New Wave

I am 1/3 of the way through this list. There has been no Pearl Jam, no Snoop Dogg, no Alice in Chains, no Soundgarden, no Stone Temple Pilots, no Tool and yet I have to stomach third-tier BritPop garbage that sounds like Blur on clonazepam? No, man, no.

- I really liked the Auteurs. Am I gay? - Yes, but for other reasons.

Not cool enough to be pixies. Not bare enough to be pavement. Just a bit drab. Like a quite good high school band.

Gotta be honest. I had never heard of this album or this band. This is a great album. It sounds like if Oasis had the creative sensibilities of Stephen Malkmus. Gritty, somewhat dark 90’s alt/brit rock. Good stuff.

This was fine. It was okay. It'll do. Like how Chole described Franz Ferdinand as 'landfill indie', this is 'landfill 90s alt-rock'

Top 5 alternative and indie rock records from 1993 which are excluded from this list that you should listen to instead of this album: 1. Yo La Tengo - Painful 2. Stereolab - Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements 3. Archers of Loaf - Icky Mettle 4. Guided By Voices - Vampire on Titus 5. Dinosaur Jr - Where You Been?

On the first listen, I really didn't like most of the LP. I liked the  first track but then they lost me for a while but I also liked the last three tunes.  This was somewhat bizarre since the  Spotify numbers show that nobody ever listens to (read likes) those last three tracks.  I thought I should listen  to it again and the second time through most of the songs from the dreaded middle section of the LP were OK. It kinda grew on me -kinda the way you start liking the jingle in a McDonald's commercial.  Perhaps I  was thrown by the name "New Wave" and was expecting something else. 

I've had enough britpop for one lifetime tysm

In spite of arriving amid the Britpop boom of the early-mid 90s, this record has the feel of a lost classic. I can imagine how this might get lumped into that category at a superficial level, but the details and approach make me feel like those associations are more a coincidence of when this was released than an indication this was part of a scene. I'm hearing some Robyn Hitchcock in the melodic instincts, intricate arrangement, and sneering vocals. Nice variety between the more acoustic and fuzzy numbers on this one. Overall, I really enjoyed this introduction to a new (to me) artist. Favourite songs: "Don't Trust the Stars", "Valet Parking", and "Show Girl"

I don’t know... it was okay. But I feel like I’ve heard that record a thousand times before from other bands.

Similar to how I feel about vapor air when it touches my skin, it's pleasant but fades all too quickly.

The epitome of bland. It kind of felt like eating a plain, unsalted cracker. And can you imagine giving yourself this name? Ugh.

If you like the beatles but shittier in every way this album is for you.

Dynamically inventive, dark prototype of Britpop - and I love it. A perfect blend of catchy pop melodies and a wide variety of sounds (glockenspiel anyone?).

This is a great discovery. It's an interesting varied album. Vocally it's quite mellow and reminds me of The Monkees contrasted with some power pop (love the guitar sound). Some of the songs are quite moody ('Show Girl', Bailed Out') whereas others have a whimsical late sixties baroque-pop feel ('Junk Shop Clothes', 'Starstruck', 'Housebreaker', 'Valet Parking') with some musical colour from instruments like harpsichord, strings, celeste, piano, mouth harp. Others like 'How Can I Be Strong' have a heavier psychedelic edge. The lyrics are probably the weakest element but there's some nice melodies and arrangements to compensate. It's a bit of a quirky left field album ("critics favorite") and quite tellingly I was the only one in my group to give it a high rating. All in all, this is a very enjoyable album to play on spring afternoon, so I will definitely play it again when the weather is nicer than today!

I love this album but I can see why others might not. It’s eccentric and peculiarly British. The lyrics are intelligent, biting, sarcastic and witty. Luke Haines is a national treasure. He rubbed up people the wrong way, refused to play the game, and was, presumably, ostracised for it. He had success, although perhaps not the recognition he deserved. His book is a riot, as is his twitter feed. This album is one of his best and is a forgotten 90s classic

Woaaah, what a gem this was. Never heard of them previously, but this is some brilliant stuff. Not far off from bands like Suede, and more specifically the album Dog Man Star.

