Too Young To Die - Saint Etienne

I can still remember the first time I heard a St.Etienne song; the first that I remember actually hearing and making a concious effort to discover who sang it was "You're In A Bad Way". The song opens with the lyrics..."Toast is burnt and your coffee's cold, And you leave all the post cos it's nothing but bills again!" and for some reason the melodic way in which lead singer, Sarah Cracknell, sung those words quite literally struck a chord with me. I went out and bought the single on cassette, (anyone else remember those?) and was likewise smitten with the song's b-side as well. And so began my love affair with this band who, for whatever reason, have ...  Read the complete review

Whether you describe them as crafting 'perfect pop', or say they make 'indie-dance' music, Saint Etienne have proved to be one of the more versatile British acts of the 1990's and early 00's. The trio have made some of the finest pop records produced over the last ten years or so, and although they have struggled to truly break the mainstream, they have a solid international fan-base and continue to make superb music even now. Perhaps the best introduction into Sarah Cracknall, Pete Wiggs and Bob Stanley would be their 1995 compilation 'Too Young To Die' which showcases 14 of the bands songs from the early 1990's. ...  Read the complete review

Blessed with a singer who possesses a faintly Motown edge and a backing duo who can't help but layer on sweet electronic pulses St. Etienne are quite unlike anything that has hovered around the British music scene over the last decade. Their music drifts elegantly from conscientious (and by this I mean it has soul) lounge music to frothy euro disco while still retaining a killer melody and the odd wry lyric. The band first started playing together back in 1990. Their debut 'Foxbase Alpha' arrived in 1991 and highlighted a new band with the imagination and courage to take pointers from disparate sources and uncover something bright and ...  Read the complete review