Saint Etienne - Sound of Water

lundi, le 21 octobre 2002
Quite amazing to find a review of Saint Etienne's new album Finisterre in the Friday edition of Taipei Times. Really had no idea that someone'd write about it here in Taiwan. Here is the review:

"Since hitting the music scene with the scorching debut Foxbase Alpha in 1992 and the fantastic 1993 follow-up, So Touch, Saint Etienne is a band that constantly looked as if it was losing its way as the years progressed.A heap of singles compilations, label changes and some so-so studio albums between 1993 and 2000 saw Saint Etienne descending into the realms of the has-been. While 2000's The Sound of Water went some way to putting the band back on top, the material was still sorely lacking in the clout and Englishness that personified the trio on their early albums.Although still far from recreating the band's glory days of Foxbase Alpha, its sixth album sees Saint Etienne breathing ambience, albeit in a post-Brit-pop and more mature manner.From the opener, the pumping disco infused hit Action through Soft Like Me, a bubble-gum pop number, singer Sarah Cracknell's melancholy ice-cream-opo-styled vocals are in fine form. As are the combo's keyboard and programming gurus, Pete Wiggs and Bob Stanley, whose thumping computerized 60s pop/70s infused disco sound is once again firing on all cylinders.It's on the istrumental tune, Language Lab, however, that listeners get to hear the never-before-heard side of Saint Etienne. With Stanley and Wiggs incorporating rueful guitar themes and swooning strings into their predominately keyboard driven sound."

Right, Language Lab is a beautiful piece but I don't think this reviewer have heard other instrumental pieces that SE did before (usually hard-to-find B-sides and fan club CDs). They are amazing with soundtracks (see album The Misadventures of Saint Etienne, which is also nearly impossible to find because it was only released in Japan). That said, I have to admit that the album Sound of Water didn't put them back on top. It had an opposite effect, as a matter of fact. The album before that, Good Humor, released in 1998 had sold better and received much better reviews as far as I know. So, nice to see a review on SE so far away from SEland. But you know I am going to rant about this reviewer's inability to gather more informed data on the band. Of course, the first two albums were the greatest (if you don't include all the B-sides because they are just exceptional!) and it's unlikely they'll return to those glorious days. Alas, the time has changed and they have been evolving quite nicely with the times (ahead I have to admit).On a different subject, had a most interesting weekend though you know I can't help but begin all the thinking related to all things happened. Too much emotion and too many questions in me right now. Really irritating. I smile for 10 seconds and then I am upset (about someone). Then I'm in a good mood again because of someone. Then I kick myself for not doing something and saying something. Then I plunge into Euro-pop music again and forget that I'm in Taiwan. Then I start remember those happy and sad days in Europe and I get all funny again. What am I trying to say here? I am a strange person and I do think too much. Way too much. Of course, having all my close friends far away from me prevents me from talking about it (thus writing the longest journal entry on the site up to now). I want to understand a lot of things and people because so far everything and everyone I have had contact with in Taiwan are more than ambiguous. The word ambiguous translates to confusion for me. The word confusion then is related to my worst enemy in the dictionary- uncertainty. You see the problem now? Of course, I don't have to be so worked up about all this. Just let it be, just move on, just don't care or you won't remember it afterwards... bullocks. I remember everything. I am the person who, instead of using a real camera, use my brain to take photographs of places and people I love. I think I need to have my brain upgraded to more memory space...is 80GB good enough?Right, today's really about blabbing on and on (of course, I haven't actually mentioned the REAL problems that I have or details of my thoughts and feelings which are simply too private...). OK, perhaps should get some sleep because have been a workaholic since Friday...Just spent another 8 hours on modifying the style of web site. But at least I think I'm happy with what I have so far...