Brilliant proto-britpop, which I would have adored at the time if I had been a year or two older. Not quite sure why they didn't kick on from there, as this is better than anything Blur or Oasis were doing at the same time. But they didn't build on it, and by the time I was buying music papers each week, Luke had become a bit of a lost hero and/or a bit of a punchline whenever someone was getting (over-)excited about a new band. Tl;Dr - a great (lost?) album from the start of a genre that means a lot to me. Sounds like Suede, Nirvana and Blur fell in a melting pot - in a good way.

Very good album, a little surprised at how much I liked it. Took me a couple listens to fully appreciate the album but glad I spent a little more time on it, definitely worth it Saved: Show Girl, How Could I Be Wrong, Idiot Brother

Hidden gem! I’d never heard of this, prepared myself for the worst, and then found myself playing it on repeat. Will I remember it exists in a month? Not too sure.

I heard 'Showgirl' on The Chart Show (remember that?) At the time, my natural music buying habitat was Woolworths. To be fair, they did usually carry the top 100 albums. New Wave was not, and so they did not. Neither did Our Price. (There were two on Wood Green High St. I never quite understood why. But that's not the point. Imagine two record shops on a suburban high street.) Back then, discovering new music involved (1) listening to the radio, (2) hanging round the record shops on Berwick Street and being nice to the chaps (they were always chaps) behind the counter if you heard something nice, (3) reading a review in the NME or Q, liking what was promised and buying (metaphorically) sight unseen. A few years later, Virgin on Piccadilly Circus put in a load of digital listening stations. You scanned the barcode and got 30 seconds of each song on the album, (from 15 to 45 seconds in). I used to spend hours there. I don't really have any truck with the people complaining about Spotify ruining their music discovery vibe. I guess it is true, up to a point, but then you can listen to virtually anything you want on Spotify, your choice absolutely. All you need to do is to cough up a tenner a month and follow your own instincts. In any case, gatekeepers have, and will always exist. The nice thing about living in a democracy is that one has no obligation to pay them the slightest bit of attention. There is so much fucking great music out there, beginning to be listened to. Do the final mile and seek it out, at least occasionally. Oh. New Wave. Found the CD second hand in a charity shop in 1995, I think. I was a bit disappointed by the time – the actuality did not live up to the mythology I'd built up in my head. But I kept it, and I listen to it every now and again, and the thought of going out hunting for it (and discovering a few other unexpected pleasures along the way) still makes me smile. And now, older and a little bit wiser, I think I can say that it isn't half bad.

It's easy to see why a certain British music magazine lumped in The Auteurs with an emergent scene back in the early 90s, for on New Wave they exemplify the kind of intelligent, not overtly referential compositions that was a tad bit lacking in British rock. The Auteurs, as time would go on, would only get a little more fascinating after this. Favorites: Show Girl, American Guitars, Don't Trust the Stars, Starstruck, How Could I Be Wrong, Idiot Brother, Home Again.

I bought this album aged 13. Thought it would make me look edgy and cool and intellectual and all the babes would want a piece as a result. It didn't achieve any of those goals. But it did soundtrack the beginning of years of rejection from the local female-folk. sad times.

I'm not sure how to rate this one. Good background music but I don't even really remember any specific part of any songs on the album. everything is so samey that it just sort of moves along without registering anything in my head. ok

Solid album with some great songwriting that recalls bands like The Smiths.

Somehow I've managed to not know about this band but half way through the first song I'm loving it... although I've definitely heard this song before. I'm hearing Blur pretty strongly in here. Looking at it, it's the same year as Modern Life, makes sense. Problem is the album quickly settles into Britpop mediocrity. It's OK but it feels quite by-the-numbers. I was looking forward to later tracks because other reviews called up some of those as great tracks but they didn't break through the tedium to me. By the end of the album I just wanted it to be over. Yawn!

A little like Belle and Sebastian, but not as good.

Not nearly enough synth or fun to call itself new wave

Boring

I couldn't tell you what songs were on this album and I just listened to it. How is that even possible? Trying to think back, it is just fog. No outlines. No impressions. Not even the curvy, fluffy edges of a cloud. Just greyish non.

Uneventful, forgettable, in fact, I can barely remember it a day later.

