The Czars- The La Brea Tarpits of Routine (1997) MP3 -For Douxee-

"I'll go back to find what I lost. I still see you, but the eyes are darker now."

Hampered in places by the over-zealous production of 16 Horsepower's Bob Ferbrache, and more or less disowned by the band in the years following its release, The La Brea Tarpits of Routine, The Czars' first studio release, is best described as a stunningly beautiful, but deeply flawed piece of work. The flaws stem from John Grant's often unfocused lyrics (though his achingly dark vocals do a great job of hiding this) and the production, which robs The Czars' sound of its trademark tension by sounding overly polished and fussed over. Nevertheless, this is an album deserving of a reappraisal, although given its scarcity (it was self-released and has never been re-issued), this is unlikely anytime soon. Tracks such as "O" and "The Eyes Are Darker Now" sound almost like a heavier version of Tarnation fronted by a male version of Paula Frazer. If you are partial to The Czars later work, there will be much to love on this rarity.

The Czars- Before...But Longer (2000) MP3 & FLAC -For Douxee-

"I'd like to get in your skin, to see what I could see from there."

Technically speaking, Before...But Longer was The Czars third album, having self-released two earlier albums that gained some attention in France but generally kept The Czars flailing in obscurity in the States. "Discovered" by two former Cocteau Twins, Simon Raymonde & Robin Guthrie, and subsequently signed to their fledgling label, The Czars perfected their singular sound and produced the kind of dark, haunting album their earlier work only hinted at. This is evident from the first track on  Before...But Longer, "Val," which opens with a laconic bass soloing the song's melody until John Grant's mournfully enveloping falsetto steps forth to draw the song upwards, all the while backed by the stunning voice of Paula Frazer. "Get Used to It" has a catchy country-folk feel that belies the song's depressive lyrics, and is easily one of The Czars finest moments. This is the album on which The Czars came into their own, and while they hit some greater heights on their next album, The Ugly People vs. the Beautiful People, Before...But Longer is arguably their masterpiece.

John Grant- Queen of Denmark (2010) Limited Edition (Bonus Disc) MP3 & FLAC -For Douxee-

"You are where dreams go to die, and I regret the day your lovely carcass caught my eye."

John Grant, the figurehead of the criminally underrated (and now defunct) Denver band The Czars, has a big voice and a penchant for dour nostalgia painted in noirish hues (he could be the roving troubadour of Twin Peaks). On his first post-Czars solo album, Grant is joined by morose Texas soft-psychers Midlake, and while they prove to be a capable backdrop for Grant's breathtaking vocals, lending Queen of Denmark a noticeably warmer and more eclectic sound than what was typical of Grant's former band, they lack the disconcertingly dark and sumptuous Indie-lounge accents that made The Czars so distinctive.  This turns out to be both a blessing and a curse, for while Grant's voice is pushed into some new and interesting contexts, he seems to have traded some of his black licorice for cotton-candy (though definitely poison-laced). Nevertheless, Czars fans will find a lot to love on Queen of Denmark, and those unfamiliar with this band and Grant's voice now have a revelation sitting on their doorstep. Knock-knock.

The Czars- The Ugly People vs. the Beautiful People (2001) MP3 & FLAC

"It's just a side effect of loving you, a nasty soundtrack to the city."

I first discovered The Czars in the bargain bin of a Berkeley record store during my college years. Clacking, bleary-eyed, through the endless cutouts and unwanted, discounted dreck that inevitably accumulates in such places, the album cover above immediately caught my eye, so I payed 75 cents for the honor of hearing The Czars for the first time (incidentally, I managed to discover Joe Henry the same way). This band was a fixture of the criminally under-publicized Denver Southern Gothic music scene of the 90s and early 2000s, a scene also home to 16 Horsepower, Woven Hand, Jay Munly, and Slim Cessna's Auto Club. On The Ugly People vs. the Beautiful People, The Czars were able to perfect their unique chamber-lounge-jazz-folk sound, once again allowing John Grant's languorous vocals to take center stage, but unlike their debut record, the song-writing is consistently great and the production provides an atmospheric intangibility that works wonders for these dark ballads of heartache and spiritual despair (although I could have done without the auto-tune vocal effect on "What Used to Be a Human"). A little Paula Frazer mixed in doesn't hurt either.

John Grant (w/ Midlake)- "I Wanna Go to Marz" Video (2010)

Here's a sweetly dour confection from the former (?) frontman of Denver-area legend The Czars. Grant's solo album is titled Queen of Denmark, which is out on Bella Union. More on The Czars to come...