I'm going to try something a little different and try to do the random one-off album review here and there.

Saint Etienne Finisterre

Finisterre is very much a return to the Saint Etienne of old: a mix of eclectic/experimental electronic & acoustic sounds combined with lead singer Sarah Cracknell's sweet girlish1 vocals + catchy melodies.

Unlike the fairly sedate Sound of Water, Finisterre is generally more lively and includes a number of more dance oriented tracks such as the opener Action and Shower Scene, which has instrumentation reminscient of the balearico mix of Burnt Out Car. However, it still has its quieter moments like the instrumental Language Lab and The More You Know. Additionally, there seems to be a minimalist electro-pop (think Ladytron) running through a number of the tracks, in particular New Thing and B92. Finally, the spoken introductions between tracks are an interesting touch.

Overall, Finisterre is a good "rediscovery" album for Saint Etienne that also makes progress sonically as well, much like U2 All That You Can't Leave Behind.

The Insatiable Meter reads: 8/10

Stand out tracks:

• Action


• Finisterre


• Summerisle

1. No offense intended, but girlish is just the best adjective I can think of to describe her singing style.