The Auteurs 'Housebreaker / Valet Parking' (Rough Trade Singles Club, 1993)

The unsung heroes of Britpop, The Auteurs poured The Kinks, Roxy Music, a huge dose of acerbic wit, sixties chamber pop, bitterness, a singular vision and some more acerbic bitterness into a series of wonderful albums. Along with Suede and Blur's 'Modern Life Is Rubbish', The Auteur's albums are pretty much all I'd save from the flames if I happened to encounter the breakout of fire at The House of Britpop.

These two acoustic versions of tracks from the peerless 'New Wave' were paired-up for the Rough Trade Singles Club and show off Luke Haines' songwriting craft in its full glory. The laid-back setting just serves to the reveal the sneer in Haines' voice amid the acoustic guitar, bells, gentle bongos and cello.

Luke Haines memoir of the Brit Pop era ('Bad Vibes') is well worth reading also.
Bad Vibes: Britpop and my part in its downfall

Download The Auteurs 'Housebreaker (Acoustic)' (mp3) (Mediafire)
Download The Auteurs 'Valet Parking (Acoustic)' (mp3) (Mediafire)