Reviews (page 4 of 7)
Good? Yes. Worth listening? No.
Знав звідси only love can break your heart (звісно), решта альбому теж доволі цікава місцями.
You know what, slay
great vibe for kicking out the rainy day blues
Surprised me. Very of its time.
Café music innit. Probably really wish they were Stereolab.
No. 330/1001 This Is Radio Etienne NR Only Love Can Break Your Heart 3/5 Wilson 2/5 Carnt Sleep 3/5 Girl VII 3/5 Spring 3/5 She's the One 2/5 People Get Real 3/5 Stoned to Say the Least 2/5 Nothing Can Stop Us 3/5 Etienne Gonna Die 2/5 London Belongs to Me 3/5 Kiss and Make Up 3/5 Like the Swallow 2/5 Dilworth's Theme NR Average: 2,61 Something about this album just annoyed me for the most part.
Fun, quite unique, and well executed. Not something I'd get particularly excited about, but it was a joy in my ear.
Kiss and make ..out? In general I liked it, it was not "obtrusive", just some soft music. In the beginning it gave me the feeling that it is typical 90`s . And also kind of "ace of base" atmosphere a little bit. But I didn't get the radio interruptions
After about listening to about 500 of these albums I come to the conclusion that if they are British and unknown to me it is of a genre I like to call aggressively mid. They have no defining qualities other than it's a genre the author doesn't really understand and picked a British band that has those qualities and just signed off on it. Is this bad? No. Should this be on the list? Also no. Does anyone ever need to listen to this album the whole way through in one sitting? If you want to get angry about being bored then sure.
I had heard of St. Etienne, but had never listened to her before. It's not something I would ordinarily choose, but I didn't mind having it on.
It has an intersting vibe, but it also drags for far too long.
New-to-me group. Solid 3 stars, not bad but nothing remarkable.
Pretty decent. Nothing I didn’t like. Good, but not amazing.
Was fun and catchy, avoided being repetitive like so many others of this ilk/genre.
To be honest, I forgot I listened to this. It was fine, I guess, but nothing about it was memorable.
Weird, but in an alright way.
In a similar vein to yesterday’s B&S album there were some songs I liked and others not so much.
An interesting mix of musical styles but not really hitting the mark. I liked the instrumental song and the Neil Young cover, but pretty average otherwise.
It’s just a bit boring isn’t it. On paper it’s always promised to be good, 60s pop pastiche, house, dub, trip hop etc. But nothing really hits home as remarkable in any way, other than ‘Only love…’. It somehow fails to sound particular unique. So yeah, pleasant but a bit boring.
This has low-key vibes and reminds me a bit of experimentation. It is from 1992. I do not think I have heard before. I had some issues with Spotify and am not sure I heard whole album/ in order. Overall I found it to be pleasant and chill.
Ethereal. I appreciate that this album was groundbreaking for its day. Listening today, however, it sounds dated. I feel like I've heard many elements of this music in later shoegaze, trip hop, and electronica music. Overall, I can see the value in this album as a trendsetter, but didn't love the actual listening experience.
The Good: It’s a saint, it’s got to be good! The Bad: Seems like we have been deceived… The Ugly: Foxbase Alpha, FA, Fucking Assholes… Slowly, but surely, I am starting to believe that we are being duped… Though we think we are listening to 1001 albums that we need to hear before we die, half of them are albums we DON’T need to hear before we die. Not that this album is bad, it’s just not great, nor good, nor will it improve my life now that I’ve listened to it. As with many albums on this list; it’s neither here, nor there it’s neither good, or bad it’s neither fish, or meat, or vegan, for that matter. Off to listen to Anthrax, next one on my list… St Stephen is getting 3*
Super
Decent mix of indie dance and fresh pop.
