Customer Reviews

Sound of Water

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the album that fulfills the promise of all that Saint Etienne suggested they could be in previous releases. Their early albums were full of beautiful and interesting electronic textures, against which their best songs from those days achieved a kind of euphoria that only left one wishing they could sustain that feeling for an entire album worth of songs. Then 1998's "Good Humour" proved they could write an album full of the most sublime pop songs, but left out the experimental electronic textures. Now with "Sound Of Water" they achieve perfection of their style with an album full of some of the prettiest songs you've ever heard, set to their most experimental and ultimately pleasing electronic arrangements ever. Its rare to find a band that can stay focused enough to steadily improve over 10 years and five albums. Most bands seem to peak after two or three albums. Thankyou Saint Etienne!

Possibly the most consistent of all St. E releases, "Sound of Water" is more innovative than "Good Humor" (but not as fun), and recaptures some of the brilliant pastiche of "Foxbase Alpha" and "So Tough." Don't expect the club-friendly tunes of those early albums though, or even a collection of clever pop singles like "Tiger Bay" or "Good Humor." "Sound of Water" is yet another departure for a band that successfully reinvents itself with each full-length.

This time out, with the help of German post-electronica artists To Rococo Rot, St. E adds bleeps, blips, and skittering beats to the most mellow tunes they've ever recorded. Sarah sounds amazing, and the best tracks like "Don't Back Down" use a soft cushion of overdubbed background vocals to support her effortless melodies.

Traces of vintage St. E are still present -- "Boy Is Crying" echoes the '60s feel of "You're In A Bad Way," and the middle of "How We Used To Live" offers a blissed-out trancey vibe similar to "He's On The Phone." But St. E are continuing to innovate, combining the often-overlooked ambient electronics of bands like Boards of Canada and Two Lone Swordsmen with classic Bacharach-style pop to create a fascinating modern sound. And if this album doesn't end all those Cardigans comparisons, people just aren't listening.

Sainte Etienne reached a career zenith with "Good Humor" a perfect,wistful pop postcard that capped eight bountiful years of a band searching for cohesiveness.The tour that followed secured them as a "real band" with a stunning live show that cast Sarah Cracknell as That Girl -- a stage persona with equal parts Deborah Harry and Grace Kelly. How to follow all that up? Well we will dismiss the hit or miss EP "Places to Visit" that came after as an impatient record company (Subpop) wanting to cash in on the bands triumphant year. Instead, showing their stunning versatility as artists,the breathtaking "Sound of Water" is the legitimate follow up. And what a follow up it is. Like warm bubbly lavender scented water pulsating from jets in a hot tub, Saint Etienne have managed to produce another immaculate album of seamless pop songs. Those listening for instant hooks need to be patient for this CD to reveal its cool but assured ambiance over time. Don't make the mistake the lazy Amazon reviewer did and judge this quickly. Listen and enjoy the best kept secret in pop music for the past ten years. Some bands that hang around for the long haul truly get better over time and "Sound of Water" proves that!

When we were younger and more foolish, the steamy days and sultry nights of summer played out to a soundtrack of Bananarama. But we've grown up, even if we didn't want to, and now Saint Etienne offer up a compelling, complex, exquisitely-crafted 21st-century journey.

In much the same way that The Aluminum Group's "Pedals" glides effortlessly between classic pop and avant-garde experimentation, "Sound of Water" delivers Sterolabesque sounds (with Sean O'Hagan present, no wonder) to accompany "Heart Failed (In the Back of a Taxi)" and other tracks.

Saint Etienne can let loose, at least a bit: "Boy Is Crying" fuses some funky jazz into the mix in a way that's reminiscent of the mid-1980s British jazz revival.

But although the music may be modern, the songs are classic pop structures, with one big exception: the nine-minute "How We Used to Live," a masterful three-part composition that segues from understated to bouncy and back.

It's unlikely that anything from the disc will show up on your local radio station (unless your local radio is far better than mine), so go ahead: Check out some of the samples, and click that Buy button. "Sound of Water" is near the top of my Best of 2000 list, and it could be the same on yours.

with their newest, saint etienne continue to push the boundaries of popular music without ever sacrificing a note of perfect pop sensibility. this album marks the etienne's most mature work yet and its tone dramatically opposes that of their tribute to the beach boys and other poptastic 60's groovers, good humor. from "Heart Failed" to "How We Used to Live," a quiet collection of analog synthesized bleeps and resonant tones is the vehicle for expression. sound of water, although somewhat empty at first, delivers a thoughtful collection of exquisitely layered music with lyrics sung by the wonderful, the greatest, miss sarah cracknell. after a decade of themed music and concept albums, the etienne have done it again. listen carefully, the music is pure, the music is beautiful. it is the sound of water.

