Reviews (page 2 of 8)
This was ok. Liked People Get real most.
2 1/2 Stars: A curious entry on this project. I mean, it was a Mercury prize winner decades ago, but so what? It's perfectly cromulent. Not terribly interesting, but not awful either. Shallow writing over aged trip-hop beats. I don't need to hear this again.
Very confused by this album. I feel like it is just pulling in many directions and none of them sounds particularly amazing.
I enjoyed Kiss and Make Up. Didn’t really like the rest of this album.
House music/techno just doesn’t do anything for me. The only song of note for me was “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” and mainly because it’s a cover of Neill Young.
Great!
you know.. i like this more than i did 4 years ago. it's a bit loungey, but if this was the background music for my life i'd be pretty satisfied with that. deserves to be one of the 1001? maybe leaning yes
Entretenido pop. No mucho más. Muy 90s, se siente en el aire la vibra de la década. 6/10
A very considered and creative slice of pop. The production saves it from being too syrupy sweet. ... does get a bit boring at times though.
I'm glad I listened to this after having relatively recently revisited MJ Cole's *Sincere*, of which this album seems to be somewhat of an ancestor. And also it's a happy coincidence that I got *Getz/Gilberto* several days ago, because this record emphasizes how everything old in club and lounge music is new again; the bongos on "Girl VII," for example, become a callback to early Sixties bossa nova, only now combined with a vaguely shoegaze-y synth palette to go along with the lyrical sketch of a jet-setting woman who picks less glamorous destinations to head off to (this is definitely the sexiest mention of Winnipeg ever in pop music). I find it crucial that the woman on the cover is dressed in mid-Sixties garb, not the Flower Power getup of just a couple years later; Saint Etienne are here trying to recover a sort of pre-psychedelic jazz cool to meld with the house music in vogue at the time the album was made. And, much to my pleasant surprise (having been unfamiliar with the group at all), I think they've succeeded. The wonderful, slightly soporific haze of lounge jazz is consistently present here, underlining these tracks but never obtrusively so. Sarah Cracknell's vocals remind me of Harriet Wheeler's, evoking expansiveness; she sings "People Get Real" in a way that actually *sounds* like freedom, which is more difficult than you'd think. This might be one of my favorite discoveries from the whole project so far - I'm tempted to say it doesn't have quite enough heft for a 5-star rating but at the same time there's nothing about it I would change, so what the hell.
Album #141: Foxbase Alpha - Saint Etienne Genre (W): Indie pop, ambient dance, sophisti-pop, synth-pop, techno Singles: Only Love Can Break Your Heart, Kiss and Make Up, Nothing Can Stop Us I have not listened to this album before. Thoughts?: I loved the catchy ones and I think the blend of 60s pop with club beats makes for an interesting selection, but a lot of the songs are boring and I didn’t enjoy them. Favorite tracks: Only Love Can Break Your Heart, Girl VII, Spring, She’s the One, Stoned to Say the Least
i think its interesting, and a decent listen but its missing anything that i would classify as a hit.
White woman vibin n shit
dance version of Neil Young!
The first song is pretty decent and one I remember from back in the day. I enjoy the dubby bass driven sound of the rest, but find all the super English spoken word samples annoying and the voice just doesn’t work for me. It feels too passionless, like they’re too cool for all of this. I didn’t hate it, but I’ll only go back for the opener.
idk it may well have been interesting 35 years ago? but by modern standards it's kinda nothing
Very chilled out. This was perfect for an early morning listen when I was having trouble getting back to sleep. I have listened to some SE in the past but not particular album. It was good and I enjoyed it. Will definitely listen again.
I've never heard of this artist. Thoughts after listening 3 times ... Couldn't get into the Neil Young cover ("Only Love Can Break Your Heart") - probably just because I like Neil Young originals too much. I generally think the moodier, more ambient tracks are better than the poppy/dancey tracks. Sometimes these guys remind me of groups like Hooverphonic, Portishead and Massive Attack. Not exactly, but definitely have some similarities. The bass and piano on "Carnt Sleep" is pretty cool. I like the instrumental called "Stoned to Say the Least" the most. Well, it's mostly an instrumental, there is some talking at the beginning. I like the bass groove on this one. I ended up liking 6 songs - the 2 mentioned above plus "People Get Real", "Nothing Can Stop Us", "London Belongs To Me", "Like The Swallow" (about 7 minutes of instrumental, with about 1 minute of words) The skit tracks are just filler. In my rating, I'm gonna take 2 songs (tracks 1, 11) out of the track count since they are just skippable talking. Liked songs on Spotify: 6/13 (15 minus 2 skit tracks) Rating: 3/5
Strangely relaxing
2.5/5 Favorite Songs: Only Love Can Break Your Heart Nothing Can Stop Us Like The Swallow
First listened 12th February 2023. Favourite song is Spring.
Weirdly enjoyable
Always meant to check them out properly, pretty good
Fun album, Only Love Can Break Your Heart is a great tune
Fun album with dance and other influences
The instrumentals were soft and melodious, and the vocals were pretty but I felt the lyrics lacked. Songs that have speaking parts bother me.
An interesting listen with a couple earworm worthy segments
This surely was 90s pop cosplaying 60s music. But that's not the genre I like.
Ein charmant verwaschenes Debüt, das zwischen House‑Beats, Indie‑Pop und Retro‑Coolness pendelt, aber nie ganz fokussiert wirkt. Einige starke Momente, insgesamt aber eher ein stilistischer Flickenteppich.
Dreamy, trippy, and relaxing.
Not for me
A sweet, easy-to-listen-to sort of album.