A fine album with catchy beats but I probably won't revisit
Pleasant enough
Having never heard of Saint Etienne I was bracing myself for yet another UK pop band that didn't bring anything exciting to this list. I was only half wrong in that this is a good trip-hop album that drags in areas but still a pleasant refreshing listen. 3.5/5
Interesting
Aight
surprisingly very good. New to my ears.
A lot of the vibe is like if you wrote/arranged a bunch of hip-hop tracks without actually rapping over them
This sounds like so many of the other British groups that incorporate pop/post-punk/electronica on this list. Some cool beats, some cool melodies, and about 15 minutes too long. 2.5/5.0: Mixed
lovely 5/10
It's pleasant but mostly doesn't match up to the transportative dreaminess of the album's first real song
Had fun with this one! I think there are better examples of the genre but it was a nice play.
half the songs are good, the other way too Casio
Love to see Neil Young covered but this version doesn't do anything for me, unlike Chromatics spectacular "Into the Black". Pretty unexciting stuff. Want to give it a 2 but it's fine enough. It'd be cool if I could find a new favorite record from the year of my birth but I already know most of the classics and boy do they step all over this. This is better than Blood Sugar Sex Magik though.
Not at all what I was expecting by the cover. I liked the majority of the album and the few songs I didn’t were still fine just not exactly what I was wanting.
The cover of the Neil Young song Only Love Can Break Your Heart is the standout track on an album that has promise but doesn't quite deliver otherwise.
Carnt sleep has a gorgeous bass that pairs well with the ethereal voice. Kiss and Make Up has a nice drum. Like the Swallow has a little too much instrumental for me, but the buildup into the lyrics works well.
It was ok.
Like most electronica, this sounds good, fine, with grooves, and interesting beats. I think one critic labeled them soft rave? Anyway, it is fine for what it is, but if it has to be amazing in a club to be amazing, I probably won't return to it.
It was fine … probably won’t ever listen again.
You know those cheap third-party video game companies back in the 2000s that created games with that constant electronica menu music, and unknown female singers bellowing on these menu screens? If you remember those games, and loved that music, then this should be one of your favorite albums. Favorite Track: "Spring".
Loved the intro rolling into the cover of only love can break your heart, as well as four or five other tracks. Definitely heard influences from traditional pop artists (esp. Madonna and the Cranberries) and New Wave artists (INXS and Tears for Fears), but I also get hear traces of artists to about to blow up with entry of sample-based House/Dance music into top 40 like Moby and Fatboy Slim. Really enjoyed the album in spite of a couple duds.
ok
Allora è un po anonimo, però ci sta. Non mi è dispiaciuto. I brani sono anche abbastanza eterogenei ma restano coerenti. ci sta. diciamo 3.3 stelle
64/100
I felt like I had fallen back into the 90s. Rather enjoyed this album.
Groovy, made me moody. 3-3.5 stars
I remember really liking at least one Saint Etienne album from the late 90's or early 00's, but this one wasn't it, and I think it must be another "time and place" album that only certain people from that era, and maybe also from the UK, really connect to. It's not bad music, and it is rather enjoyable, but it just feels like an imitation of something else and doesn't hold up for me as something significant in its own right. I am going to dig into their discography more to try to find the album that I liked a couple decades ago, but from what I remember, they evolved into something much better than this album.
Mediocre lofi dance album. Little catchy
A pretty good indie pop and dance record. The first half of the record is a mixed bag of subpar and good tracks, but it picks up to being consistently good in the second half. Favourite Track(s): Spring Least Favourite Track(s): People Get Real
Saint Etienne was Len Houmous’ 6th wife! On one of his legendary LSD trips he married an actual city! Len has the paperwork and is convinced it was a legally binding marriage. The French forced the annulment. It almost started a civil war! Crazy really! 3.0 9/13 Nothing Can Stop Us
totally new and unexpected and not something I would have come across on my own! what a fun a group, what a good album from outside my normal musical wanderings
This wasn't bad, but I really wish there was about 15% more of something there.
