Here's the perfect CD to keep you "alive and kicking" during the cold winter. It's a subtle, inviting masterpiece of depressed expression. Vocalist John Grant sings in a way that reminds one of Mark Kozelek, but with more of an ambivalent-crooner swagger. The production could not be more appropriate for the material; the entire affair exudes a pulsing warmth.

And an affair is exactly what you'll want to have with this CD; the kind of longing romance that never ends. It's the very epitome of a CD that demands to be played repeatedly, as the rest of your collection fights the post-autumn blues. When The Czars rock out, in their most gentle way, on "Get Used to It", all seems well with your existence. You'll notice a touch of Mark Lanegan (without the cigarette gruff) on songs like "Gangrene"; you'll even find hints of Morricone, particularly when Paula Frazer (of Tarnation) is providing background vocals (you might call it Once Upon a Time in the Post Punk West). A good point of reference would be a more energized Low, but remember that these songs frequently pick up the pace and soar toward the stratosphere.

Before... But Longer is not the sort of CD upon which you heap lavish praise before filing it away. Appreciation grows stronger with each listen, which is quite impressive, because it is entirely irresistible on the first listen alone. The songs are things of immense beauty, and all members of the four-piece execute their roles with controlled precision and equaled delicacy.

Sadly, this post-modern classic will probably slip well beneath most people's radar. If you are a discriminating music fan, get ready to raise your brow and possibly even swoon. There's no reason to deny the rich pleasures herein.