Какая-то жижа для любителей лсд, только на фон ставить, и то не все. Топ 1-Nothing can stop us Топ 2-Spring
like i guess the chill electronic vibe was cool but just got bored after a while and this just didn't feel like anything special to me. also the song wilson was god awful
Not bad, but not really good either. I like the dreamy vibes, I like the vocals, but here it doesn't really click for me. The songs just aren't that strong. 2.5/5 - okay
This album was well produced. For the time I could see how this EDM-style of album could be looked at as revolutionary. For my modern ears, I didn’t find a whole lot that really grabbed my attention except for the song People Get Real, which I found to be ethereal and moving. The rest of the album just kind of felt lackluster for me, or acted as an early precursor to artist like Moby. I don’t know? I’d probably give it a 2-1/2 but the one song deserves a bump.
Random thoughts: * I thought I heard of the band before but maybe I just recognized it from the French city. I've definitely never listened to Saint Etienne before. * You would think they are French but they are actually British. Americans adopt a British accent to sound smart. British people adopt French things to look smart. * Anyway, I did enjoy listening to this album. I'm partial to French culture so it helped that they had some French speaking interludes. * Stand out tracks for me are: Only Love Can Break Your Heart, Stoned to Say The Least, and Kiss and Make Up. * This falls into that weird late 80/early 90s music of dance, electronic, house, etc. It was a brief period in time and this does sound of that micro time frame. * I'd definitely play this one again in the future.
Estuvo cool.
I didn't care for either song with the band name in the title, nor Wilson. The rest is good though. Like the Swallow takes a while to get going though. I had only heard Only Love Can Break Your Heart before. Nice beats!
Nice!
Pretty cool pop album with some nice beats. Some hip hop influence and definitely early house beats
Opening track is nice, the rest a bit too bland.
This version of “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” is real special to me. It’s like zombies went to town on the dopey, wistful Neil Young original and turned it into one of their own, perverted it into an endless churn of three minor-key chords, a spaced-out, affectless vocal, a lone shimmering synth note appearing and fading at will like a specter of the death everyone’s long past caring is coming. This is a prophecy, foretold before I was born, of the world my generation would inherit, the inescapable capitulation to/embrace of commodification and spiritual atrophy. It’s horrifying and beautiful. The rest of the album feels a little scattered and can be hit or miss. There are some lovely dreamy songs (“Carnt Sleep”, “London Belongs To Me”) and some fun dancey ones (“Girl VII”, “Nothing Can Stop Us”). Overall, it’s not cohesive enough as a whole work, nor are its songs strong enough beyond “Only Love”, to warrant a higher rating, but it’s a good one to return to if you’re in a weird mood.
Listens: 1 I was intrigued reading about this album on Wikipedia, but that intrigue melted away pretty quickly upon actually putting this on. I know there was a lot of thought and care put into these tracks, but it's hard for me not to feel like this music is incredibly bland and generic. The drum timbres feel like they lack any personality; the melodies feel like they're grasping around for emotion; even the vocals sound amateurish and phoned in to my ears (with the exception of the Neil Young cover, which has a different singer). Usually I try to go for a second listen, but I really don't want to hear this again. What I enjoyed most about this record: when towards the end of it I sat down to read the book I'd recently started and realized one of the primary characters' names is Ste. Etienne—literally the first words of the next chapter. I cackled.
A lot of this album, which I had never heard, sounds like Vogue-era Madonna, down to the voice. Even the soft rapping of names on “Girl VII” sounds like “Vogue”. Maybe throw some Sade in there and you have more than half the album. The music and the vibe are fine. Relaxing and sometimes interesting. The Neil Young cover is fantastic. I’m waffling between a 2 and a 3, but I am feeling generous this morning
Not for me! Zero enjoyment with this.
I was expecting something awful, instead I received a DELIGHTFUL little album. You can hear it's been heavily inspired by house music, but it twists that inspiration instead offering songs that are light and breezy. What a gem.
This is fine, but maybe hasn't aged that well. Getting Lemonjelly vibes.
OK as background music.
it's alright. not my musical cup of tea, but there are a couple songs on here that i like. this would not make it into my rotation
An OK listen. Basically lighter dance/techno, but nothing too exciting. The inclusion of 60's pop influences was an interesting touch.
2.17 stars out of 5 for Saint Etinne. Overall, this is early 90's house/club/rave music thrown over some decent 60's pop grooves, but the majority of the songs are too long and get boring quickly. The cover of Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" was an interesting take on it, and overall one of the stronger songs on the album. I definitely heard a Madonna ripoff with the song "Girl VII", but maybe that was the point? I dunno. I haven't the London Foggiest idea of why this album was on this list. Deee-Lite did this and a lot, lot better a year earlier, go listen to World Clique by them if you want house, club music with way more talent and funk.
Saint Etienne were always on the fringes of what I was listening to in the 2000s. I liked this, but wouldn’t actively seek it out to listen to again - kind of like the 2000s.
4.5
While I did not find this album very memorable, I did notice that I was grooving to it when I was listening to it - so I guess for an electronic/dance album it was doing its job
I’m much more a fan of their later “band” releases, but this does an impressive job of creating songs out of samples, drum machines, and synths. It’s probably the product of some business considerations, but the Neil Young cover - the best anyone has ever done of a NY cover - probably works better as a standalone single, with the rest of the album anchored by Cracknell. Portishead’s Dummy aside, Foxbase Alpha is a great argument against whatever lounge and downtempo charlatans were up to in the 90s and exposes how little they had beyond a make believe vibe. StE are doing all of the same things - beats, samples, vibe - but actually follow through on creating songs. That said, Foxbase does suffer from CD bloat that they eventually curtailed on later releases but hoo boy, quite a lot of album cuts here. The standout for me is still the Dusty Springfield flip, which takes her kiss-off tune and turns it into an anthem of being together. Which is kinda silly, but Cracknell nails her part and they really do turn it into a new song, rather than just replaying the chorus hook and adding their own whatever to it (shout out Diddy).