This was a super chill album, very easy to listen to. No, it's nothing groundbreaking, and only one track is truly a banger: the cover of "Only Love Can Break Your Heart". Even though it's not a "must listen," it's still a solid 3.5 stars for me.
It was alright but not like anything I’ve heard before
point2.
3.5
An interesting album - there was some nice like muggy spring day pop and some cool stuff that reminded me a bit of fatboy slim. I liked Only Love Can Break Your Heart and Like The Swallow. 3/5 stars.
It was ok
Mellow 90s electronic music album. A big percentage of filler, but the killer tracks make it worthwhile.
Layering retro sound clips over modern music is an interesting take. There's not really a notable track on here, but I didn't hate any of it. It's not something I'll put on regular rotation, but I wouldn't fuss if it got played. It's good. My rating: 3/5
Didn’t dislike it as I usually would a dancey album like this; vocals were enough to carry it through. Doubt I’ll be listening to it again though. This Is Radio Etienne (N/A) Only Love Can Break Your Heart (8/10) Wilson (3/10) Carnt Sleep (7/10) Girl VII (7/10) Spring (7/10) She’s the One (7/10) Stoned to Say the Least (5/10) Nothing Can Stop Us (6/10) Ettiene Gonna Die (6/10) London Belongs to Me (7/10) Like the Swallow (7/10) Dilworth’s Theme (N/A) 6.4/10
Not a electrónic music fan but OK. It was different from I've heard so far
Slow, and a bit too long
Me gustó pero porque es armonioso pero se hace aburrido porque parece todo un poco lo mismo, Música de fondo de un bar que quiere imponer una tendencia aestetic, de esos que dicen: ”acá el café se sirve a temperatura barista, si lo queres más caliente avísanos, putito sin gusto, muchas gracias”
Me gustó la onda con la que arrancó Y...quedó ahí je
3.3 2x worth another listen. catch up 8/7/2025
Pretty interesting, but not my favorite. Still, a solid album, and a pretty important one in the electronic scene.
this was a vibe, i enjoyed the trip hop vibe and found it good to drive to, spring was an absolute banger as well, overall, pretty good
This album is pleasant and sounds great sonically. It also represents everything I dislike about today's music. The repetition, lack of movement in the songs and unimaginative lyrics just don't inspire me to become a fan. Music seems to have become a background noise instead of something you actively listen to and take in. This album is a great candidate for that role. It sounds great and doesn't disrupt your attention from scrolling or doing whatever you're doing.
Nice, but nothing special
Better than most electronic/pop albums I've heard, but I still found it hard to stay attentive throughout the whole thing
I quite liked this one. It felt like the early 90s London club scene (the one that gave us artists like Massive Attack and early Bjork releases) but heavily coated in 60s nostalgia. The result is hypnotic, lucid, and chill. It feels like a constant movement between two worlds. My only issue is that I'm not sure how significant it is. There are surely better, purer examples of that London club scene. Saint Etienne are probably a bit more niche and maybe too much for this list. But hey, it was a new discovery for me and I was happy enough to hear it.
Full of windy poppy flavorings mixed with some danceable beats. It also feels like some early shoegaze in Girl VII.
Set up house nicely
Didn't love it, didn't hate it. Don't get why this is among the 1001 best album though
Dig this one. Cool vibe, pretty listenable, nothing offends. Not gonna blow your socks off, not gonna piss you off. I'd spin.
very cool atmosphere and genre mix here!!!!! 7 (solid so idec if I lean up or down)
No me ha gustado mucho. Se nota el estilo del dance y ambient de los 90, por momentos parecido al Play de Moby pero sin acercarse a la calidad de este. Tengo entendido que forma parte del movimiento DIY por lo que si es una producción amateur y casera puede aumentar su merito. Aun así se hace largo y algo monótono.