At first listen, I thought this was solidly two stars; pretty standard lackluster, uninspired, typically boring mediocre indie-filler band, but not hateful. The songwriting is mediocre at best, the playing is barely average, it's poorly recorded, and the Luke Haines is a pretty shit singer. This was just forgettable proto-Britpop, overhyped at the time by the UK music weeklies (NME is especially to blame, I reckon) beyond what the actual music itself could bear. The band was runner up for the Mercury Prize (itself a marker of over-praised UK rubbish), squeezed out a few more albums and effectively disappeared, left behind by their Britpop contemporaries. A sad case of 'nearly was'. And then I started reading about Luke Haines, and I realised that I suddenly knew who this guy was. He is the pretentious bore at the party, with his slightly thinning hair and shirt unbuttoned to the waist, droning on about how great his band is (although, truth be told, he's the singer and guitarist and songwriting, so it's really all his vision), and their material is really meaningful and intelligent, not like most music these days, you know? You should really come and see us, we're playing at a dingy pub down the road on Thursday, and it'll be really amazing, you should come, Yeah, I will have another glass, thanks mate. But what was I talking about? Yeah, I'm really influenced by Rimbaud and Leonard Cohen, but I think really pick up where they left off, because they didn't really follow through on their ideas, and I really want to push the limits of what music can do, you know what I mean? Heaven forbid you actually go to the gig, because it's 8 people standing around the pub, including the band's girlfriends standing down the front trying to dance while the rest of us sip our beers and feign interest in the boring mid-tempo indie rock the band is playing, while Mr Songwriting-Genius complains about needing more vocals in his foldback. So, the generic type of pretentious git is bad enough, but Luke Haines appears to have been cursed with a fortnight of accolades, which never turned into the world-conquering success his simultaneously craved and spurned. As a result, he appears to have become twisted into a bitter, spiteful, angry, self-absorbed, troll. Pitchfork described him as "a songwriter whose shtick involves both unflagging self-admiration and utter contempt for labels, marketing, colleagues and fans." I started reading his autobiography (Bad Vibes; Britpop and My Part in its Downfall). He claims to be a recovering narcissist, but I really don't think he is over it (point of evidence: the album title: Das Capital: The Songwriting Genius of Luke Haines and the Auteurs). It's a perversely fascinating read of how much a brush with fame and the subsequent failure can create ongoing challenges for a moderately-talented egotist, who loves to bite the hands that might feed him (record labels, fans, press, bandmates, anyone who could potentially help him). I return to the eternal question of how much to conflate the artist and the art. In this case, the artist is a hateful troll and the art is blandly mediocre. Hence, I consign the Auteurs to the 1 star bin.

Forgettable

WHO MADE THIS LIST

Great 90s rock album

Loved this album.

This was amazing - never heard of the auteurs, but such a fun variety of upbeat rockin melodies.

Awesome! Love the first track

Tästä oli tosi helppo tykätä. Soittolistalle päätyivät ainakin Bailed Out, Junk Shop Clothes, Starstruck, How Could I Be Wrong ja Housebreaker.

This was a lot of fun to listen to

I loved their sound! Reminded me of the Kooks. I will return to this album again in the future.

Absolutely loved it, every song is great. Also, the singer's voice sounds familiar, even though I have never heard anything from the band

"How Could I Be Wrong" came in and slapped me in the face for some reason. The whole album was really great. I didn't want to stop listening. I think this type of music is one of my favorite sounds of this project, to be honest.

This one surprised me. I liked almost all the songs. I am probably in the minority for liking all the Britpop on this list. Definitely gonna go through the rest of their stuff to see if it’s as good. Rating: 4.8

I love Luke Haines voice. And knowing he was in Black Box Recording may color this rating in a good way. I liked it a lot. I'll be coming back

5/5

Didn't know them and am happy about this find. Great album.

I was adding song after song to my "Songs I liked from 1001 Albums" playlist. Eventually it became undeniable - I fucking love this album. Plan to return to it often. Who knows if I'll actually do it, but I really want to, and that's the sign of a great album for me.

This is why I’m doing the challenge: finding artists and albums that are totally new to me that click. This has a bit of a Sunday morning vibe to it that’s nice. Songwriting stands out; and while I hear a bit of George Harrison in the vocals and even the songwriting, it’s not a copy and stands out as unique. Based on this album, I’m looking forward to learning more about this group, for sure.