Cute and trippy at times. Very clearly 90’s and thats not a bad thing at all. Standouts are Only Love Can Break Your Heart, Girl VII, Spring, Stoned To Say The Least and London Belongs To Me.
I really liked this! Dreamy and interesting for its time period. Ahead of its time I'd say.
7/30/26. Perhaps I need to listen again but felt like this album lost me as it went on. Always appreciate trip hop and cool sampling, but it loses steam quick with its downtempo nature and minimal dynamic changes in the sound.
one of my favorites so far. great vibes
It's pretty good. Not much more to say about it. I enjoyed it.
Really cool experimental synths and samples. Like proto avalanches. Great vocals too.
Interesting take on lofi/dream synth pop. Drags a bit in sections but starts strong. Could definitely use some songlist trimming, but not a bad listen. Top tracks: Only Love Can Break Your Heart, Wilson, Spring
Good this
The sound of England in 1991. A lovely, pop and dub infused album, warm, playful and inventive. I prefer the 12" version of Kiss and Makeup, but that song wasn't on the UK album in any case. 9/10
Is faux French pop electronica really what I'm giving a decent rating to these days? Man have I soiled myself
ahh this one takes me back
A good album for falling asleep to, as evidenced by the fact that I did.
I didn’t get what they were trying to do.
Early 2000s shopping mall music.
Surprising album, but in a good way
Better than Coldplay
Terrible. Quite frankly it had lost me by the second song, repeating “would you like some sweets Willy?”for the entire track! Whoever thought that this was deserving of a place in the 1001 albums you need to listen to, should be shot
This album has some catchy songs with really good singing. Unfortunately they are mixed in with songs I would rather have skipped halfway through. A lot of the songs are very repetitive and sometimes even irritating with the repetition and the clip the choose to repeat over and over. A really mixed album but the good songs really carry the star count on this.
Not really any complaints about this album. It has that early 90s electronic charm, and I think it uses its influences very well. I can't really say I've heard anything that sounds quite like this, it's difficult to assign any particular 90s electronic trend to it. I like that about this album, although in a way that's an aspect of it I found made it slightly less enjoyable, as it makes the album feel like it almost lacks a proper sense of identity. Like it's still a really solid electronic album, but without being able to pinpoint exactly what kind of vibe it's going for, it ends up feeling a bit directionless. I still enjoyed it overall, but I would have liked it to be clearer about exactly what it's trying to achieve outside of just being another electronic album from the 90s.
Quite enjoyed this one. Definitely wasn't a slog to listen to. Had a lot going for it. Might go back to it.
Nice ambient music with repetitive, uninspiring vocals. I got my 1 listen in. No need to revisit this album.
Started off ok then got aggressively more stonery as it went on, which isn’t my energy.
This got me in the ZONE. Just good vibes all the way through
Dreamy, eclectic, just lovely. A great mix of different genres from 60s pop to trip-hop and house music.
Sort of liked it, but can't fathom how it made this list.
I actually really like the pop meets electronic parts of this album, but hate that the last few album I rated higher than usual. Gonna do 3.5 up
Easy listening and I had such a hard time getting through it
I enjoyed this album. Gives me diet screamadelica vibes, but its a very refreshing listen. I think its got a better second half than first. I dont care much for the first "most popular" track but the rest was good. 3.5
Some cool songs and sounds going on here. But it’s not really my cup of tea. Goes on a bit too long and gets a bit repetitive. I can see the appeal, but it’s just not for me
Lots to enjoy here. Gave a second listen the day after because I couldn't stop thinking about some of the samples and loops. Review: 9/10 Faves: Only love can break your hears, Girl VII (Best), Spring, People get real, Nothing can stop us
Some atmospheric electro pop songs I quite enjoyed but others I found too atmospheroc electro pop.
Yes please, this is exactly the kind of chilled and sunny, quirky and funny, 90s indie pop that ensures my boat is comprehensively floated.
Listened while on a sunlounger by the beach, drifting in and out of dozing, it seemed very atmospheric. Both something, and nothing. A handful of peculiar tracks that were little more than a string of nonsense samples that could have been jettisoned. Otherwise - fine.
Nothing really stood out about this one. I enjoyed Nothing Can Stop Us, but otherwise, it was just overlaying a decent female voice over electronic music.
Pleasant. Didn't catch my fancy
Never heard of this artist. Interested to hear what they sound like. Kind of reminds of me the artist Tricky. Cool stuff. I wouldn't find myself randomly listening to this though.
I've never got into this band. It's a weird mix of styles really, there's a strong dance/club element to the beats and then a sort of navel-gazing / emo element to the vocals. It never feels comfortable or well-suited to my ear. I was able to make it all the way through.
a first time listen. pretty fun album, enjoyed it more than i thought.
The starting off with the N Young cover, though a strength, a damn fine cover is also a millstone for the rest as little comes anywhere close to that quality. It seems a little generic 90s electronic pop most of the time. It's OK but nothing was outstanding to me. 2.5 stars, nothing really grabbed.
Must’ve been the wind
I was excited for some shoegaze/trip hop but this was too mild. not bad just okay
*Unique sound but too ephemeral and dance/trance at times
It does have bouncy pop moments and then strays into boutique hotel lobby lounge waiting way too long for a waitress to advise their $22 glass of house Cabernet is 14 Hands moments.
Just nothing interesting here. Maybe valuable as a time capsule?
