Customer Reviews

Finisterre

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I chimed in with my thoughts on "Sound of Water" so I obligated to review "Finisterre." It's a definite return to the form of "Tiger Bay" and "So Tough." (I may be alone in thinking a return to form wasn't completely necessary, because I enjoyed the chill-out direction they were headed with "Sound of Water." Another album or two like that and they would have crossed paths with one of my other favorite bands, Alpha.)

"Finisterre" pulls together everything good about the past few albums, with a healthy dose of electro thrown in. The electro is no surprise considering the band's penchant for remixes. Every electro DJ in my town had been spinning the Two Lone Swordsmen mix of "Heart Failed" since the first club nights crept up. But like Dot Allison's latest album, the out-right electro exercises here pale in comparison to more traditional material. "Amateur" and "B92" are almost throw-away tracks, but they are reminders that this is the St. Etienne of 2002 and not of 1992 (especially with "B92"'s refrain of "The boys are back in town/and Nothing can stop us now"). In "New Thing," though, the electro sound combines with classic St. E style to make a great club number. Some of the other tracks have more of a traditional deep house thump like "Hug My Soul." Those include the single "Action" (if you put them on a parallel line with New Order this is their "Regret"; the same sentiment and mood are echoed here), the superbly blissful "Shower Scene," and "How We Live Now," which builds for three euphoric minutes before Sarah ever hits the mic.

The disc has just as many great moments that don't shout out to club culture. The instrumental "Language Lab" has a "Hill Street Connection"/"Misadventures of Margaret" feel to it. "Stop and Think It Over" echoes "Misadventures" as well as the slower numbers on "So Tough," with Sarah delivering one of her best vocals yet. "Summerisle" is the closest they come to the moody textures of "Sound of Water." (Does anyone know who the other vocalist on this cut is?) "The More You Know" does indeed sound a bit like Broadcast, but that's not a bad thing at all. Two other tracks feature guest vocalists speaking the verses with Sarah singing the choruses. "Soft Like Me" is painfully catchy but on this album it's one of the weaker tracks. You can't help but think that Sarah could have done something better with the verses. The title track, however, uses the same formula to much better effect. Sadly it stops before even hitting four minutes, despite having the feel of an epic along the lines of "Cool Kids of Death."

Hopefully a new b-sides collection like "Interlude" or "Mess of Help" will be along before they close the book on "Finisterre." "Andersen Unbound" and "7 Summers" off the "Action" single mix the experimentalism of "Sound of Water" with the more '60s-influenced songwriting of "Good Humor." "Andersen" in the least would have made a great addition the the album.

They haven't disappointed me yet, and at this rate I doubt they ever will.

After exploring jangly-candy-coated rock a la the Cardigans ("Good Humour") and minimalistic electronica ("Sound Of Water"), Saint Etienne joyously return to dance-oriented pop, reminiscent of their first three albums (particularly "Tiger Bay") and the results are fantastic.

Album opens with the one-two punch of "Action" (the first single) and "Amateur." An interesting guest slot on "Soft Like Me," Wildflower provides a brit-girl rap (!) as Sarah sings a chorus that will get stuck in your brain after only one listen. "Shower Scene" is begging for a floor-filling dance club remix, and "New Thing" utilizes new wave era/electroclash/analogue synth sounds, all the while sounding modern and relevent.... a song that is definitely single-worthy.

In an interesting twist, British actor Michael Jayston provides spoken-word vocal interludes between the tracks. Some of his narratives are rather humorous ("Our Father, who art in Heaven, please stay there"), but ultimately I don't think this aspect of the album really works. I found his voice to be a bit of an interruption in the flow.

Regardless, I'm thrilled with this album. It's their best since "Good Humour" and if they ever deserved some mainstream success, now would be the perfect time for it.

It seems that the 80's electro-funk sound is back (examples include Ladytron, Madonna's new "Die Another Day" single, Chicks On Speed...) and I can safely say... "Why? What did we ever do to you?" Despite my less than enthusiastic embrace of this 80's trend, I can attest that if anybody was going to take on the task of using this trend for the betterment of electro-pop, than it would be Saint Etienne. Finisterre contains electro-funk done right among other pop gems. You may remember them from their semi-hit cover of Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" back in 1992. Since then, this band has put out some of the best and catchiest pop records of the decade. Although they get much attention is the U.K., their fan base in the U.S. is devout, but pretty tiny. Their newest release shows them keeping up the pace with, and at times surpassing some of their best work. "Amateur" is a better song and Sarah Cracknell's vocals more compelling than Madonna's on "Die Another Day," yet you certainly won't be hearing this one 10 times an hour on top 40 radio.

If you're a Saint Etienne fan then you should know what you're in for, catchy melodies and vocals as smooth as a babies backside. Saint Etienne make it very difficult to do anything else other than sit in a zombified state while their music absorbs and completely comsumes you. Instrumental 'Language Lab' will have you fighting the back the tears whilst next track 'Soft Like Me' will convince you you're listening to a different album. This only proves that Etienne aren't afraid to experiment and write an album with such contrasting sounds and styles. This album never disappoints and your music collection will be forever be incomplete without it sitting pride of place on your shelf.

