Music Reviews: Artist Archives
Saint Etienne
Tales From Turnpike House
I’ve always considered Saint Etienne to be one of the great pop groups of the last two decades or so. Their earliest recordings found the trio of Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs, and Sarah Cracknell taking rhythms and sequencer lines directly out of the clubs, throwing in a couple of odd experimental and spoken word bits, and imbuing the result with a warmth and humanity due in large part to Cracknell’s drop dead gorgeous vocals. The result was something bordering on magical, as magical as pure dance pop can be.
Listening to Saint Etienne made you believe, with every fiber of your being, that true love could be found on the dancefloor, that all of the lonely souls out wandering the city until 3:00am seeking romance and community would eventually find both, and so much more.
Listening to Saint Etienne, as they chronicled not just the heady rush of the club, but also the morning after, and the neighborhoods, townhouses, and apartments in which the folks in their songs found themselves as their lives played out, you became convinced that London was one of the most magical places on Earth. A city full of hidden nooks and crannies, where adventure and wonder was just a few blocks over (a feeling that is captured by the essay in the album’s liner notes on the glory of neighborhood jumble sales).
And even moreso, they had you believing that your city, even a city as mundane as Lincoln, Nebraska, could be just as magical too. That is, if only you could find the same nooks and crannies, the same cul de sacs and neighborhoods. If you could, then even a town like Lincoln could be as swinging, as trendy, as jetset-esque as London. Until then, there was the magic of their music to inspire you, to keep you dreaming and reaching, comforting you until you could find the right club, the right neighborhood, the right person.
Tales From Turnpike House is the group’s eighth album, and while not as adventurous as their early albums, nor nearly as dance-inflected or electronic, still continues along the same pace. Ostensibly a concept album following the lives of a handful of people living in the same apartment building, this is Saint Etienne doing what they do best, writing breathless, effortless pop songs populated with stories of heartache and longing.
Smash The System: Singles And More
I was on my way to the register, CDs in hand, when I stopped by the used bin on a lark. Imagine my delight and surprise when, shining there at the start of the “S” section, was this wondrous compilation. To think that someone had actually decided to part with it, all for a couple of bucks that was probably spent on Ramen noodles and video rental that night… personally I find it a bit unthinkable, but I guess ya gotta do what ya gotta do. All I know is that I practically floated out of the record store that afternoon.
My introduction to the glory of Saint Etienne came a few years back when I was living with a roommate and his large vinyl collection. I had heard about Saint Etienne on various mailing lists such as the mighty 4AD-L, and their name was usually followed by a string of superlatives. Rummaging through my roommate’s vinyl, I happened upon a pristine copy of Too Young To Die, a compilation of the group’s singles from the early 90’s. I loaded up the turntable, lowered the needle, and knew, within seconds, that I was in the presence of greatness.
There was (and is) something incredibly sleek and refined about Saint Etienne’s music, and yet they also displayed a whimsical, kitschy side as well. The songwriting of Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs was topnotch, wedding catchy-as-anything melodies with rhythms that would sound at home in Europe’s finest discotheques. And then there was the group’s secret weapon, the vocals of the one and only Sarah Cracknell.
Good Humor
“Good Humor” starts out similar to past loungy, electronic albums released by Saint Etienne with the track “Woodcabin”, but soon arrives with a sound comparable to that of the Cardigans. “Split Screen”, “Lose That Girl”, and “Erica America” are examples of the similarity between the two groups. However, “Good Humor” is a step above and ahead of the Cardigans. There’s quite a quality found throughout the album that shows Saint Etienne’s broad range. Sub Pop has once again outdone itself by signing the British pop band and adding quality to their lineup.
The album seems to mainly revel in the music of the 60s and 70s. “Sylvie” (also released as a single) represents the 70s with its power ballad-ish piano intro that leads into a beautiful ABBA-esque love song like an anthem of the past. Sarah Cracknell’s gorgeous, sensual voice adds an incredible warmth to each song throughout the album. It’s probably her voice that might give rise to comparisons to the Cardigans. The powder blue interior of my Plymouth Reliant (K car) has never felt so comfortable as I listen to this modern version of late 70s dance music while heading to class every morning.
“Mr. Donut” sounds like John and Paul had written the piece with Lennon’s piano and McCartney’s organ from “Strawberry Fields”. Only the soft female voice separates the song from a Beatles accomplishment. “Goodnight Jack” could be the soundtrack for an old undercover detective show, with the car revving under spy-ish guitar riffs at the beginning of the track. The looping bass line gives a sense of chase while the synthesizers give the sense of danger. The musicianship is rich in each song and it’s not until I listen to the LP on headphones that I hear every little sound carefully layered on top of eachother.
There’s a definite cocktail feel to the album, with calming vocals and smooth instrumentation (consisting primarily of keyboard flourishes and reverbed guitars). The chill factor is moderately high even on the more upbeat tracks. Saint Etienne is another appropriate example of Sub Pop veering into a more refined style of music.
Written by Nolan Shigley.