Pleasant enough. Weird how there’s that sort of…magic quality that makes something like Portishead, which on paper is similar to this album, much better than this album. It’s hard to describe why it’s better, but it just is!
i didn't know what to expect, but i enjoyed it! a lil long.
Like it
Massive load of shite.
Ehh. Not my bag.
Quite enjoyed this without ever really loving it. Some cool early 90s house grooves
Usually, this is kind of my thing, but this felt a bit bland and dated. Nothing outstanding, but listenable.
I liked some of the beats, but not the singer. Felt like money without the cool samples. Not for me.
Felt very French
Started strong but kinda tapered. Still good and happy I listened
Not my favorite and went into Bjork radio after so weird
french and 90s
It improved as it went on but… just not really my kind of music. Doesn’t help that this is my third day in a row with this kind of thing
Nothing special. A few decent beats here and there, but a lot of it sounds the same. It’s easy to drift in and out of this one. When an album struggles to keep attention, it can’t get more than a 3/5
Listenable and vaguely enjoyable it passed me by without leaving a great impression. Apart from the Neil Young cover, which is a highlight.
Interezting🥹✌️
Starts off well but descends into very mediocre & boring songs 2.5*
Never heard this artist. Loved it. Great electronic/ambient sound with just the right balance of vocals. Surprised I'm just now finding out about this album.
Had never heard of these guys - fun, cool album.
I wasn't sure at first which was this was going to go for me, but I like it.
Tough one to rate. While it wasn't anything that really interested me, it wasn't something that offended either. It kept my head bopping most of the time, but I just never found myself really caring about anything that was going on. Great music if you just want to dance I guess.
60s pop with a hint of house. It’s not essential, but it’s fine.
A good first album. I can see how Saint Etienne fits into 90s British club and pop music.
Es bastante tranquilo, atmosférico y lo siento más francés que inglés
A relatively tedious, shallow quasi-trip-hop record. The Neil Young cover is bad.
Absolute great album, great vocals and mixes club music with shoegazy elements, only criticism is that it feels slightly dated
I will probably need to listen to it again as it was on in the background and so didn’t really concentrate on it… but just based on vibes it seemed pretty good and sounded like it was a bit ahead of its time…
Decent enough and ‘nothing can stop us’ comes out as something of a highlight but I can’t say that this is a pinnacle of something. Seems to take influences from trip hop, chillout and put more of an indie rock twist on it. All pleasant but nothing that makes me want to grab it again particularly. Can’t seem to make up its mind about having more textured songs like ‘like the swallow’ or the cleaner approach of ‘only love can break your heart’ so it doesn’t necessarily do either. Maybe it’s a grower though and would be happy enough to relisten.
This one is definitely landing with me. It's weird because it feels so dancy to me, and some dance music seemingly really hits for me, but I hate other dance music, and I can never really articulate why. I think it's the spacey production and the pop influence (gentle vocals are a huge plus). I feel like I could have this on repeat forever and not get sick of it.
Dreamy and ethereal. Very relaxing. 3.5/5
Está entre agradable de tranquis y aburrido
Pretty nice and chill I like yes
This album does have some interesting moments, but mostly I found this to be pretty uninspiring. I think for me it kinda skates by on the fact that I like 90s electronic stuff, but this is hardly even electronic so I was a little disappointed by that. It was still kinda cool, but I don’t think I’ll remember it at all when I wake up tomorrow. Favorites: Carnt Sleep, Nothing Can Stop Us, Kiss and Make Up
That was good enough and I'm going to check and see if there's any other albums by them.
Ah Yes, the 90s, when everything was a break beat. If we're comparing it to blue lines by Massive Attack, which is the most recent album from a similar genre, I would say this album has a little bit more going for it. The main vocalist has a decent voice, and some of the sampling is clever and trippy. I would easily give it a stronger two than blue lines, but I'm on the fence on whether or not it deserves a three.
This is a funny coincidence: I've just been listening to this CD (in my car), in recent days. I was actually considering giving it away (trying to decide whether to give it away), but had just decided (a day or two ago) to keep it. I actually prefer the CD that came after this one ("So Tough," from 1993). But listening to this one again, now, a bit more carefully, I'm glad (relieved) that I decided to keep it, as I do like it quite a bit; indeed, I give it a solid 4 stars. Somewhat surprisingly, both of those Saint Etienne CDs remind me of a particular visit to your grandparents, in Winona. I think I must have brought them along on a trip there, one time, and for some reason that's stayed with me. Does it sound at all familiar to you guys? Probably not, though I might have played it once or twice over the years when you could have heard it. Back to "Brit Bias" -- I agree this 1001 Albums thing has it, and that it can be annoying, but the funny thing is that I would say that, compared to many people (in the US, anyway), *I* have a Brit bias, liking musicians/groups like Saint Etienne and Paul Weller (etc., etc.). Just not the *crappy* 90s/early 2000s Brit groups, lol. Ok, back to this album: it reminds me a little of Fat Boy Slim, in the sense of creating a soundscape/atmosphere through carefully curated and evocative samples, and layered electronics and so forth. Good variety of sounds and styles, too, from track to track (even though they blend seamlessly), and some (quite a bit, actually) retro 60s-style stuff, too. It's an album that rewards repeat listens, as well as careful, immersive listening.
I saw someone comment that it's like a late-night radio show, and I agree. It's a nice listen because it's relaxed and there are surprises along the way. I like the trancey, bass-driven "Stoned..." I like the poppy "Nothing Can Stop Us" with that euphoric flute part And I like the ethereal interludes such as "Like the Swallow"
Acceptable background music. Sounded like the 5th Element soundtrack, but less interesting.
I wanted to like it more but it just sound kind of bland to me.