It's ok, I'd happily have this on in the background and it's a relaxing album. I suppose this is one of the first post-club chillout albums and it's alright. Only Love Can Break Your Heart and Nothing Cam Stop Us stand out. Maybe if I'd heard the whole album years ago I would have grown to love it but I don't think it's one I will be coming back to soon.
Very much of the same cloth as a Screamadelica. I enjoyed this. It has a good flow to it. Solid music to listen to while working and cleaning. Favorites were Only Love Can Break Your Heart, Nothing Can Stop Us, and Girl VII.
I'm not sure I've ever heard of or listened to Saint Etienne before, so it's nice to get a new-to-me album and sound, and thankfully they've largely followed through on the promise of an interesting album. And in many ways, even though they're *not* part of the whole Madchester scene, I feel like Saint Etienne delivered on fun/bouncy/interesting dance music much better than most of the Manchester bands of the same time. I particularly enjoyed their creative cover of Neil Young's "Only love can break your heart", "She's the one" and their semi-big hit "Nothing can stop us" (semi-big in the sense that I might have heard that single before--I'm not sure), but I also enjoyed it that there were few duds in the album too, aside from the mood-killer of "Like the swallow" (although there's also nothing particularly exciting either on the album, I'll admit).
The dialogue from "House of Games" (great movie!) redeems this album a little, but as a whole it's a meandering not-unpleasant trip. I found tracks 10-13 the best of the bunch.
Fine as background music, but nothing too exciting.
Enjoyed some songs more than others, quite liked Stoned to Say the Least and Nothing Can Stop Us.
This is kind of interesting but I'm not impressed so far. It's very low key on some songs and I find they kinda blend together. Only Love Can Break Your Heart is pretty good, but so far it's the only standout track. After listening the whole way through, my outlook hasn't much changed. It's not bad, it just doesn't make me feel much of anything.
Like the Classic HipHop vibes. Bit too slow and abstract for my taste. Repetitive vocal samples 👎. Solid sound though and cohesive vibe
Not bad.
Not bad but they have done better.
90's vibes for chilling and studying to.
Reminds me of Primal Scream/Fatboy Slim sunshine 90's electronic/funky pop stuff.
Some nice grooves but kinda meh otherwise.
I’m actually not sure how I feel about this album. Parts were good, parts dragged on. Overall decent I guess, but maybe better background music than anything else
This would have been background music at Abercrombie or another trendy store in the 90's. There are some beautiful parts that made me feel like I was floating in a super calm sea or the ocean. I have a difficult time connecting to music without lyrics. Maybe if I had the opportunity to sit in a field somewhere and just appreciate every note in the songs without life getting in the way I could appreciate it more, but sadly I am just not there with this type of music. She had a nice voice, the piano was pretty, and it was all connected to itself but just not my thing.
this is radio etienne- 5 only love can break your heart- 6 wilson- 5 carnt sleep- 5 girl vii- 5 spring- 6 shes the one- 5 people get real- 5 stoned to say the least- 7 nothing can stop us- 5 etienne gonna die- 5 london belongs to me- 5 kiss and make up- 5 or 6 like the swallow- 5 dilworths theme- 5
Could be fun for a retro party, but otherwise it's more of a background thing for me.
I really the band TV Girl, and I feel like they wouldn’t exist without this album. That doesn’t mean I like this album though.
Surprisingly effective pairing of acid house rhythms and indie pop sensibility for a chilled out bit of emo dance music. Warm and bright and optimistic feeling.
Favs *Carnt Sleep *Only love can break your heart *Spring
Stand-out tracks: - People Get Real - Stoned to Say the Least - Nothing Can Stop Us
Pretty chill, it reminded me of music you hear at a hotel poolside bar during the day
drei plus Only love can break your heart
Prima voor in de ochtend. Hippe koffietent muziek. De gesproken delen zijn wat vaag, maar al met al geen slecht album.
Bijzondere mix van leuke energieke nummers tot rare psychedelische muziek.
