But the partnership has paid dividends and the band's third album, After Murder Park (released next February), is an atmospheric gem. The subject matter is downbeat, with songs such as Unsolved Child Murder, Everything You Say Will Destroy You and the title track making uneasy listening. A single, Back With The Killer Again, is released on December 27.
Anyone expecting a full-frontal noise approach to Albini's production will be surprised by the deft
touch he brings to the project.
The Chicago-based producer, whose famous credits include Nirvana's In Utero and Pixies' Surfer
Rosa, admits he was slightly bemused when approached by the band. "I did think it was a bit
strange at first. I'm often approached in an odd way, by people who just want to work with
me for the curiosity value," he says.
But he's more than happy with the end results of the project. "Frankly, they did a job on that record that nobody has done in years. They carved a sound for each song without resorting to fancy tricks." Hut Records managing director Dave Boyd is also impressed. "Steve's work was very subtle. There is certainly no Albini sound to the album, but he has helped them get a slightly sinister edge," he says. And songwriter Luke Haines sees an even more practical benefit to the collaboration. "We did the album really quickly. It only took 13 days, which is a long time for Steve, but very swift for The Auteurs," he says. "We had the whole album rehearsed, so we basically recorded the whole thing live with Steve adding overdubs later. Sometimes, when recording is drawn out, the whole process becomes very boring, but this time it was just good fun."
For such a 'fun' project, the resulting album is surprisingly downbeat, but Haines' lyrics and some expert playing make it a fascinating work. It is certainly not a party album, seemingly designed to make the listener work hard to get into it. Haines says, "I don't believe in pop being superficial and throwaway. I really wanted this record to work on a one-to-one basis - just the listener and the record. I think it's important to get people involved in what you do."
Hut's Boyd is unsure how the album will go down when it appears. He says, "It doesn't fit in with
the whole Britpop thing. Luke is not in the pin-up market, and he's certainly not in the same vein as
Damon and Liam, but he is a great songwriter.
"He has a true pop sensibility, but views everything in a very sardonic way. I see him as
Ray Davies on Prozac. If people are prepared to judge the record on its merits, it will be
very well received."
Haines adds, "I'm not concerned about occupying a slot in the music industry. I think you
can occupy a large space and have no impact, whereas I can have quite a significant
impact."
Albini, who is one of the busiest producer/engineers in the business, even admits he is still listening to
the album. "Luke is enormously talented and his ideas do stand the test of time. I rarely
listen to stuff I've worked on, but After Murder Park is one of the cappers of my year."
The album was recorded in London's legendary Abbey Road and the spirit of The Beatles - which
pops up in places on the record - was never far away. In fact, the band encountered one
distinguished pop luminary in their time there.
Haines explains, "Paul McCartney kept popping his head around the door, and asking to
hear some material. We didn't play him anything, but it was nice to hear Albini saying 'my
mum likes your records'."
"It was also a real thrill to get in a cab every morning and ask to be brought to Abbey
Road. That was very rock 'n' roll," he laughs.
Perhaps the £1,000 per day rates at the studio were one reason for the swiftness of the recording,
which gave Haines the chance to indulge in a side-project.
He already had an album's worth of songs written and used his spare time to record a low-key
single under the name of Baader Meinhof. However, he courted controversy by sending journalists
instructions on how to make tear gas.
"I had been tempted to send the recipe for nitroglycerine from The Anarchist's
Handbook," he says. "The thought of some journalist blowing himself up appealed to me,
but I copped out. That project is just me letting off steam - I see it as a cross between
David Essex and The Last Poets."
Ray Davies on Prozac? David Essex meets The Last Poets? All very strange, but certainly original.
1996 is already starting to look good.
LEO FINLAY - Music Week, 1995
Transcribed by Tobias Johansson