Very electronic and experimental. It sounds a bit like pop music, which when combined with the electronic, experimental sound, makes this interesting, unique sound that isn't like Any other. Overall it's a pretty good album.
late 70’s effort, long spoke word segments cut into interesting decade music
Yes I would like some sweets. This is a perfect example of when someone gets a new effects rack and feels like they need to use every function
Alpha tripping through a paper heart.
I really fuck with this. Lowkey Sunday morning vibes, chic dinner party on a roof. Fav song: Only Love Can Break Your Heart, Spring
This is the type of album you hear when you go to a cafe with a DJ playing a set at 10am
A bit Cocteau Twins, a bit Beach House and a bit Air. Enjoyable enough but I think I need another listen.
Some catchy beats, just not my taste.
Fox Base Alpha is Saint Etienne’s dreamy slice of early ’90s English pop—so atmospheric and slightly uncanny it practically begs to wander into the soundtrack of a David Lynch movie.
I really enjoyed the chill vibe this album threw at me. This was surprisingly enjoyable.
Strange. I wasn't feeling it at first but "Carnt Sleep" and "Spring" definitely gripped me in a good way. Definitely need to revisit this album, but autoplay has given me all manner of gems from Saint Etienne. I'm just going to list them here for my own convenience: - 52 pilot - The Glad EP - He's on the Phone - Burnt out Car
Yeah nothing interesting here. I hardly remember it and only listened yesterday. Lots of sampled dialog I guess from movies. It’s fine
Kind of a meandering, soft album. Proto-Radiohead soundscapes. This was a cool one. Definitely going to spin this later on.
Don't really have much commentary on this one...
London Belongs to Me is good
4/10
The Only Love Can Break Your Heart cover is great. Better than the original in my opinion. But there's not much else on here to excite me.
Good stuff here, music I was not into at the time it was being released but have come to appreciate. Electronic, down-tempo, lo-fi, trip hop, call it what you will. Morcheeba, Massive Attack - this isn’t exactly those things, but I'd group it with them and I like it!
Top songs: Carnt sleep and spring. I feel like this whole album is made for dance and JUST to dance since it’s mostly repetitive lyrics and some what a vibe
At first I wasn't sure what to make of it, but about half way in I was into it. It's pretty quirky and I like the blend of different styles. My 5 year old even liked it, he made us listen to Girl VII like 4 times lol.
Reminds me of the Avalanches before the Avalanches. Stereolab before Stereolab. This is cool as piss. Fave Tracks: Only Love Can Break Your Heart, Girl VII, Spring 4.3/5
в начале школьный триггер écoutez la radio française chaque jour а так скучновато ну в треках spring и noting can stop us есть какой-то вайбик, но не сильный, не дожали как будто
5/10
Um… I really wanted to like this. It’s sort of in the pocket for me. But… it was… tedious. I alternated between being into it and being annoyed and ready for it to be over. Not a good look. So it gets a 3. It ended well. 3 Boolean: yes?
Een wat apart album, met als verbindende factor vooral dat het duidelijk klinkt als eind 80's/vroege 90's. Synth pop, triphop, reggae, ambient, early house. Allerlei genres komen voorbij en toch verveel ik me, aangezien bij de eerste vier nummers al een keer of drie het tempo er compleet uit is geslagen. Dit zijn wel die albums die me soms kunnen verrassen, maar helaas is dat deze keer niet het geval. Het klinkt me allemaal wat te oud, het is wat saai en het pakt me niet. 2 sterren omdat ik het echt iets te saai vind voor een voldoende.
eh, didn't really care for it.
An album that really hit that good, but not great category for me. Which, in the album's defense, I've heard a couple of these tracks as remixes, which improve upon the album versions, but I'm trying not hold that against the tracks. Irrespective of that, for an electro-dance album from the early 90's this seems to have had an impact on the genre that came out of this style.
Really weird. It’s like the soundtrack to an alternate universe. Idk. (15 songs, 58 mins)
Very boring, not my vibe at all
I am a simple man that is always pleased by trip-hop, especially when it opens with a song about French football.
French
Early 90’s French slow techno vibe
Ангельски круто Есть хиты Звучит целостно и приятно Такое переслушал бы во время работы 3.3
fun experience only bc i was high; this was the worst album i've ever heard
Boring
Ret fedt og halvskørt! Sjove soundscapes
Fav song: Spring
Good background music.
Excellent find. I'll be adding these songs to many of my playlists.
So far this just sounds like a tv broadcast. Wow does this sound dated. I’m on track 8 and it’s finally getting better. I got through the first seven and barely noticed them. And then track nine is boring again. This a long album. It goes between good and “when does this track end”.
What a groovy album. This was a great experience to sit back and relax too. Production seemed a little weird to me at first but I got used to it. "Carnt Sleep" hits different while you're in that half asleep half awake state
Not my thing but ok
Best Songs: Spring, London Belongs to Me Overall, I like the idea of the album and the cover art but felt bored while listening through it. Spring and London Belongs to Me really show how great this sound could have been but I feel as if some songs are there just to be there.
Love the production on this one. You can hear the influence this album had on the music that came after it in the same dream-pop scene. Equally fun, atmospheric and depressing
A few good songs, but mostly of little note
It was alright. It felt more modern than the year it was released.
I can hear you Clem Fandango. Otherwise a bit non-descript, but chill
A good upbeat driving album.
I liked the vibes. A few good songs, the rest were boring. High 3
Maybe I'm just in a good mood but all the albums I've rated today have been good. A lot of the albums I enjoy now feel like they could be the grandchildren of this album. Was gonna give it 4/5 but the end got a little weird so 3/5
I'm a fan of all the alternative dance music that was coming out around this time, so I've already heard this one once or twice. I think this album had a lot of potential; spring and only love can break your heart are great, but the rest felt pretty boring
i think these people helped get belle and sebastian started. thats a win for me. i like the sample based experimentation. i like that she almost cant hit the notes. i like that its french and english. i like it.
