So much of what I love/hate about England has been crystallized by the sharp lyrics of Mr. Luke Haines.
When some pathetic history of British rock is written -- as if the art form even needed one? -- his name will be up there with Morrissey and Jarvis Cocker and -- in a generous mood -- certain works of Mr. Albarn.
In 1994, I saw The Auteurs at the old 9:30 Club in D.C., then I saw them -- though it was really just Mr. Haines -- on a very snowy Friday night in early 1996 at the new 9:30 Club.
And my first night in England was arranged around a performance by Black Box Recorder in London.
Lyrics about "the end of the world" and "hated Sunday" sung in front of a slideshow of English monsters like Myra Hindley evoked one version of England -- an England as true in its darkness as the England of Ray Davies and his "Village Green".
Somehow, Mr. Haines has a new album out and it is already up for order on American iTunes a good week before its official release date -- for once, Americans are blessed!
As I make my way through this release, I can sense a similar vibe as his last solo release but, quite simply, if you enjoyed the style of "Future Generation", you'll probably like this disc quite a bit.
You can order it here.
Unfortunately, the bonus disc will not be available via iTunes but there's time to buy that later.
Check out the website of Mr. Haines as well.