keeping me engaged. Another perfectly solid album that I would probably like more if it wasn’t on this stupid list.

Pretty easy listening. Quite British.

The singer reminded me so much of the Pet Shop Boys that I was distracted much of the time.

I was hopeful, and then I heard the stupid lyrics of "Showgirl" and the unimaginative arrangement and performance choices, and my hopes were dashed. Seems like a wanker move naming an album after a genre that would not appear on the album at all. Absolutely the most middling of 90s alt rock. Has no business being on this list.

Just ok...songs were a bit repetitive.

3/10 Listen, I'm a huge fan of indie rock - I think some of the most interesting and best music comes from obscure acts that can't get a record deal. But this album is trash. It's uninspired, derivative, and lacking anything of substance (instrumentation, vocals, and lyrics alike). The vocals are egregiously bad. The kicker is that the album is titled "New Wave." It's ironic that a list so obsessed with new wave would contain an album - not by a new-wave act - named after the damn genre. Ugh. Giving this album 1 star because I'm bitter.

It was not that interesting.

It’s ok

Wow this guy cannot sing

3/5 A bit boring but at the same time nice to listen to

Solid album...4 stars

Lacking standouts, overall okay but a bit boring. 5/10

Calling yourself the auteurs is so fucking presumptuous. And then to not even be that good is crazy. Someone else pointed out that Icky Mettle isn’t on this list and it completely wipes the floor with this album equivalent of wallpaper paste

digno digno

3.4

Es ist das Debüt, das die Band sofort als intellektuelle Außenseiter des Britpop markiert. Statt Stadion‑Hooks gibt’s messerscharfe Lyrics, kühle Eleganz und diese leicht arrogante, aber faszinierende Distanz von Luke Haines. Songs wie „Showgirl“ und „How Could I Be Wrong“ tragen eine fast literarische Präzision, während die Produktion bewusst schlank bleibt – kein Gramm Fett, nur Haltung. Das Album wirkt wie ein schwarzer Spiegel der frühen 90er: melodisch genug, um hängen zu bleiben, aber zu bissig, um sich anzubiedern. Ein stilbewusstes, scharf formuliertes Statement, das bis heute eigen bleibt.

Better than most britpop.

I wanted to punch the singer in the face by the middle of the album

Hadn’t heard of them, felt excited … It was fine

It took a little for this to grow on me, but it is pretty good. This is mostly a darker sounding Brit pop/alternative rock album. But there are some unique songs and cool lyrics all across this. I will say that the vocals remind me of David Tibet, which is bonus points too. Not one I have a ton to say about, but really enjoyable, and I could definitely see how this would be influencial or important to it's scene.

I liked this way more than a lot of the other groups that have 28k listeners per month on Spotify lol. This sounded like the background music in a 90s British romcom or something

I don't share the same contempt for britpop that many of you lot seem to (then again, some people seem to take "britpop" a bit too literally and call any pop music from the UK britpop, when that is not what it is at all), but I still have a hard time defending this album's placement on the list. Being a genre that was so short lived, there's very little of it that has actually stood the test of time. And this is not one of them, I really have nothing bad to say about this, but it wasn't at all interesting enough for me to have anything good to say about it either. Just one of those albums that makes you think "yeah, I did just listened to that. Anyway, I'm going to get on with my day now." I can't bring myself to score it any lower because it wasn't actively unpleasant to listen to, but music (or art of any medium for that matter) that leaves you feeling nothing is completely missing the entire point of what it should achieve.

I can’t really remember much of this album but didn’t mind it while it was on.

Enjoyed this. High 3

eh, got kinda bored halfway through.

Is similar to the beatles, i enjoy listening it, there are some interesting and creative things.

Despite being all over 90s indie, I had never come across this band. Pretty decent album

This record feels a bit too much like a Halloween costume the band is trying to wear than something that they believe in.

I was aware of Luke Haines, and I'm pretty sure I'd heard some Auteurs before now, but coming to this cold, I was prepared to dismiss it as just another 90s guitar-based album which I've heard dozens of without engaging. Well, I was wrong. This is a genuine delight. Sure, it doesn't break any boundaries, but it takes a well-worn formula and wrings proper songs and glorious melodies out of it, and invents Britpop before that was a twinkle in a marketing department's eye. It's going on the 'I need to own a copy' list.

A band name like "the Auteurs" is bound to put me in a miserable mood. You'd need to be aggressively undermining the pretention in your music to avoid me hating you. This is not quite there, but does just enough to avoid a disgraceful rating.

