Before... But Longer (2000, Bella Union)

In the same vein as Granddaddy and Lambchop without actually sounding anything like them, The Czars boast the title of 'Denver four-piece', and it's their Denverness which makes this album work. For some unknown reason I'd got it into my head that they were from Manchester (Manchester, England, not Manchester, well, somewhere American). But the Czars are An American Band, and this is a very American record.

Like Yo La Tengo, the Czars don't seem to have any respect for genre boundaries. Opener 'Val' begins with a dark, dubby bass line before morphing seamlessly into alt-country; but, and here's a nub, without sounding like dub and alt-country stuck together. 'Concentrate' marks the tone for much of the rest of the record; wilfully slow and quiet, but not in a ultra-slow Low way, but with an eye for melodic hooks and gradual builds, plus excellent lines like "I hope I'm not disturbing you..."

'Get Used To It' combines an upbeat and vaguely jangly rhythm with incredibly bitter and sarcastic lyrics, reminiscent of the likes of Smog. Lyrics like "There's nobody here gonna sit around and listen to your opinions // If this is what you want then get used to being alone" make it brilliantly dark. The Czars are always perfectly aware they tread a path of being too good; that is, they have the kind of composing ability which could, in theory, get them played on mainstream radio. But with defiantly good lyrics and unexpected musical diversions they achieve what [former Boo Radley] Martin Carr once talked about; writing good songs, then taking them to another place, somewhere which is else. One thing which helps to elevate the Czars to a higher place amongst the musical masses is John Grant's vocals. As well as being able to actually sing, he's also able to actually shut up, proving the best combination; a lack of ego and great voice. At times he's better than Thom Yorke and can soar even higher.

'Gangrene' returns to the dub, Andy Monley's guitar vying with the bass in a reggae-gone-bad story about repression; "The nail that sticks out must be hammered down, hammer down" goes the chorus. Their poppest moment, 'What I Can Do For You' works within the context of the album, followed as it is by my personal highlight of the record, 'Zippermouth'. An excellent slightly dissonant guitar riff combines with Grant's best vocal performance, an actual borderline-screaming which no other singer I can think of has matched.

It's true the Czars to flirt with country and at times sound in danger of sounding trite in the way only country can. I don't particularly like 'Leavin' On Your Mind', mainly because it sounds like it would get a lot of airplay on  Country Redneck Radio 166FM. But the Czars are never trite; they always sound like the mean it. Largely passed by the oblivious music press, this is a record that deserves a lot of recognition, if only for successfully blending country and dub reggae.
 

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