What else can be said that hasn't already? Best Etienne album since Good Humor, without a doubt. Revisits older territory, splashes on some new studio trickery, as usual about twelve lightyears ahead of any other modernist pop outfit. Yes, 'Soft Like Me' is a bit cringeworthy. Yes there are dull, meandering spots. But look, the best music takes time to blossom for the listener, and anything worth doing takes work. Case in point: 'Amateur'. Another reviewer called it 'nerve-wracking'. I might have agrred with him/her at first listen. But Saint Etienne, underneath their glossy pop shimmer, can have this amazing, sinister undercurrent. Bob and Pete have a way of introducing melodic elements over the course of an entire track that gradually deliver the final crescendo, almost by insinuation. You hear this stark keyboard plonk, and it's awkward and thudding, but if you will get your naughty finger of the skip button, you see this jerky, fumbling fragment flower into a grand, sweeping hook. You are not allowed it all at once. Stark, imposing, bassed-out, becoming lit from within-- that is 'Amateur', and that is the essence of Saint Etienne.

I have been a fan of Saint Etienne since stumbling on Foxbase Alpha in 1991. I love the quirky, all-too-British sound. It was a true and refreshing alternative to the direction music took in the States, e.g. Nirvana. THIS band truly smells like teen spirit and isn't ashamed. So Tough is my favorite album, but I have had Finisterre for a few days now and I think that it's a close second. It's got some great tunes, folks. I must confess that I'm addicted to "Shower Scene" and I only wish that I still went out to clubs just so I could go out and dance to this song with a frenzied mob. Anyway, back to the album...

Some here have complained about "Soft Like Me," and I think it's probably the weakest track on the CD. It just barely fits. Go check out Saint Etienne dot com to hear some longer samples of all the tracks on Finisterre as well as be entertained by an awesome Flash-based website with a talking tube map (be sure to roll over all the stations!). This album might not serve as a great introduction to the uninitiated, but for the fan it is classic Etienne. Supposedly there was a documentary film made with the same title!?! Will we ever see it released on DVD? Hope so! Thanks Sarah, Pete, and Bob for a job well done.

Great pop CD, love the electronic beats and Sarah cracknell's voice but......whyyyyyyyyy? Why did they had to add that track called "Soft like Me?" It is a terrible and corny hip hop song that is barely listenable. For this I must take a star off. The rest of the music however is excellent.

Finisterre is real "grower," i.e. a record that not only takes time to undestand and appreciate, but also tends to cling to your psyche and haunt your mind for ages. Of course, this defines the most appealing and consummate type of listening pleasure. Of course, this must be St Etienne. At first, there is a shocking rawness and questionable unresolve. Give it time. Suddenly, after your twenty-seventh examination of this record (give or take a few), you will be utterly and mercifully hooked. Finisterre is: Complex yet simple. Reserved yet free-spirited. Pop yet avant-garde. Once again, this band reinvents themselves, paves new roads and illustrates beauty on the canvas of sound. Yes, it is that heavy. And yes, it also is that gentle.

I heard through a grape vine that Finisterre was supposed to be brilliant. I bought it first thing this morning, 10.22.02, and it was more than brilliant. The album starts with the single Action, which has layers of composition and programming, with expectedly unexpected melodies that set the mode for the whole album. Soft Like Me is reminiscent of So Tough's Calico, with spoken word and an ever so catchy hook. Shower Scene is one of those Saint Etienne songs I dream about, with city beats and windy vocals that are incomparable. Plus, electro-influenced songs like Amateur and B92 are modern, but in a classic Saint style. Overall, this album is exciting, new, and perfect in every way. It's like a Too Young to Die Singles updated, but hard to believe, this isn't a singles collection.

If you were one of the lucky few who caught the "Finisterre" tour in the U.S., you may have an appreciation for this record that those of us who didn't (including myself) wouldn't have. You see, to promote this record, the group mounted an unambitious 5-city, 8-night North American tour. Unfortunately, the experience of missing the group's one-night-only show in Los Angeles left me a bit cold about this record, but also provided me with the biggest criticism I have of it. While "Finisterre" is likeable and listenable, it's all familiar, comfortable territory for a band which always seemed to enjoy sampling an eclectic diet of musical genres on its past albums. If the band really wanted to convince us about its craft and communicate to us what this collection of songs meant to them, they would've made more of an effort promoting it, especially Stateside.

Strong tracks like "Action" and "Stop and Think It Over," which feature the best vocals we've ever heard from chanteuse Sarah Cracknell, are mingled in with stuff we've heard this band do before. "Soft Like Me" evokes memories of "Calico" off of "So Tough." The instrumental tracks sound like they were intended for the band's Brian Eno homage, "Sound of Water."

Really, I feel this band is at a creative crossroads of sorts. They can go on being "good ole 3-star Saint Etienne" forever, but with a little more effort (and a few more tour stops), the band can truly convince us of their pop craft. Until next time, I guess. P.S.: the narrated links between songs is simply a dreadful, pretentious misfire. I strongly suggest burning the CD with the spoken word stuff edited out.