Given that Denver-based five-piece the Czars are so deeply marked by a sense of good taste and musical adventure, it makes great sense that they should have been signed to a label founded by Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins. The voice of singer John William Grant is an exceptionally moving cross between Michael Stipe and American Music Club's Mark Eitzel, possessed of an innocence and clarity not often heard since the Sixties and psychedelic folk--or at least since Michael Murphey. It's only later that the class of the backing is noticed--a commendably restrained mix of acoustic folk and heavily distorted rock, its pace and tone altering artfully to create atmospheres that can be gloomy, oceanic or genuinely fierce. Haunting, touching, and truly distinguished, Before... But Longer is a must for fans of both Red House Painters and Tim Buckley. --Dominic Wills
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