I loved this! Like a cross between David Bowie and Weezer. The power guitars and the toy piano were great. Junk Shop Clothes and Valet Parking lyrics were awesome. I've already listened to the whole album twice.

Enjoyed.

I wish I would have know them in the 90. Great album, going to listen to it again.

Lowkey great vibes. Big fan of the Beatles-vocals.

omg amazing

Never heard of this band but they are a new favorite. Death Cabbish but slightly grungier.

LOVED IT SO MUCH.

I love 90s rock so much, this album did not disappoint!

Very Big Star with a Smiths and Britpop edge

A band I never picked up on in the 90's so these were my first time listening to them. At my first listen, I really thought after the first two songs (and especially "Bailed Out") I found a new favourite band, but after that the album dropped off. Listening to this album a few more times and also the songs further up in the album started to shine, like "Idiot Brother" and "How Could I Be Wrong." Now after my 5th listen I can see how this would be classed as a 'forgotten masterpiece.' All songs are incredibly well written, superbly melodic - there's not a sound out of place - but there's a lot of rough edges. Or 'spiky' as a friend of mine would call it. Reading up on it, this debut is apparently not even their best album. I'll be looking into the rest! 4,5*

9/10 incredibly fun I love the way it almost feels like alt-rock with its mixing and bass-heavy feel

Strajk rokowy nadal trwa i kolejna dosc undergrundowa banda, tym razem wyspiarze, 3 osobowa banda z meskim wokalem i babom na basie, ktorzy jako para byli inicjatotorami powstania zespolu, dodatkowo pojawiaja sie wstawki z dudnienia perkusyjnego i organowego, ale tylko w dwoch trackach od dodatkowych muzykow, wiec granie minimalistyczno instrumentalne, ciezko mi okreslic gatunek tej plyty, bo niby rokowanie, ale jednak budowa piosenek jest dosc popowa, ale lirycznie jest zbyt ambitna na okreslenie tego po prostu popem, wiec cos w stylu rokowania bowiego, czy bolana, bo poza grwolersami i klatkowymi sloniami to wlasnie takie mialem skojarzenia sluchajac albumiku, kawalki ktore na pierwszy rzut oka wygladaja jak typowe milosne songi maja twisty jak w czarnych komediach, przykladem moze byc otwierajacy showgirl czy valet parking, ale wiekszosc kawalkow jest inspirowana dosc prozaicznymi rzeczami jak gitary czy ciucholandy ktore staja sie materialem do poruszania ciezszych tematow, jako ze jest to debiut tej grupy, to tytul new wave jest dosc pasujacy, bo nie czuc ze jest to album z lat 90, wiec wyprzedzil swoje czasy i nie zdobyt zbyt duzej popularnosci nawet na wyspach, ale mialem szczescie odkopac akurat takie zloto, na plejke dodaje show grila, how could I be wrong oraz home again

4.5

1

Indie pop, parecido a Crowed House, pero más soft.

I started listening to this with some strong reservations, as someone who generally finds 'Britpop' to be an odious genre with very little redeeming qualities (I am seriously not looking forward to listening to the Blur records on this list). But after a few tracks I started to lighten up a bit as I realized this had more in common with the Pulp side of Britpop (aka: the good stuff) and if anything sounded more like Jangle Pop to me. From what I can tell this band just got sort of thrown into the Britpop scene because of their proximity to all the other big originators of that sound, which definitely makes more sense than someone classifying them as such based on their sound. One of the more appealing aspects of this record is certainly the lyrics, blending some impressively acerbic wit with an enjoyable amount of literary pretension. Everything I've read about this band's frontman points to him being a Grade-A twat, and honestly that feels like the kind of person you'd need to write lyrics this entertaining. At no point do these pretensions become pretentious however, combined with some memorable and catchy hooks that I'm always looking for in music like this. The opening track 'Show Girl demonstrates this very well, a fantastic opener that immediately grabs your attention and the rest of the album refuses to let up with nary a dull or uninteresting track. Another highlight is Idiot Brother with its sneering guitars and equally sneering lyrics. Definitely a great record, although I'm not entirely sure if I would have picked it for this list considering some of the snubs it managed to get in over. Although considering I almost certainly wouldn't have checked this out without it being on the list, it seems foolish of me to look this gift horse in the mouth. Highlights: Show Girl, Junk Shop Clothes, Starstruck, Valet Parking, Idiot Brother

expected to hate this as pretentious band and album name. first impressions actually great! 4

The lyrics are interesting and often odd and the music is of the rambly-catchy-british sort. Wasn’t quite what I expected from something called “New Wave” and not everything held my attention but I was left liking it.

