This third record from London's critically acclaimed Auteurs effortlessly beats the living piss out of its predecessors. I can say this with utmost assurance because I've heard those other records and, while good, they did, at times, need the living piss beaten out of them.

A track that initially caught my ear on After Murder Park was "Child Brides," which, with its incredibly imaginative and ancient folk legend lyrics ("The child brides went down to the water/ Throw yourself at the tide/ I'll see you on the other side") are immediately convincing of frontman Luke Haines' talent.

However, Luke and I agree that the album's high point comes with "Unsolved Child Murder," whose lyrics and melodies are extremely reminiscent of late 60s Beatles balladry (no, like extremely), yet unique enough to be more than just imitation. The stunning lyrics are based on an actual incident from his childhood that folks with dead kids in the neighborhood can relate to ("People 'round here don't like to talk about it/ Presumed dead/ Unsolved child murder").

For the record, After Murder Park was recorded by Steve Albini, which usually means, from what I've heard, that he just rolled tapes and made the band "sound the way they sound." These guys happen to sound really damn good. Simply put, you just can't go wrong with a great pop album like this one.

-Ryan Schreiber, June, 1996