All I can say is Sarah Cracknell of St.Etienne could be singing about the ingredients to a Macaroni salad, and still make that song sound like the sexiest, most beautiful song out there. She is so talented. Her voice is so melodic and sweet. The songs in this album are I think the mellowest I've heard from St.Etienne, but that doesn't mean they aren't being innovative. I love "Heart Failed", and "How We Used To Live", and basically the whole album. I gave it a 4 though, because I do miss the dance fun they exherted on "He's On The Phone" or "Tell Me Why"(their collaboration with Paul Van Dyke). They are all great people, and indeed they are getting better as time goes by. You won't find pop more pure than Saint Etienne.

One of the most overlooked, yet sonically glorious albums of the kickoff of the new millenium, "Sound of Water" finds the Saints pursuing a new angle of their thoughtful, careful approach to the production of sublime pop music.
Though the opening track doesn't really go anywhere, it adds an atmosphere of introduction of the subtley engaging..such is the nature of what follows.
"Heart Failed (In The Back of a Taxi)" is a brilliantly crafted tune with impeccable production, again setting a tone the album shall follow.
If any album was made for headphones, it is this one.
Only then can one truly appreciate the care with which these songs were produced..the micro-noises and atmospheric floats and glitches, will show you something new with each listen.
It is a non-instrusive album which will find its way into your repeated listening ventures.
However pleasant this may sound, however, the sublime, and effortlessly epic tune "How We Used to Live", is a cleverly veiled tale of a melancholy suicide. Once realized, the chorus of "sail away" may begin to get under one's skin in more disturbing ways than originally anticipated. It can turn one's opinion of the album far more melancholy, but it is done beautifully. Once looked at this way, the title is far more evocative...but the ending, where one gets to hear the sloshing water, can become silently heart-breaking and a chilling moment at once.

This album is highly reccomended for its delicate precision and commitment to pop-ecstasy.

After the lackluster EP, Places to Visit, I was a little fearful of how this one was going to turn out. Being a relatively new (Good Humor was my first), but since then a very fervent Saint Etienne fan, I was hopping out of my pants when I saw the listing for this new album on Amazon.

There are some very distinct styles and then musically diverse tributes embedded all-in-one album here. With the 2nd track, "Heart Failed", the structure seems to begin. I generally skip past the first track, which has a bit of a Sergeant Pepper intro but leads into a sweet but direction-less Sarah vocal.

The tracks that I love most haven't been talked about much in other reviews here. "Just a Little Overcome", with the same classic Rhodes piano from some of Saint Etienne's most memorable songs and Sarah's wistful accenting. I found some of the lyrics such as "space exploration is a noble thing..." to be novel. It's like she can take you into a whole mode of thinking with just a line.

"How We Used To Live" goes through at least three different moods and styles by the time the 9:00+ track is over. And perhaps this track is a testament to how versatile and musically gifted Saint Etienne is.

"Downey, CA" has a lightness to it that makes it very relaxing. The reason why I gave this album 4 stars instead of 5 is because overall, the album doesn't show the melacholic side of the group/Sarah that other albums have in the past. There is no "Nothing Can Stop Us", "Avenue" or "Lose that Girl" here. I certainly enjoy more than a few tracks on this album, but it's not as memorable as "Good Humor". Can't wait to see them live...

In my list of all-time favorite albums are a lot of relatively unsurprising picks: Sonic Youth's "Daydream Nation," Stereolab's "Dots and Loops," Pavement's "Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain," Miles Davis' "In a Silent Way"... and also in my list is "Sound of Water."
Saint Etienne's previous albums all had some really amazing moments on them [beginners can find most of the best of early Saint Etienne on the "Smash the System" and "Travel Edition" comps]. But "Sound of Water" is the record that really established the band as one of my favorite artists.
Even five years after its release (!) I'm still not bored with it at all. Something always keeps me coming back. It's not just that the songs are great, and they really are: "Heart Failed," "Don't Back Down," and "Downey, CA" are all perfect pop music moments. The really amazing thing about "Sound of Water" is how perfectly it flows from one song to the next; the feeling captured on this album is one that I'll never get tired of visiting. Supposedly, a lot of Saint Etienne's older fans were not too crazy about the new austere musical territory explored here, but to me this is the record where Saint Etienne reached their zenith.

What is it about the 'tienne that has their loyal subjects foaming at the mouths at the thought of an exclusive, hard-to-find (and extremely pricey) mega-obscure release? Whatever, they're always willing to oglige, and this Japanese-only version of their latest album keeps up the tradition. All but the most die-hard (like myself) fans are unlikely to regard a single track which is unavailable elsewhere to be much of an incentive to buy this if you've got the standard European or U.S. release already. But guess what, the song in question, "Shoot out the lights" almost justifies the extravagance of the purchase. So, if you haven't got a copy yet, this is the version to go for, and if you have, well, go for it anyway...you know you want to.