Not bad, interesting Neil Yoong cover
It’s OK. Not exceptional, but not bad. Too long. Three stars.
Nothing excited me about this album. It's like melancholy electronic music that your friend who thinks they're really edgy and into really unknown artists would listen to, all while swearing that you don't understand the significance of it. It's not bad. It's just not doing anything for me. A lot of the bass is cool. I just wish the highs were higher and the lows were lower. Very middle of the road, in my eyes.
the spotify about says stylish, and I would agree. fun at times but could have used more substance. maybe seeing the album cover of a protest sign gave me false hope
This was an enjoyable, kind of lo fi trip hop, electro pop fusion thing. I have heard a few of these songs at some point in my life and were always good background tracks. This album is pretty much just that, background music. I forgot I was listening to it at a couple points. Even though I enjoyed this album and will definitely listen to it again to get some good focus time going, it does not belong on this list. It wasn’t revelatory in any fashion. This record is over 30 years old and hearing it didn’t make me think, how has this escaped my attention for 3 decades. 6.8/10 #56/1001
I thought there were some interesting stuff on this album. I’m not sure that there’s anything extraordinary though that would make me included on this list. Maybe it just has an age so well.
1991 no fue un año cualquiera, fue el de Screamadelica y Blue Lines. Este debut de los adorables Saint Etienne comienza, después del preludio de This is radio saint Etienne, no con Sarah Cracknell sino con Moira Lambert y la versión del Only Love Can Brake Your Heart de Neil Young que nos conquistó a todos. Tampoco canta en el segundo sencillo del álbum, Kiss and make up, sino Donna Savage. Es un temazo. Su estilo, pop, sin más, ya fuera orientado a la pista de baile, con toques sixties, easy listening, house (sin ir más lejos: He's on the phone, tampoco de este disco), electrónica, indie o lo que quisieran. Siempre con su sello de calidad y el del Heavenly (también pasaron por Creation, hasta su cierre). ¿Entre Massive Attack y Kilye Minogue? Puede ser. Carnt Street o Like the swallow suenan a esto y seguro que allanaron el camino a Portishead. People get real, suena a pop ochentero (ecos de New Order, y aún más en Stoned to say the least) pero como el resto del disco, sigue funcionando hoy en día. Girl VII recoge lo mejor de los Pet Shop Boys, que también cantaron a alguna estación de metro... Y de paso, una versión del La,la,la no incluida aquí. Su mejor disco? este o el posterior So tough. A destacar la faceta escritora de Bob Stanley y su indispensable Yeah yeah yeah! Otros discos del 91: My Bloody Valentine- Loveless, Pixies- Trompe le monde, Massive Attack- Blue lines, Spiderland- Slint, Nirvana- Nevermind, Pearl Jam- Ten, Primal Scream- Screamadelica, U2- Achtung baby, REM- Out of time, Red Hot Chily Peppers- Blood sugar baby..., Metallica- Metallica, Teenage Fanclub- Bandwagonesque, Dinosaur Jr.- Green Mind, Soundgarden- Badmotorfinger, Mathew Sweet- Girlfriend, Sepultura- Arise, PM Dawn- Of the heart, of the soul..., A Tribe Called Quest- The low end theory, Talk Talk- The laughing stock, Mercury Rev- Yerself is steam, Lenny Kravitz- Mama said, Uncle Tupelo- Still feel gone, Chapterhouse- Whirlpool, The Farm-Spartacus, De La Soul- De la soul is dead, Ice T- OG, The Wedding Present- Seamonsters, 3rd bass- Derelicts of Dialect, Electronic- Electronic, Slowdive- Just for a day, Van Morrison-Hymns to the Silence, Neil Young and Crazy Horse- Weld, Superchunk- No pocky for kitty, Blur-Leisure, Orbital- Orbital, The Magnetic Fields-Distant Plastic Trees, Babes in toyland- To mother, Jesus Jones- Doubt, Spacemen 3-Recurring, The Filed Mice- For Keeps, Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine- 30 Something... También: Prince- Diamonds and pearls, Crowded House- Woodface, Guns and Roses- Use your illusion, Michael Jackson- Dangerous, Queen- Innuendo, Roxette- Joyride, The Silencers-Dance to the Holy Man, Spin Doctors- Pocket Full of Kryptonite, Enya- Sepherd Moons...