Saint Etienne pierced the protective shell of this punk back then, and they do it again. While I might prefer Good Humor, Foxbase Alpha charms its way in and smartly pulls sounds both old and new together that it still sounds fresh.
It was ok, she has a nice voice and the songs weren’t bad, but didn’t blow me away, was quite long too
Really nice dance pop and great debut
Perfectly pleasant background music for browsing pants in H&M.
I am not into club/house music really, but this was pretty cool and the club/house element is only one of the influences here. There's quite a bit of indie influence too.
I haven’t heard this before, but the local college station played a number of songs off this album when i was in middle school and high school. The instrumental tracks have a uptempo but calm feel to them which i think was popular in clubs at the time but in retrospect belong in one of those pure moods compilations they advertised on unpopular cable channels in the 90s. The tracks with vocals however have more of a dreampop feel to them which is really enjoyable. Though some can get into that pure moods category. They use a lot of samples from 60s lounge pop songs that I recognize to pretty good effect which is nice. It’s a mixed bag but it ain’t bad (I like that pure moods shit now and then)
This is like Screamadelica-lite, like if The Lightning Seeds were fronted by a woman who idolises PJ Harvey a bit too much. It’s ok, but it’s not interesting, and I don’t remember anything about it, really.
did not finish, kinda bland
Like a feminine acid trip. Made me feel strange but relaxed
Música para festa indie
Ok
I finished it but not for me.
Was nice but a little too ambient for me to really like it.
Yet another album that's _fine_. It's not bad, not good, just is. This is my 44th album to rank. It will be the 38th that is ranked two or three. 1001 albums you must have in the background and forget the second you stop listening.
Chill beat stuff from the early 90s. Not bad, but some songs have a “strike a pose” vibe. But there is some experimental stuff that redeems it a bit. 2.8/5.0
Wanted to like it more, too much sameness and weird samples
Relatively high 2.5, honestly. I like Sarah Cracknell's voice a good bit, and most of these songs have pretty strong melodies. Quite a few of them meander, and ultimately, the super clubby vibe is just not my thing, but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and I think I could potentially dig it more with repeat listenings. 2.5/5
Favorite Song: Spring
Some French found sound...off to a good start. A shitty dance cover of Neil Young's Only Love Can Break Your Heart? Who wasn't asking for this? Why are so many of these albums so long?!? Wilson combines the organ lead in from Wilson Pickett's Hey Jude and some repeated found sound...this is like my worst nightmare. It's hard to imagine this improving enough to warrant anything above a 1 star rating. Stoned to Say the Least is the music from a rave scene directed by a person who has never been to one. Or the music from a detective thriller where the protagonist is walking through a club full of sexy youths to find the drugged out girl who holds the key to unraveling the mystery of who murdered his partner. Or it's almost 8 minutes of straight crap, YMMV. Nothing Can Stop Us is the best song on the album I guess. The poker dialogue from Etienne Gonna Die is the Dogs Playing Poker of found sound on an album. You may not hate me, but I hate your terrible album. Of course they're on the Grey's Anatomy soundtrack. Dilworth's Theme was apparently recorded in a London men's room, or loo as they would have it.
It’s just not very interesting is it?
frans o nvm dit is wel een vibe
dit klinkt echt alsof het nu zou uitgebracht kunnen zijn... een tijdloze album fr ik vibe hier echt mee
Scratchy, concentrate
At the first notes, I thought, "This is going to be nothing." However, it is a surprisingly nice album.
groovy and chill, me gustó como para dejar de fondo. me hizo acordar un poco a lo que escuche de sade estos ultimos dias
I've stopped thinking of this project as "Albums to hear before I die" and more "Here are some random albums; do you personally like them?". It makes it so much easier to score. This is weirdly fresh in a way that only 90s house and electronica can achieve. Nothing life changing, but it sure makes doing the housework on a sunny Saturday afternoon more enjoyable. 3
The vibe of this album is "the 90's" which is impressive given this came out in 1991, but damn are the vibes good. This one grows on you, because on its surface it feels like any other chillout, vibe dance record, but there's currents of old music, jazz, dream pop, and other things going on. It ebbs and flows for sure and there's times where it feels like white noise but it's a surprising album that feels ahead of its time despite the genre feeling dated.
In the early 90’s stores in the mall played music off of huge 4-track cartridges the corporate office would send each store. I pierced a lot of ears at The Earring Tree to “Only Love Can Break Your Heart”
Gear: Dunu SA6 Artwork: 👩🏼✋🅰️ Production: 😌👂🧈 Music: 🏝️⌛🥱 Rating: 📠📠📠/5
Wonderul bass playing throughout.
3.2 Starts off well, second track I recognised and enjoyed. Some other good moments in there, quite enjoyed the longer tracks, but it's hampered by a few extremely mediocre tracks (eg she's the one). It's an okay outing, can't say I understand the reason for it's inclusion but maybe we needed a few non UK/US bands (I'm assuming they're french, although the song listing places in London suggests otherwise...)
I thought I knew this album but clearly not, as it deviates from my expectation of a collection of retro-ish analogue electronic pop with a heavy nod to the 1960s. Lots more interesting sampling, etc going on here. I'd also completely forgotten that Sarah Cracknell isn't the only singer on the album. Some of the beats are highly redolent of Britain in the 90s - shuffly baggy beats as exampled on Nothing Can Stop Us Now - but tying with paisley-ish other instrumentation and so on makes it a bit more timeless. Like The Swallow is a great way to round it out. Not quite a 5, but not far off.
