Customer Reviews

Good Humor

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album seems quite different from other Saint Etienne albums in two ways. First, there are no instrumentals or odd "experiment"-like tracks. Instead, ther are 11 pop songs, everyone of which would make a good single. Second, there are less electronic samples and rythyms. Only the first track "Wood Cabin" sounds at all electronic to me. The single "Sylvie" is a great disco sounding song with a beautiful piano intro. "Mr. Donut" is a very pretty slow song. "Goodnight Jack" is also one of my favorites, with a cool ending part, "...She's going to run..." that is different musically from the rest of the song. Overall, this is my favorite Saint Etienne album; I even like it better than the "Too Young To Die" singles collection. However, now for the bad news. Do not, I repeat, do not buy this CD with out the extra CD "Fairfax High". This contains 11 more tracks that are all great too. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I like the extra CD even better than the great regular album. So, do what you have to do to find the out of print two disc version, and pay what you have to pay to get it . Good luck; I'm not selling my copy.

having been a fan saint etienne for many years, i've amassed quite a collection of their stuff. in fact, the only frustrating thing about the saints, other than they're lack of touring in the states, is the vast amount of music and remixes that they've released. when this cd was first released in the u.s., it came with a bonus disc. unfortunately, there weren't that many as it was a limited run. so if you are intending to buy this, as it is one of their better albums, you MUST search for the bonus disc edition, even if it means buying it second hand, as many agree that the songs on the bonus disc are better. you'll pay less, because it's used, and even better, you get more saint etienne for your buck. with that said, this album has replaced So Tough as my favorite project by the saints and even though it is their most poppy cd to date, the sounds are entirely blissful.

Just like the Swedish air, as Sarah Cracknell put it. This LP was recorded under the helm of Cardigans producer Tore Johansson, and it shows. The melodies are there. The slick production is there. The nostalgic sense of 50's pop is there. And the songwriting just happens to prove that Saint Etienne knows what they're doing every now and then. "Woodcabin" is poetic in its minimalism. "Goodnight Jack" paints a beautifully dismal picture -- in retro-style, of course. "Erica America" is a triumphant, percussion-lush pop song whose tune is hummed on the way out the door for a fun night out. After a few listens "Good Humor" becomes a soft, pleasant record and still screams that it is sharp as a tack. A keeper.

This is perhaps the most 'traditional' of Saint Etienne's many releases, and by far their best. Their other albums before and since have their strengths and very few weaknesses, but this one is essential. On some of their albums the various influences they throw into the mix don't quite work, but this album is a perfect mix, and the sound that comes out of the blender is completely cohesive. I don't really know how to describe it, but 'international pop' seems like a good phrase. That doesn't describe the sound as much as it does the sensibility. I guess all I can say is that every tune on this album is perfectly conceived and executed, with incredible vocals by Sarah Cracknell, and some really wicked and cutting and touching lyrics. If possible, I recommend hunting down the out-of-print two disc edition, which comes with the CD Fairfax High, which works on its own as a fine album. One of the best albums of the '90s.

I am usually one quick to find fault with something that everyone raves about. Even many things I like, I know they are flawed and I can see why others dislike them. But I find Good Humour to be absolutely the best album ever and completely flawless. Anyone who does not like it really needs their mental health checked out. I just got this CD back after my friend had it for a couple of years. In that couple of years my tastes have changed a lot and I can't listen to some things I used to like. But this one was not only still good, a fresh listen made me appreciate just how brilliant it is.

Even in the light breeziness of any one song, there is more real emotion than most musicians express . It is cheerful and uplifting to listen to, but anyone that thinks of it as simply light empty bubbly music is really not listening closely enough. Sarah Cracknell's vocals are sweet and innocent, yet mature and knowing all at once, and with a cheeky hint of not taking herself too seriously thrown in. It is so refreshing...I am so tired of hearing mildly talented singer/songwriters who think they put a few words into a tune and we'll all be rivetted.

Though the album has its obvious genre influences, St Etienne still has a sound all of its own. This is not pure retro, but the best styles and sounds of many eras put together in inventive and gorgeous new ways. I have never heard a pop album where the songs stand out from each other this much and don't just blend in, or sound deliberately like the artist is conscious of having to make the songs very different at the expense of a song's quality. Each song has its unique tune, construction and music and each is brilliant.

If you want to hear pop music at its absolute finest, buy this album.

Wow do I love this band. It is and is not the way they use disco and dance and 1970s pop. It is and is not the way they meld 1960 spy soundtrack and jazz references into their music. It is and is not the jazzy flairs into the songs.

It is all these things, in this music that is all of a piece. In the 1990s, a lot of pop/dance bands lifted said elements and grafted them onto their music. It was great ear candy, but sounded, at times, painfully contrived.

Listening to St. Entiene sounds just the opposite. These musicians have done their record playing homework and have synergized the rich influence pool into rich music. The beats here are steady, not stale, the music modern, not sterile. This band has the edge for the two simplest of reasons: they know how to write, and they know how to play.

Fully endorsed.

Swedish Producer Tore Johannsen. Seattle treasure SubPop records. This album is one of the most unique of the 90's. Abba comparisons are foolish-but you will read alot of them."Goodnight Jack" is the most beautiful,trippy,hypnotic song I have ever heard. Anyone put off by their dance-band associations will not really have to deal with disco here,as the album is just perfect pop music. The point brought up in other reviews about the rare 2nd disc Fairfax High is valid. Pay the extra for it. Fairfax's "Swim Swan Swim" is perfect, It is my favorite instrumental from this band. I own all their albums, they are all good; this one is the best.

Good Humor narrowly beats out Fox Base Alpha as SE's best effort to date. I have the two CD release and tend to view the album as a single 80 minute song that happens to be split into 22 tracks.

The trademark SE nostalgia/melancholy sound is pleasing throughout. SC's vocals are exceptional as evidenced by the fact that, though I have listened to the album countless times, I find that I know few of the lyrics because the vocals blend so seamlessly with the rest of the sound that they function more as another instrumental layer than as words on top of music.

If you are a long-time SE fan then you undoubtedly own the two disc version of this one already.

If you are new to SE, Good Humor is an excellent first album to try to see if you like the sound - with the caveat that, when you discover that you do like the sound, you will want to find a copy of the two disc version before long.

The feel of this disc immediately makes itself known to its listener: Brit-Pop stylings with what can only be described as a minimalist Scandinavian-style backbeat. The vocalist's voice is in top, sweet form, providing a wonderful contrast to the atmospheric thumping going on behind her. Extremely listenable whether you're by yourself, or need some background for a friendly gathering. Track #5, with its reference to being behind the wheel of a "Capri", confirms the credibility of this band's continental origins. Track #10 (I think) is "Erica America", another of the best songs that harkens to the global image of promise that America provides. This CD has no mistakes, no missteps, and no regrets.

By far one of the best records that I've heard in the last year. Imagine the Cardigans watching Austin Powers with Belle and Sebastian. A must have.