Laulajan äänestä tykkäsin. Mutta kokonaisuutena levy jäi kyllä vähän tylsäksi.
Jykevät bassolinjat, pehmeän lempeä naisääni ja rytmikäs sointi... Mitäs tässä nyt oltiinkaan tekemässä?
Tässähän oli muutama hyvä laulu. Muutama ei niin hyvä
Ihan mukavaa taustamaalailua!
first listen kinda boring tbh
I thought some Of the songs were catchy.
ta bien bailonguer
Pas mal dans le genre un peu techno
Nice enough 3/5
Stereolab lite. I could vibe to it a little but only select songs.
Good background music
I wanted to like it but just never could really get into it. But it wasn't bad either. Kind of middle of the road meh vibes.
I spent a fair bit of this album wondering if I actually liked trip hop or not. Which, y'know, I like my fair share of songs from the genre (at least one from Massive Attack, and any Gorillaz have done in that lane), but I couldn't help but wonder throughout the album if those elements were what was dragging the whole thing down for me. Off the bat, I'll grant them that I've heard **far** worse from this genre. It clears MAXINQUAYE, certainly. And, hell, I wouldn't even go so far as to say it's bad. There's a pulse in a lot of these beats that keeps from completely disliking them. And yet... I'unno, you'll get a good, groovy, danceable beat on a song, and the vocals will come in maybe just a bit too light and airy and it'll suck a bit of energy from the track? Take "Girl VII" as an example. When it hopped on that Madonna "Vogue" flow for the second verse of the song, things really picked up and I was getting into it. But then the slower trip hop vocals came back... And you've got a good voice, Sarah, you really do. You really work on stuff like "London Belongs To Me" and "Nothing Can Stop Us". It's just when this album dips into trip hop and dub... Blurrgh, I don't know. It's just not great. And I'm not a fan of the repetition within some of these songs, either. Like, "Wilson" is an interlude barely under two minutes, but I don't think I needed to hear "WOULD YOU LIKE SOME SWEETS, WILLY?" that many times. Or you got something like "Stoned To Say The Least", which, like, gawd, whose idea was it that it needed to be nearly eight minutes? It just gets me thinking about acts like Daft Punk and songs like "Around The World". People can rag on it for repetition, but, y'know, you gotta understand, that's the foundation of music, and dance music particularly. On a song like "Around The World", too, it evolves over time, and morphs into all of these different permutations. It's not the same-ass thing for seven minutes, which is how "Stoned To Say The Least" comes across. I got similar-ish complaints to lob at "Like The Swallow", too, by the way. When the lyrics kick in and the song actually gets started it's good, but I don't know why it needed **three-and-a-half minutes** of atmospheric build-up. And then the outro's nice when it gets to the acoustic guitar, but the, like, nearly two minutes of drumloop and more atmospheric synths before that? You coulda cut that down some, honestly. Like, I'unno, this thing has parts I like. Once more, I'll shout out "London Belongs To Me" and "Nothing Can Stop Us"; they're really the best song here, if you ask me. But the rest is like... I can do without it. Just goes a bit too nowhere for my tastes. And besides, I gotta knock points off of any album that makes me wonder what the point of a genre is. Like, what did it look like when people played trip hop in the club? How did people dance to that? Did they at all? Honestly now...