I had the overwhelming feeling of “not quite” when listening to this. On the surface, it was very similar to bands I love, but something was definitely missing. Maybe that something was just early exposure at a different stage of life? Regardless, the album was like one of those humanoid robots that lie in the uncanny valley between cute and human. The kind you want to smash to pieces with a hammer.

Fun beats, but boring album

Det er jo ikke decideret dårligt. Men det er fandme kedeligt og siger mig intet. Og hans stemme er en anelse irriterende.

* 43 Jeg kunne simpelthen ikke være mere ligeglad.

En helt vildt ligegyldig omgang britpop. Hvis brit-bias ikke var tydeligt allerede, så bliver det mere og mere tydeligt 1.9

Anders og Rasmus har allerede sagt det, der skal siges om dette album

Shoe gazing but without the interesting lyrics or tunes of the sundays. More known for his outspoken views than his songs. Passable not memorable

Not bad, but kinda boring and not very memorable. 2.5/5

This might have been okay with a good singer, but Jesus Christ.

Meh

very strange...

New Wave is a superb debut that occupies an unusual place in British guitar music. It has the melodic craft of classic pop, the literate sharpness of the best alternative rock, and a worldview that is considerably darker than its catchy arrangements initially suggest. Luke Haines is the album's great asset. He understands that social pretension is often funniest when it is also sad, that glamour can conceal desperation, and that the people most convinced of their own sophistication can be the least self-aware. The band's arrangements give those observations a musical elegance that prevents the record from becoming merely a collection of sneering lyrics. But I wouldn't call it a flawless masterpiece. Some songs are stronger in concept than in execution, and the album's emotional reserve occasionally makes its characters feel like objects of observation rather than people we come to care about.

In my opinion, The Auteurs' New Wave is a much better album than the reviews on this site would suggest. I hadn't listened to the record in its entirety for years, but after a long break, I realized it has more excellent guitar pop songs than I even remembered. Strong four stars.

I enjoy this well enough when listening through, but it’s quite forgettable right after I finish.. overall 3/5

It’s mid. So one is the better Britpop albums on here.

Stop it with all this British Alternative. Stop it! Stop it!

Is it New Wave? Yes. Is it worth listening to twice? No.

Another 1001 head-scratcher. It’s generic Britpop as far as I can tell. I got bored, couldn’t finish, but it’s not offensive enough to earn a 1.

I like it, but I'm not crazy about it.

Aldri hørt om, men likte dette veldig godt! Fin indie rock som ligger et sted mellom slacker rock og jangle pop. Nedstrippet og litt lavmælt. Eneste måten dette er britpop på er om det eneste kravet for sjangeren var å være britisk og spille gitar på starten av 90-tallet.

Hørt 1 låt av bandet tidligere som låter noe annerledes, "New French Girlfriend", som er mer skranglete og mørkere. Her tenderes det mot pop og det funker veldig bra. Vil høre mer av disse.

Muito legal o álbum e tal, mas entre os mil e poucos melhores álbuns de todos os tempos? Puta exagero, apesar de ser um disco bem legal, porém menos né? Bem menos.

Based on the vitriol in the reviews I was expecting something much worse. It was solidly fine and a pleasant background listen while I was working. I probably won't come back to it but I definitely didn't hate it or anything.

Good, nothing wrong with it, but surely not the most interesting in the book.

Lovely, mellow, 90s - reminds me of another band I like, but I can't remember who

Blandat, vissa bra vissa sämre

This is a 3.5 to 4 stars for me, but I feel like I'm particularly targeted by The Auteurs. Their laid back glam sound, combined with the 80's to 90's brit rock sound - and then a little bit of what could maybe be called slowcore (similar to a Mercury Rev) - is just a combination I love, and I have been fan of this band for a long time. I feel they never have gotten the attention they deserve and are often forgotten. However, I think they are a gem from the 90's brit rock era.

I didnt go to art school Or take a degree in existential philosophy So take your badly sung navel-gazing bollocks, and just fuck right off

The Auteurs answer a question no one dared to ask: what if Oasis was bad?

Decent enough alt rock. Solid 4 Stars.

