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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
their best since tiger bay...(but does it matter?), July 22, 2005
saint etienne is my favorite band. ever. it's really not even a contest. i'm in the middle of a decade long love affair with the ets, ever since i first heard them back in the fall of 1994 in ponferrada, spain. like most people here on amazon, i too consider 'so tough' and 'tiger bay' to be albums by which all other saint etienne albums could be judged. *could* being the operative word. for some reason there appear to be a lot of people claiming 'it's no 'tiger bay' or it's not as good as 'so tough.' these are probably the same folks still pining away for u2 to make 'the joshua tree' part deux, and the same folks who are disappointed to find that their best friends from high school or college have, in fact, changed in the last 15 years. we're talking apples and oranges here. comparing saint etienne 2005 to saint etienne 1995 is an exercise in futility, and not to mention a bit pointless. Of course they've changed, matured, grown up, etc. how different were YOU ten to fifteen years ago?
having said that, i was bit apprehensive about a new release, especially after the watered-down and somewhat uninspired 'finisterre' (which certainly did have its nice moments, to be sure). i stumbled across an advanced copy of the album and with a little trepidation stuck in my cd player. it's kind of like opening a present from grandma: you hope it's g.i. joe headquarters, but there's a slight chance it's smurf pajamas. after a few tracks i was convinced: saint etienne is back, and back with a vengeance. there are the obligatory dance floor stompers like 'good thing,' 'lightening strikes twice,' and the absolutely addictive 'stars above us' which challenges even the most rhythmically challenged to get out on the dance floor and give it a go (i'm sure it'll spawn a whole disc of remixes, too). and make no mistake: this isn't saint etienne 'doing kylie,' as so many have said. rather this is saint etienne doing kylie doing saint etienne. kylie's got nothing on lady crackers, kids. and well all know it. there's also the mozzer-esque 'marching orders for gary stead' straight from the t-rex school of glitter-glam pop which we've really not heard from the ets before.
these songs aside, the real strength of 'tales from turnpike house' lays in the softer, quieter songs. (here i go comparing apples and oranges) 'sun in my morning' with it's 'pet sounds' vocal harmonies (that 'tales from...' was inspired by 'smile' shouldn't come as any surprise), 'slow down at the castle,' and 'teenage winter' hearken back to the 'tiger bay' and 'he's on the phone' b-sides, particular 'i buy american records,' 'groveley road,' 'is it true,' and the exquisite 'the process' (arguably one of their finest moments). sarah, still glamorous as ever, sounds smooth as cinema seats (ok, that was bad, i admit it) and pete and bob have once again dipped into their magic hat of pop nostalgia and mixed it with just the right amount of contemporary flare.
in short, this isn't 'tiger bay' or 'so tough,' nor should it be. anyone wanting another one of those two albums needs to save up his or her money and buy a time machine. 'tales from turnpike house' reveals a new, rejuvenated, reinvigorated saint etienne -- confident, sassy, and passively cool-without entirely shedding the skin that made them so great and innovative in the first place.
saint etienne 2005 sees the band with one eye excitedly looking toward the future and the other looking lovingly at the past.
a stellar album.
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mellower. Mature. A Fabulous Work of Art., August 5, 2005
Saint Etienne are in top form here. This is their best since "The Sound of Water," which I thought could not be surpassed. Yet in some respects it is very different. It's mellower and almost melancholic. The entire CD has a certain mood about it and if this is the direction the band is going, I'm thrilled with it.
The lead off track "Sun in my Morning" is so deliciously pleasant with Wilson-esque "Pet Sounds" era harmonies. "Milk Bottle Symphony" sounds like a missing track from "Good Humor," with its catchy melody and quality production value. "Lightning Strikes Twice" spotlights Sarah Cracknell's vocal range. The first single "Side Streets" is reminiscent of the classic Youngbloods song "Sunlight." "Last Orders for Gary Stead" shows that Saint Etienne aren't afraid to add a little oomph to their music. So who's singing the duet on "Relocate?" The writing credit goes to Essex/Stanley/Wiggs. Is that really David Essex dueting on "Relocate?" No way! Come on! Get out! Unfortunately the vocalist isn't credited. "The Birdman of EC1" is the instrumental. There's always at least one of those, and it's a beauty with it's fading in and out carousel bit juxtaposed against the haunting keyboard foreground.
The dance tracks "Stars Above Us" and "A Good Thing" are not as punchy as previous dance tracks like "Action" or "He's on the Phone," but they make you want to hop under the strobe light and move in embarassing ways. On "Teenage Winter," Sarah tells us a story of growing up and entering adulthood, which is appropriate considering the obvious maturing sound of the band as shown brilliantly on this CD. "Goodnight" ends the CD on a pleasant note.
The extra CD "Up the Wooden Hill" is a "nice to have" rather than "need to have" collection of simple songs with childlike lyrics. Fans will love it. The average listener should be charmed by it...particularly with the wonderful ditty called "Bedfordshire," which is about a father and young child out enjoying the country. It's precious. Of course the bonus CD is only other place I've ever heard the word "excitation" used in a song save for the Beach Boys "Good Vibrations."
The only disappointment I have in all of this is that as an American citizen, I had to buy this as an import. That means it's not technically been released in the US, which means they have no need to tour here. Hopefully it will come out officially in the US because I'd love to see them in concert again in support of "Tales From Turnpike House."
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
this is POP PERFECTION !!!, June 20, 2005
WOWWWW!!!!!!AMAZING!!!!!this album is a whole body of a symphony , well crafted... where every song is a wonder !!!
What i admire in a band like Saint Etienne is their ability to evoluate without loosing their trademark'sound ; Saint Etienne music is a mixture of pop nostalgia ,romantic, innocent and dreamy and this album "Tales from turnpike house" offers all that and more ...need to say that comparing this album to their previous excellent "Sound of Water", one would realise that this record is much UP BEAT : if "Sound of Water" makes you float in the air then this album will makes you fly faster ...
and to fly above english suburbia where each song tells the story of ordinary people living in a block, and their divided feeling towards whether life in the city is a good thing or should we move to the country ...as the song "relocate" perfectly describe this .
"Milk Bottle Symphony" is purely M I N D B L O W I N G with its changes of moods; this is a 3 parts' song beautifully arranged : it takes your head from a place to another ...and remind me of the 9 minutes'"How we Used to Live" from the "Sound of Water" album ...( hope i did not spoil the surprise ...)
"Lightning Strikes Twice" has all the beauty of the Hi -Energy style created in the 80s and is really interesting by showing an evil side of Saint-Etienne ; about a girl doing black magic ritual to get her lover back !
"Teenage Winter" has a charming melancolie and a huge wall of sound that will leave you breathless !
I won't go further by dissecting all the songs but i hope this is enough to tell all music lovers that this album is a masterpiece done by a beautiful band whose aim is to make you feel better , feel good and feel beautiful ...and what more should someone ask for ???
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