Saint Etienne
Good Humor
[Sub Pop]
Rating: 8.0
All styles get recycled and reused over time, modified to reflect the
generation that's retro- fitting them into their perception of modern,
but more or less remaining intact in theme. Lately the world is full of
multitudes of retro- factions, from the swing dancing in Gap ads to the
endless strings of disco movies coming out of Hollywood. But when it comes
to reliving the ultra-mod go-go flip-top lifestyles of the neo-hippies,
Saint Etienne has a huge head start on the rest of the crowd.
Saint Etienne are probably best known for their early '90s dance remake
of Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart." Traditionally finding
good use of electronics in their reproduction 1960s groove lounge music
makes it seem like the apocalypse is upon us to find that their latest
album, Good Humor, has been released by garage independent Sub Pop.
Strange as it may seem, the Sub Pop solution is immensely favorable to
trying to build a Saint Etienne discography from mail-order imports.
What is Good Humor? Think Paris in the 1960s-- Fluxus, miniskirts,
"The Graduate," "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In," Sean Connery as "007" and
"The Saint" when it was still a show on British television starring
Roger Moore. Think "The Avengers," whose modern- day mod remake
soundtrack is conspicuously lacking a track off this album. Take these
images, wrap them together, and create a musical score for the whole
package. Have the score played on contemporary instruments by three
musicians with a flare for looking backwards with charm and... there you
have it.
The music is infinitely cooler than most of the lounge compilations that
you've seen in the checkout lanes of the local megaplex music store, but
still nothing that wouldn't fit into the background of any scene where
an older Cary Grant sips on a martini. The album is consistently good
from track to track, despite its lack of anything truly amazing. Not
to let that deter you; the groove is perfect mood music for those
less kitschy neo-swinger parties. Twister and a lava lamp are requisites.
-Skaht Hansen
"Hit The Brakes"
[MPEG Low Quality]
[Real Audio Stream]