I’m at a 2. Sometimes, you can just hear when an album doesn’t have ‘it’. It’s not exactly intangible, as there’s usually consistent reasons to it; middling instrumentals, lyrics, or vocals are among them. That said, the biggest thing an album should successfully do regardless of innate quality is find a way to connect to its listener. I’ve heard cacophonies that I’ve given higher ratings than this, just because they found ways to make connections. When an album can’t do that, it just doesn’t have ‘it’. This album really does not have ‘it’, at least for me. It’s not in the instrumentals; those are generally alright & even good. It is, however, in the lyrics & vocals. It might be Joni Mitchell’s vivid vulnerability & dulcet vocal tones lingering in my mind from yesterday, but the difference is just so striking. Her lyrical style, however conversational & rambly it may feel at times, maintains a cohesion that emphasizes her storytelling. The Auteurs, despite their translated names, do not strike me as very good authors. They can use words, sure, but their ramblings feel like flexing a dictionary for the sake of it. They are practically saying nothing. There’s a pretentious air to the whole thing that isn’t helped by Luke Haines’ vocal stylings giving me absolutely nothing to work with. He sounds like a man who’s convinced he’s right without contemplation & reflection, including a rather snobby take on ‘junk shop clothes’ that left me with a general disdain for the guy that I couldn’t really shake off. Hell, there’s a song here titled “How Could I Be Wrong”. My frustration is that a lot of these tracks are close to being something. There’s just an intense mismatch in intent vs delivery here; you can be the know-it-all auteur giving insights on the world if you sell everything with conviction & provide a lyrical purpose for everything. It’s just not there – take a track like “Idiot Brother”, escalating quickly from two morons being like a pair of dumb dogs to “I want to kill your sister” a few verses later. “Valet Parking” seems to be about wanting to get revenge on this rich guy for making a valet’s life hell, but we’re given no reason to actually hate that rich guy or see the reasons why the valet’s life is hell. The lack of songwriting talent just kills a lot of these tracks despite decent instrumentals & decent vocal performances throughout. I have no conviction to care about almost all of the tracks on this album, and since it’s just not making me feel anything, I’m not sure I can go any higher than a 2. I don’t know how this made the list, other than documenting a very loose proto-Britpop style that Suede did significantly better. The only reason I’m not at a 1, despite myself, is because a good number of tracks kept me hooked in for part of the time, even if they flamed out later or just stayed utterly mediocre. If it were a truly bad album with no redeeming tracks on it & absolutely nothing to grab onto, I’d be at a 1. It’s not there. This does just enough to competently linger. It is, however, a 2. It’s not an album I needed to hear before I die. Thank goodness this wasn’t our 1,000th album.

Better than all the New Wave that usually made the list 6/10

This didn’t stand out me at first, but by the end, I was getting Destroyer vibes. I may need to check back into this.

Very strong album. Enjoyed all the way through. Didn’t had much expectations but turns out it’s a strong 3. Hell, it’s a 4.

Got halfway through and tapped out. Hated everything about it. Ugh.

So twee and uninspired. Trying to be The Beatles/Donovan/early Bowie? IDK and I don't care. 2 stars for not being totally hateful. Rating might go down on further listening.

Garbage, I’m really questioning why I chose to do this

Utter garbage. Don’t know if it was because I have read Luke Haines book and he is an absolute wet wipe or if it is the music I hate. Appreciate it could have been recorded three weeks ago but I’d still think it was dog shit.

This is very much background music. You cannot actually sit down and listen to it because your mind will start to wander and after 15 minutes you will realise that you forgot to proces the music coming into your ears. But if you have a task at hand, then maybe you will listen for more than three seconds. Maybe. Considering the quality of this album, the name is quite ironic.

Bland britpop, but at least a handful of songs have their own earworms and hooks.

This falls under the umbrella of samey British 90s/00s fluff… but I don’t mind it

Pretty decent indie/britpop record. A few good songs, nothing really standout and it does sound like a lot of other bands around this era. Still fairly enjoyable on the whole though.

Helaas was de Britpop trein al vertrokken uit het station.

Geneuzel

If for some reason I had to convince a jury that the guy who put this list together was British, the inclusion of this album would be Exhibit A. Goes from inofensive, just kind of boring to actively annoying by the end.

Luke Haines was the sour lemon of Britpop, couldn't mistake the era this album is from, sounds exactly like how you would expect a mid 90s English indie band to. Weak enough vocally so he's an acquired taste in that respect, songs are fine but there's just not enough that stick out with a big chorus or huge hooky part that's unique and memorable. Would stick this on no problem, it's an easy and decent listen to be fair, the lyrics aren't as "smart" as they are trying to be but there's nothing absolutely terrible here either. 5/10

Sounds like when people try to claim they have an previously uncovered recording of John Lennon, but its just a shite hoax.

It's an album. I dunno I didn't really get anything from this one. There are a couple of songs I think I would have liked if I had heard this a while back (namely American Guitars and Home Again), but now it's just... there. I think I'm also not a fan of the secret song on the album thing anymore, it mostly just seems to run up the clock. Whole album gives big "don't know why it's on the list" vibes.

What? So they’re just like, less fun the smiths or something? No wonder their career was so short.