Search - St Etienne :: Tales from Turnpike House (Bonus Tracks)

A fine, fine return...

M. Lohrke | Provo, UT | 01/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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. (and one note: the US version thankfully leaves off 'relocate,' one of the albums weaker tracks).

"

Exquisite

W. Davidson | Melbourne, Australia | 02/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Over their fifteen year career, and having amassed a back catalogue that's like the Eurovision we should have (rather than the one we get), Saint Etienne are again proving how exceptional they are. At risk of putting you off in the first paragraph, Tales from Turnpike House is a `concept' album which over twelve songs describes the daily lives of the residents of a fictitious housing estate. Sounds naff? It's not, and you'll probably want to move in by the end of the record.



A career defining album of sorts that also seems to be ushering in summer a few months early TFTH can't help but impress with its classy ballads and breezy disco. And once again, they make it all sound so incredibly effortless. It's all here - harmonies, harpsichords and house-beats mix with nylon-stringed guitars, Bacharach-worthy melodies and that tasteful Saint Etienne infectiousness that just grabs you tighter with each listen.



The album opens with the 60's Free Design-ish pop of Sun In The Morning (there's even woodwinds!) and the day closes with the a capella lullaby Goodnight. Track 2, Milk Bottle Symphony, introduces us to some of the residents that turn up in the later songs. There's A Good Thing and Stars Above Us, which will have to be singles at some stage, surely, but also sound a lot like they may have fallen off Sarah Cracknell's solo pop masterpiece Lipslide. Relocate also stands out due to the addition of 1970's pop sensation David Essex and his call and response vocals with Sarah Cracknell about the pros and cons of moving to the country. But these are only random selections; this is an album full of highlights.



Track 10, the instrumental The Birdman of EC1 appears to commence the "twilight" of the album, moving us gently into Teenage Winter which magnificently balances a Pulp-ish spoken word verse against an unbelievably dreamy chorus. Ending with Goodnight, Tales From Turnpike House tempts the listener to recommence the daily cycle at track one; a choice many will find hard to resist.

"

Picked this up on impulse!

Chris Ochman | Stafford, VA | 02/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Boy, was I happy I picked this up! A friend of mine was raving about the new Saint Etienne album, and one day, I was just sitting there, and it was there, so I picked it up and bought it.



This group has been around for a long time, and from hearing all their other albums, this has got to be the best one that they've put out. I am a huge Goldfrapp fan, and a lot of the songs on this album, are a bit like Goldfrapp, especially my favorite track "Lightning Strikes Twice". It is a very dark, driving song, the vocals are dark and steamy.



The other songs on this album, go from sounding like british pop, to sounding like Goldfrapp. Some are jaunty and bounce around, while others are dark and meaningful.



Other key tracks are "Stars Above Us", "Teenage Winter" and I just enjoy the bonus track "Relocate". It's a bit cheesy, but I find it quite fun. It's kind of like a song you'd find in a Broadway musical.



All in all, this is a great album, and shouldn't be passed up by anyone in the pop scene. Beautiful musical stylings, awesome vocals and the songwriting is top notch."