Send "Saint Etienne " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 Was there ever a less likely addition to the Sub Pop roster than Saint Etienne? In the late 1990s, the grunge and punk-associated Seattle label was emboldened to expand its purview, and if Sub Pop was going to gamble on any band, why not one of the UK's smartest, most sophisticated connoisseurs? At the time, the band (signed to Creation back home) was reportedly frustrated with its thoroughly continental reputation, and in 1998 the results of that restlessness, Good Humor, made good on threats to try something new.Following its formative first three records, all self-produced, the band instead decamped to Sweden-- well ahead of the Western embrace of Swedish indie pop-- to work with an outsider, Tore Johansson. Furthermore, while known for its synths, samples, and programming, the band this time chose to embrace traditional rock instruments, including a horn section. And it's not a coincidence that the "humor" in the title drops the "u" from the anglicized version of that word. At its best Good Humor capably splits the difference between old Etienne and new, embracing the 1960s as fervently as ever on "Split Screen" and "The Bad Photographer" while adopting that era's studio vernacular-- brass, vibes, electric piano. It also maintains the band's trademark melancholy streak with songs like "Mr. Donut", "Postman", and "Lose That Girl". Perhaps inevitably, given the origins of the album, the band even tips its hat to ABBA on "Sylvie". While perhaps not as immediate as the band's earlier output, these songs remain potent, and anyone that caught the group's full-band tour behind the album will attest that they more than held their own against the group's formidable back catalog. Yet almost immediately after its release, the band began to retreat back to cult act, creating more homespun music and acting more comfortable on the sidelines than in the spotlight. Indeed, Fairfax High, a collection of material used either as B-sides (in the UK) or as a bonus disc included with Good Humor (in the U.S.), shows Saint Etienne unable to thwart its instinct for collectible ephemera. Granted, the group's innate quality control ensures that even its castoffs are worthwhile, and Fairfax High (included in full in this deluxe edition) features its own share of highlights, including "Hit the Brakes" and the pastoral ditty "Clark Co. Record Fair". This new edition also tacks on the unreleased "Do You Love Me", the wonderfully corny "Emidisc Theme" (which celebrated the launch of Stanley's and Wiggs's shortlived EMI subsidiary imprint), and the spare de-Kid Loco'd original version of "4.35 in the Morning"....full text |
| Thelineofbestfit |
| The Saint Etienne reissue campaign has been a godsend; while the band’s albums have remained fortuitously in print since their release, the earlier records sounded washed out, while the mid-period dabbles with straight-up electronics have been in need of a reappraisal, and the bonus tracks and sleevenotes have been nothing short of revelatory. These two reissues bring the series to a close with seemingly more of a whimper than a bang; while each previous set has coupled one true classic (ie: an early album) with a more recent offering, Good Humor and Tales from Turnpike House are more of the runts of the Saint Etienne litter – neither of which work too well as first stops to Saint Etienne fandom – but the hindsight provided by these remasters reveals only one more diamond in the rough. Their first record after three-year hiatus, 1998′s Good Humor sees the band attempting to find their feet again in the post-Britpop musical climate in the most roundabout way possible – by turning in their most exotic-sounding album, recorded in Sweden with Cardigans producer Tore Johansson and a bevy of session musicians, and with a lyrical eye cast across the Atlantic. It’s a consistent listen, but that coherence isn’t as engaging as it thinks it is and, unlike the band’s previous three efforts, Good Humor lacks a proper stand-out; lead single ‘Sylvie’ comes close, filtering classic Abba-roque pop through pounding arms-aloft Italo-house, but its chorus (“Over and over and over and over agaaaaain…”) seems phoned-in, especially after some niftily complex verses. In fact, Sarah Cracknell just sounds plain bored as she’s singing, with her vocals coming across as indifferent all over the record – and not in a detached Jarvis way – while the band’s musical brain trust, Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs, are reduced to backroom boys, struggling to make their voices heard through the lounge-leaning inclinations of their producer, and sacrificing emotion for pure craft. ‘Postman’ stands out by virtue of its weird arrangement, as gossamer pianos fight for space with waves of piercing cymbalwork, and ‘Lose That Girl’ is one of the few things here to sound as cool as their earlier stuff, but the rest is unremarkable fluff, especially the Ride-quoting pseudo-Britpop jangle of ‘The Bad Photographer’ – no doubt a tribute to their then-new paymasters Creation Records. It simply sounds like a band trying to grow up too quickly....full text |
| Artrocker |
| Saint Etienne are a rare case of a band who’ve successfully architected Modern Britain. For these two re-released albums to truly make sense they’re best listened to on long bus rides; gazing out the window at the drinkers, the lovers, the anxious ones, the socialites, the workers. They capture the lights of the city, the trees of suburbia, the spirituality and the pop culture we see and experience on a daily basis. If you accept the argument that all tales of life are really about death, then both of these records will continue to strike a nerve. While ‘Tales From Turnpike House’ (a concept album on an imaginary Islington tower block) soundtracks the fear and paranoia of post-9/11 London; Good Humor plays out to love and loss of a society exchanging emotional tit-bits and superficial bric-a-brac. For all the ‘Deluxe Editions’ we see lining the shelves of record stores Saint Etienne deserve them more than most. As each LP is a journey with Bob Stanley and co, the bonus discs offer further endeavour and conclusive visions of their pursuit....full text |
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