AZ: After Murder Park by The Auteurs

So here it, albeit at least two weeks late: the first A to Z review. I must have sat down at my laptop half a dozen times with the aim of writing this; putting on Spotify and queuing up the album, writing a couple of sentences and then getting distracted and promptly doing something easier. I guess I've just not been in the mood for this whole writing thing, WHICH COMPLETELY NEGATES THE POINT OF THIS EXERCISE! The idea was to force myself into writing regularly and I scuppered my own chances before I even started. In theory I should have A and B written by now and here I am just ranting about not having written anything!
Best get started then as I have some catching up to do:



A: After Murder Park by The Auteurs
As suggested by Alex Spencer

My first impression was to comment on how fresh sounding this album is. But then I checked on Wikipedia and it turns out it After Murder Park was released in 1996! Well that just goes to show what kind of musical rock I've been under for the past eight years. So if it is not fresh, then I'll say it has aged extremely well - songs such as Unsolved Child Murder and the title track at close of the album are very musically relevant today, with the use of light distortion and strings sections which I feel has become more popular the past few years (see Arcade Fire, I Am Kloot, et al.). Having said that, I do think child-murders have gone slightly out of fashion.

There are a few musical inspirations I picked out on this album; whether these were intentional, real inspirations or just a happy connection made by my mind is a moot point. The first track in particular, Light Aircraft On Fire, has elements of Pearl Jam-esque grunge. I particularly enjoy the extremely well placed atonal moments that keep you on edge, longing for tonality to return. It's strange that this was the track that initially sparked my 'this album has a new feel to it' theory and now here I am comparing it to an even older band!
Buddah seems to me to ape late 70s Pink Floyd a little and every now and then I get a small taste of a PF drum-riff. I'm probably just going mad and hearing what I want to though.
Finally there is some good old-fashioned rocking out to enjoy on most tracks, which could be attributed to a whole wealth of tributes. I'll let you decide on these for yourself. Listening to the album, I caught myself experiencing involuntary head-banging a fair few times. Notable bangover inducers being Land Lovers and Married to a Lazy Lover.


Overall I have to say an interesting album and well worth a listen to. Not the up-to-date album I first thought, but one of those albums which survives the test of time, perhaps because it has elements of some giants before it which still linger on in our music collections. It may not end up on my most-played list but I think it will pop up it's head every now and then. I look forward to introducing myself to some more of The Auteurs music, I just need to make sure I don't end up wanting to see them live as I have a habit to do with dead bands.

6/10
Serving suggestion:
One of those albums which should be played on the walk home after the pub, when your way is lit by the dull-orange glow of the town and you can take your time to tipsily enjoy the music.