I am not sure how to describe this one but I enjoyed it twice. I will listen again.

7/10

Not a huge fan of the lead singer. Good songs though.

Reminded me of The Beatles at times! Pretty neat stuff. Highlights: Bailed Out Starstruck Home Again

Did not know what to expect going into this one. Enjoyed a lot of the songs but felt the flow was a little weird at times.

These guys are getting slept on

definite listen again

This is a new album for me. I enjoyed it. Nice rocky sound good guitars fun lyrics

surprisingly good

Cool and catchy

Oddly enjoyable

It’s really decent, some reviews I’ve seen seem to make them victims of the “uurrrgh I hate britpop” crowd. Which I can get to some extent but this book is partly about discovery and this is a band I’ve never heard before. The album inhabits the more smiths inspired suede/gene route which is one of the better ways to go for britpop. Very solid 4/5.

Maybe I was just relieved after listening to pantera but I’ll be generous and go with a 4 here. Solid Brit pop.

yet another album i feel i should've enjoyed more than i actually did. i wish i had something to say about it. at one point, a song came on that got my attention; it was by some other artist, because this album had finished and spotify just grabbed whatever and played it, and that's how i knew it was over. on the other hand, the harmonies can be unexpectedly delicate, the guitar work is surprisingly compelling, and i honestly love homeboy's voice. it's just...somehow, despite all that, this one just kinda missed me. i'm giving it 4 because i feel like the problem this time around was me.

Nice

Good album, underrated artists 3,5/5

Pretty cool post-punk album. No major complaints, other than it's not my favorite genre.

I have a hard time understanding how The Auteurs didn't take off in the Brit Pop scene. The have a distinct folkly/chamber pop sound, clever lyrics and a front man that's not afraid to voice his cynical views on British imperialism. It's reminiscent of Ray Davies at the height of his powers, and they even carry a hint of 60's British Invasion in their music. Surprised this one passed under my radar. The production is a little bombastic at times, which dates it, but still enjoyable, as there is a tension between the cutting lyrics and the guitar-driven pop of the time. Fav Tracks: Don't Trust the Stars and Valet Parking. Rating: 3.5/5

I really enjoyed this album. For a band that had not previously been on my radar I was really surprised how good this album is. I would consider this more Alt-pop then Britpop, Britpop seems dated and less inspired than this album. The influences leading up to this album and music that was influenced by this album show the staying power of this music vs the blip on the radar that was Britpop. Good album all around. Favorite songs: don't trust the stars, Valet Parking, Junk Shop Clothes. 4 stars

Top notch Britpop. If one likes guitar driven anthemic rock, one could do worse than The Auteurs. Blur and Oasis received a lot of the press in the US, but The Auteurs delivered a solid debut. Luke Haines may or may not have "created" Britpop, although he clearly was ambivalent about the term. On his first outing, Haines witty lyricism is already apparent. The balance of cellos, chamber pop and guitars are compelling, and this is one of the better early 90s releases.

Nice early '90s alternative.

Бля, ну нет ща у меня возможности гонять этот альбом репитом, хотя, возможно, и заслуживает. Вроде неплохой, внятные мотивы, оригинальный инструментал, приятный вокал. Опять же, скорее понимаю, чем ощущаю. В целом, положительное мнение кое-как формировано, хоть и хочется его проверить сомнениями. Но у нас тут тысячеальбомка за три года, нельзя себе такое позволять лишний раз.

Had a decent vibe and was something easy to listen to

It was fine. A couple interesting tracks.

AK: enjoyable 90s alt. 4/5

Such excellent bitchery.

Actually entertaining pop.

Ja vet int va ni e på ja rocka me de

Unexpected and Great!

SUPER digging this album. Not a very unique sound, but one I enjoy.

This album was a pleasant surprise. I liked most of the songs (my favourite is Home Again) and could see myself revisiting a lot of these, but there were a few songs that I didn't like. 4/5 stars.

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Show girl, How could I be wrong,

This is good... no doubt requiring more intense scrutiny!