Saint Etienne / Good Humor / Tales From Turnpike House

Saint Etienne
Good Humor / Tales From Turnpike House
(Heavenly)

Saint Etienne are a rare case of a band who’ve successfully architected Modern Britain. For these two re-released albums to truly make sense they’re best listened to on long bus rides; gazing out the window at the drinkers, the lovers, the anxious ones, the socialites, the workers. They capture the lights of the city, the trees of suburbia, the spirituality and the pop culture we see and experience on a daily basis.
If you accept the argument that all tales of life are really about death, then both of these records will continue to strike a nerve.
While ‘Tales From Turnpike House’ (a concept album on an imaginary Islington tower block) soundtracks the fear and paranoia of post-9/11 London; Good Humor plays out to love and loss of a society exchanging emotional tit-bits and superficial bric-a-brac.
For all the ‘Deluxe Editions’ we see lining the shelves of record stores Saint Etienne deserve them more than most. As each LP is a journey with Bob Stanley and co, the bonus discs offer further endeavour and conclusive visions of their pursuit.