Well, that was a revelation. Being such a fan of Portishead, I should've known this record. 4/5
An interesting an ethereal 90s album. The entire thing feels like it could be the soundtrack to Cruel Intentions without needing the change a thing. Enjoyable and melodic with decent beats and mesmerizing vocals.
6/10
You may want to be Stoned to Say the Least when you listen to this album.
Listened to it twice at work yesterday. Nothing stuck. Unremarkable. Didn’t annoy.
Dull
A very pleasant surprise. A lush and beautiful record that is very spring-feeling (luckily it's spring for me at the minute). Will be checking out more Saint Etienne.
Expected this to be dated house music. It was anything but.
First listen to that, amazing album.
Ok, I'm really into this. It sounds so dreamy and beautiful. Favorite track: Only Love Can Break Your Heart
Pretty, sometimes too pretty, but was good for flow state while running
Este álbum destaca por su capacidad de construir un mundo propio a través de un collage sonoro único. La utilización de interludios y sonidos ambientales no interrumpe la experiencia, sino que sumerge al oyente en una atmósfera muy particular. La presencia de una vocalista femenina con un estilo etéreo resulta sumamente agradable, aportando una calidez que equilibra los elementos electrónicos del disco. Es una obra ideal para la escucha relajada, funcionando perfectamente como fondo para trabajar, estudiar, leer o disfrutar de una reunión tranquila. Aunque se percibe claramente como música de época debido a su estilo de producción y el uso de samplers característicos de principios de los 90, esa misma cualidad le otorga un encanto nostálgico. Es un pop inteligente y sutil que prefiere la reflexión y la textura por encima del impacto inmediato.
I didn't hate it but it was just a bit boring. I can imagine this was nice when you were on a comedown in a grotty bedsit in the 90s though. Not for me
Pleasant listening.
This gets an extra star for the Neil Young cover, which is still a classic. But I'm not even sure the rest of this merits a 2. Admittedly, I Iost patience ~half way through and just skimmed the songs after Stoned to Say the Least. But this feels like a dorm room experiment that should have stayed as a fond college memory.
I love it. Such a great infusion of dreamy pop and house music. Must have been wildly influential. SO much was happening at the start of this decade that I didn't know about.
Some of these tracks are super fun little Indy pop hip hop mashups. They are British and not French - if you are looking for striped boatneck shirts, look elsewhere.
I liked- some felt very contemporary and some felt very early 90s/groove is in the heart-style stuff
I liked the tracks with vocals and that was enough for me to get past the dance music elements.
Not my thing.
Das britische Trio Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs und – zu diesem Zeitpunkt noch nicht vollständig integriert – Sarah Cracknell nahm sein Debütalbum in den Cat Music Studios in London und Mitcham auf und veröffentlichte es im September 1991 über das Londoner Indie-Label Heavenly, das den Vertrieb über Creation Records abwickelte. Stilistisch bewegt sich Foxbase Alpha im Schnittfeld aus House-Club-Kultur, Sixties-Girl-Group-Pop und samplelastiger Collagearbeit; das eigene Vorbild OMD mit Dazzle Ships ist hörbar, wird aber konsequent in etwas Eigenständiges überführt. Genre-Etiketten greifen hier grundsätzlich zu kurz. Das Album lebt von seiner Unentschlossenheit als Qualitätsmerkmal: Kurze Filmsamples und Zwischenstücke unterbrechen die eigentlichen Tracks und geben dem Ganzen den Charakter einer durchkomponierten Seite statt einer schlichten Song-Sammlung. Auffälligster Einzelmoment ist das verlangsamt-pianistische House-Cover von Neil Youngs „Only Love Can Break Your Heart", das Moira Lambert singt – Cracknell war bei der Aufnahme noch nicht festes Mitglied. Dass diese Besetzungslücke klanglich nahezu spurlos bleibt, sagt einiges über die Stärke der Produktionsidee. „Nothing Can Stop Us" und „This Is Radio Etienne" – Letzteres mit gesampletem Jingle von Radio France Inter – zeigen, wie Saint Etienne Pop als Zitat und Kommentar zugleich begreifen. Das Album wurde 1992 für den ersten Mercury Prize nominiert und klingt bis heute nicht nach Dokument einer Ära, sondern nach einer Haltung, die sich Zeit lässt. Foxbase Alpha ist ein Debüt, das seine eigene Tentativität in Programm verwandelt – und dabei selten falsch liegt.
Gostei muito desse álbum. Um Dream pop com elementos eletrônicos interessantes. CVJ Aria.
The singer has a decent voice, but once again it's another overlong boring dated techno album. This one also has a terrible Neil Young cover. I just don't get why there's do many albums like this on the list.
Not exactly what the doctor ordered, but interesting
#99/1001 🇬🇧 I don't know just how to feel about this record. Its pretty ambitous as far as debuts go straddling a number of genres with elements of pop, folk and house. Sometimes pulling off a 60s French pop style before moving to lengthy electro tracks. The samples from old tv shows and Richard Whiteley from countdown bug me a bit and would normally have lost this a star but i'm adding one back on for the fact that Bob Stanley is a regular visitor to my favourite football club Emley AFC and a thoroughly nice bloke. Best Tracks: Only Love Can Break Your Heart, Girl IV, Stoned To Say The Least, Nothing Can Stop Us, Like The Swallow.
I quite liked this although it is not really my scene. I LOVE their Tales From Turnpike House album although unsurprisingly it is not on this list, but I am sharing this with you because I like you.
This was suitably vibey and I am feeling generous today, so take my 4.
Pleasant background music.
