New Wave (The Auteurs album)
New Wave | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 22 February 1993 | |||
Genre | Alternative rock, indie pop | |||
Length | 43:41 | |||
Label | Hut | |||
Producer | Phil Vinall, Luke Haines | |||
the Auteurs chronology | ||||
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New Wave is the 1993 debut album by British rock band the Auteurs. In 2014, British independent record label 3 Loop Music re-released the album on 180gsm Vinyl and as a 2CD Expanded Edition which included b-sides, rarities, radio session tracks and the original 4-track demos that led to the band's signing with Hut Records.
Background
After the demist of the Servants, musicians Luke Haines and Alice Readman formed the Auteurs; former Dog Unit drummer Glenn Collins joined soon after. The trio made their live debut in April 1992 at the Euston Rails Club in London, signing to Hut Records, a subsidiary of major label Virgin Records. British press saw the band as part of a potential glam rock revival, while American press would plainly compare them to Suede.[1] Author Dave Thompson wrote in his book Alternative Rock (2000) that New Wave laid the groundwork for what would subsequently become Britpop.[1]
Release and reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Alternative Rock | 8/10[3] |
Drowned in Sound | 9/10[4] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | A−[6] |
The Irish Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Record Collector | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Select | 4/5[10] |
The Village Voice | A−[11] |
"Show Girl" was released the lead single in December 1992, ahead of New Wave, which appeared in early 1993. By this point, celloist James Banbury joined the band. By mid-1993, Collins was replaced by Barny C. Rockford.[1]
Thompson referred to the album as a "university thesis on how to build Brit-pop, shot through with such startlingly intelligent perversity that the end result is more of a template than a tribute." He singled "Show Girl" and "Junk Shop Clothes" as highlights.[3] Stereo Review wrote that "Haines is a brooder who tends toward minor keys and bleak but arresting lyrics that obsess on the darker side of showbiz and celebrity."[12] The Washington Post concluded that "not all these songs are as catchy as 'Bailed Out' or 'Early Years' but those who empathize with Haines's self-mocking boho sensibility will find New Wave immensely appealing."[13]
In a retrospective review, Jake Kennedy of Record Collector said it was not the band's best effort, but considered it a "canny time capsule, bundled up with all the retro glam of the era", with a number of lyrical topics which "confuse and charm in equal measure".[8]
Thompson said that it was one of the most acclaimed albums in 1993. It was shortlisted for the 1993 Mercury Prize.[1] It is now included in the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die list.[14]
Track listing
All songs written by Luke Haines.[15]
- Original 1993 CD/LP (CDHUT7/HUTLP7)
- "Show Girl" - 4:06
- "Bailed Out" - 3:44
- "American Guitars" - 3:31
- "Junk Shop Clothes" - 2:42
- "Don't Trust the Stars" - 2:25
- "Starstruck" - 2:59
- "How Could I Be Wrong" - 3:53
- "Housebreaker" - 2:57
- "Valet Parking" - 2:55
- "Idiot Brother" - 5:45
- "Early Years" - 2:40
- "Home Again" - 3:24 / "Subculture (They Can't Find Him)" - 2:13 (hidden track; it follows 20 seconds of silence after the end of "Home Again")
- Free 7" (HUTL2)
- "She Might Take a Train" - 1:38
- "Subculture (They Can't Find Him)" - 2:13
- 2014 expanded edition bonus tracks (Disc 1)
- "Subculture (They Can't Find Him)"
- "She Might Take a Train"
- "Glad to Be Gone"
- "Staying Power"
- "Wedding Day"
- "High Diving Horses"
- 2014 Expanded Edition Bonus Tracks (Disc 2)
- "Housebreaker (Rough Trade Singles Club 7")"
- "Valet Parking (Rough Trade Singles Club 7")"
- "Housebreaker (Acoustic Version)"
- "Junk Shop Clothes (Acoustic Version)"
- "Starstruck (Acoustic Version)"
- "Home Again (Acoustic Version)"
- "Junk Shop Clothes (1993 BBC Radio 1 Session)"
- "New French Junkshop (1993 BBC Radio 1 Session)"
- "Government Bookstore (1993 BBC Radio 1 Session)"
- "How Could I Be Wrong (1993 BBC Radio 1 Session)"
- "Bailed Out (Original 4-Track Demo)"
- "American Guitars (Original 4-Track Demo)"
- "Showgirl (Original 4-Track Demo)"
- "Glad to Be Gone (Original 4-Track Demo)"
- "Starstruck (Original 4-Track Demo)"
- "Early Years (Original 4-Track Demo)"
Personnel
Personnel per booklet.[15]
- The Auteurs
- Luke Haines – guitar, piano, vocals
- Alice Readman – bass guitar
- Glenn Collins – drums
- Additional musicians
- James Banbury – cello
- Chris Wyles – percussion
- Kuljit Bhamra – percussion
- Joe Beckett – percussion
- Production
- Phil Vinall – engineer, producer
- Luke Haines – producer
- Stefan de Batselier – photography
- Peter Barrett – sleeve design
- Andrew Biscomb – sleeve design
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d Thompson 2000, p. 162
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "New Wave – The Auteurs". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
- ^ a b Thompson 2000, p. 163
- ^ Slaughter, Matthew (24 January 2014). "Album Review: The Auteurs – New Wave (expanded edition)". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- ^ "The Auteurs: New Wave". Entertainment Weekly. 7 May 1993. p. 58.
- ^ Clayton-Lea, Tony (7 March 2014). "The Auteurs: New Wave (Expanded Edition)". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ a b Kennedy, Jake (March 2014). "Reviews". Record Collector (425): 88. ISSN 0261-250X.
- ^ Harris, Keith (2004). "The Auteurs". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 29–30. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Cavanagh, David (March 1993). "The Auteurs: New Wave". Select (33): 67.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (6 April 1993). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "New Wave by the Auteurs". Stereo Review. Vol. 58, no. 8. August 1993. p. 82.
- ^ Jenkins, Mark (16 April 1993). "From the Villages of London, Brooklyn". The Washington Post. p. N14.
- ^ "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". 1001 Before You Die. Quintessence Editions Ltd. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- ^ a b New Wave (Booklet). The Auteurs. Hut Recordings. 1993. CDHUT 7/263 306.
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Sources
- Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock. Third Ear: The Essential Listening Companion. San Francisco, California: Miller Freeman Books. ISBN 0-87930-607-6.