Saint Etienne – The Light Appears

Saint Etienne have been a going concern for 35 years. Started by childhood chums Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs, the duo would later add vocalist Sarah Cracknell to the lineup. Released in 1991 on Heavenly Records, the band’s debut Foxbase Alpha mixes 60s pop, British indie rock, and the beats of the house scene. The deluxe version of the album released in 2016 contains several cover versions with one of the best appearing right away with the Neil Young song, “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” sung by Moira Lambert. This club version of the song rides a groove with a solid bass, keyboards, and further down the line, a drum breakdown.

“Girl VII” puts acoustic guitar over a throbbing beat that lyrically lists several cities including beautiful Winnipeg(!) and the repeated mysterious line of “Carrie’s got a boyfriend”. “Spring” and the single “Nothing Can Stop Us Now” are sunny bits of 60s pop over 90s beats. These tracks are interspersed with more dancefloor ready tracks like the seven minute “Stoned To Say The Least” and atmospheric “She’s The One”. Foxbase Alpha is an eclectic mix of styles that contains a youthful charm and energy, along with its great songs.

The deluxe version adds another 14 songs on a second disc of A and B sides + rarities. It’s extraordinary that the band’s bonus disc holds up as well as the main album. Continuing it’s dancefloor mixing on tracks like “Chase HQ” and “Sally Space”, the attention really goes to two songs. “People Get Real” is a bass heavy, atmospheric disco soul number with a spine tingling vocal from Sarah. The band’s second single is a showstopping cover of Field Mice’s track, “Kiss and Make Up”.

Sung by Donna Savage, the song captures the feeling and emotion of a couple getting back together after a fight. The music is upbeat with a bit of a faux reggae beat but it’s Savage’s vocal that stands out – deadpan that sounds slightly hurt but also excited to get over an argument. It’s an amazing track among many on the bonus disc. For good measure, the band adds Sarah Cracknell’s more laidback version before the disc closes with the seven-minute instrumental, “Sky’s Dead”.

Foxbase Alpha – 9/10

Deluxe Disc – 8/10

Saint Etienne’s twelfth studio album, The Night, is a zen like album that could play in the background at the spa. Pop ambient that occasionally breaks through the smoky condensation like on “Nightingale” where Sarah Cracknell sings that “Love is leaving/leaving space to breathe”. “When We Were Young” is a wisp of a song that blows through like the wind over nature sounds that blends into the instrumental “No Rush”.

“Celestial” sounds like the warm glow of an orchestra on an old radio before “Preflyte” that includes the intriguing lyrics – “Closing of the day/Draw the curtains, stars coming out to play”. The music on The Night creates an ambient space, one that is meant to wash over the listener. Saint Etienne with producer Augustin Bousfield have crafted a set of music that the listener can float away on while dreaming of the clouds, sun, ocean, and sky.

6/10