I like this. Crafted but a bit edgy. What I have liked about this list is listening to albums I hadn’t got around to.
Cute left-of-centre Anglophilic DIY dance-y, pop album. 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' is the best thing on the record and far superior to Neil Young's original version. Fun but slight.
While the more experimental or danceable songs weren't really my thing, there's quite a lot of catchy stuff (including the great Neil Young cover). There's something unique about the vocals that I can't put my finger on. It sounds like a voice I wouldn't normally like, but here, it's usually one of the coolest parts of any song.
No thanks. Boring. Annoying. Tries to go somewhere interesting then just lets you down.
Some of it is OK, but overall pretty boring.
Lovely pleasant things
Pretty decent as background noise for your office
Ok if you like nostalgic indie. Not an album you need to hear though. I’ll never listen to it again.
For some reason, I was expecting this to be even more electronic than it actually was. It still sounded somewhat ahead of its time, recalling later female-fronted indie pop bands, while at the same time being very in their moment with the early Downtempo sound. I liked it, but not a lot. It could have been a bit shorter. Key tracks: Only Love Can Break Your Heart Nothing Can Stop Us London Belongs to Me
Oh hell no. The worst of 90s music this. What did they do the my boy Neil? This kind of music really isn’t for me. I find trip-hop as a whole a bit of a bad hang, but as music to listen to on an album it really doesn’t work or hold my attention.
I dunno, man. 2.5
This was pretty cool!! Definitely going to relisten to this on a summer beach day!
It's ok, nothing special though, relaxing at least which is kind of nice, stoned really. I vibed slightly with Only love can break your heart and Spring, but I can see other people enjoying this more. Hmm actually after stoned is even chiller
нормик, но японцы добавили б вайба
Love it. Timeless, but very much of their time. Smooth, mellow, lovely, and lively.
Thoughts before listening: In my mind this is similar to Air' Moon Safari, but I am also very surprised to see that this album came out in 1991. This feels like an early 2000s album to me. So where as I thought this would be jazzy, spacey, loungey electronic music, I really have no idea this could possibly sound like. Review: So while this album did come out 7 or 8 years before Moon Safari, I wasn't THAT far off base to claim they have a similar sound, with both groups making retro-inspired electronic music. The main difference is that Saint Etienne seemingly has much more of a hushed vocal R&B influence (I am hearing similarities with a song like "Thats the Way Love Goes") as well as some weird hip hop hype man elements than anything I have heard from Air. This is not the type of music I typically listen to, but its setting a pleasant enough vibe that I can dig. "Only Love Will Break Your Heart" is a surprisingly effective Neil Young cover, and some songs like "Nothing Can Stop Us" ramp up the tempo which is nice when most of the album is working as effective background music for me. 3-stars
Some absolute bops on this.
Fine background album but not for me
Other than one or two tracks, honestly pretty boring, and at some parts annoying.
Choosing this for a 1001 Albums list, over the abundance of more exciting electronic albums released during the 90s, is like having the budget for Hawaii and the Maldives to be among your potential honeymoon destinations but instead opting for a bedsit in Peterborough. This well and truly puts the "down" in "downtempo". Justice can, and must be served in the new edition of the book scheduled for release later this year...
Adequate background music.
Good
3.25
Another perfectly acceptable album.
It was unremarkable, but not with the negative connotation of the word. It just seemed ordinary, but not necessarily bad.
One of my favorite CDs. Brings me straight back to the early 90's. So glad this 1001 list will expose more people to St. Etienne.
Not a fan of the album I felt a few of the songs were down right dreadful and the rest of the song’s weren’t anything special not a album I would listen to again
I generally don't like electronic music, this one was good
Great album
Not for me. 1/5
Bra!
Another group I’ve heard of previously but never bothered to listen to closely. It will remain that way as this album did nothing to change that view. 2/5 30/3/26
Not a real saint.
Not too much to say on this one. Its solid. Nothing to be mad at. Nothing that really gets me going either way. Just some good spacy indie or rock type stuff. Its should be something im closer to hate on but it does a good job not being too repetitive or too ethereal. It has some choruses and some structure so its easier for me to latch on to it. My standout are only love can break your heart and nothing can stop us. Both good enough to get a save. And the rest are also fine. Couldn't tell you the name of it but one song was exactly what I was prasing the record for before. Repetitive like crazy. Those songs can suck it but I only remember one getting to that point. Decent little record and one that I wouldn't expect to be so high on
++: This Is Radio Etienne, Wilson, Carnt Sleep, Girl VII, Stoned to Say the Least, Nothing Can Stop Us, Etienne Gonna Die, London Belongs to Me, Like the Swallow +: Only Love Can Break Your Heart, Spring, She's the One +-: Dilworth's Theme 8,5/10
I kind of liked this smooth, dreamy style of music, but it does get old after awhile.
Pretty sweet dreamy dance music.
I don't know if there's any existential realizations one might have by hearing this, but I def vibe with it. Solid 4.
Some of the songs were pretty good
strange and funky, i dig it!
suprisingly eerie ans interesting
It was ok. nothing really stood out to me.
This is unfortunately the influencer of the entire genre that I call "Chipolte Rock", that watered down ethereal bull$hit music they play at Chipolte all the time. Airy, lots of bass with little else, and usually female singers that sound like whispers rather than full vocals. I can't stand this style of music. I will give it two stars only because of the impressiveness of this album sounding timeless and not dated at all. Never would have guessed 1991.
I was a little worried when the alblum started in French. It was easy listening and good background musoc.
Eh!!!
7/10 - Enjoyable album, not all great tunes though and some weird stuff, but prefer the wacky riffs to a bland rock album any day
Some songs were good but it faded for me
Why?
Background music