I’m at a 3.5 that I’ll bump down to a 3. It’s a nice enough 3, though. Honestly, my closest comparison is “Maxinquaye if it had a personality”, which feels pretty apt. Unlike Maxinquaye, I really did enjoy a good chunk of this. The trip-hop beats infused with pop sensibilities work really well at certain points on this album, and out of the 15 tracks here, I’d say that about 8 of them clicked with me at a higher level, and most of the other 7 still sounded pretty good regardless. There’s not a boring track here, just boring moments within each track that slowly build up over the course of the album experience that drags this down immensely. I feel like anything more I have to say would be negative (i.e., pointing out all of those boring moments to justify my giving it a 3), but really, the positives of this album are best heard by listening to it. Realistically, all of my negatives are only there if you’re *really* paying attention to the music while listening to it, because it’s very very easy to get lost in the soundscape of a lot of these tracks and never even notice the repetition. It does sneak through during some extended instrumental sections, where the vocals go away and sort of minimize the soundscape, but those moments aren’t *super* prevalent in the album. They’re still there though, and they happen often enough that at best, I think this album has a ceiling of a 4. All that said, I think it’s a genuinely enjoyable 58 minutes. It’s a long one, but it was at least interesting enough to keep me engaged. Mileage may vary, so I can understand people giving this a 1 or a 2, but for my ears, I just had a nice time listening to it. It’s not super special, and I can’t necessarily say it deserves to be one of the 1001 albums to listen to before one dies… but I liked it regardless. A solid, solid 3.5 that goes down to a 3.
I very much enjoyed this science experiment of an album. Sixies folksie vibes with house and synthpop tonalities. At times this sounds like a vampire weekend album too which is hella cool.
Chill and enjoyable
It’s not terrible terrible. It’s just so.. beige. Like it wanted to flirt with house, pop, lounge, and trip-hop all at once but couldn’t commit. The vocals are fine, production clean, but no groove? Where’s the tension? Felt more like background music for a slow-loading webpage. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions: - Only Love Can Break Your Heart - Nothing Can Stop Us
I read the description for this album which gave me such a sense of hope for my listening experience. That was a mistake, I should know by now that it is often the album I don’t expect anything of which end up surprising me the most. There were a pleasant few times where Foxbase Alpha lived up to the hopes I had for it, but what came between those moments left me wanting more. There’s also an interesting dichotomy going on with this project. Is it impressive and well-produced for its time? Yes. Did I find it largely toothless and safe? Also yes. The opening tracks sampling technique had me hoping for some four-on-the-floor beats and colorful loops to come, but it wasn’t until “Spring” that I really settled into enjoying this album for what it is. Then it once again took me a while to be pleased with anything I was hearing. “Like The Swallow” toward the end of the track listing is by far the best song on here, it actually commits itself to a unique song idea that takes its proper time to develop. Some much needed variety! I’m a bit sad this one didn’t pack as much punch as I’d hoped for. It’s not bad, but it’s not crazy. It’s the opposite of crazy. Not my cup of tea for electronic music, although it checks off some of those boxes to get close
Pretty interesting
It's a pleasant, enjoyable album. There were a couple of tracks I really liked and saved, but the majority of it makes for good background music. Highlights: "Spring", "Carnt sleep", "Kiss and make up", and the cover of "Only love can break your heart" 3 stars
sure
3.5
This largely passed my by without ever really being engaging. Fine I guess.
Decent. Some better songs than others. Background music for a dinner party or slipping into a long deep edible nap.
2/3
Ljómandi góðir sprettir, oft bæði töff og áheyrilegt, en mér finnst stundum eins og productionin sé einfaldlega ekki nógu nútímaleg, kannski ósanngjörn krafa, en margt á þessari plötu væri betra remixað. Svo er "She's the one" alltof schizo.
alternative dance
Better than I'd expected. Kind of catchy, kind of ethereal, good background working music, but probably not an 'active' listen.
Decent Not sure it should be on the list, But its easy to listen to. Interesting neil young cover. Fairly enjoyable. Standard 3
Hintergrundmusik, aber gute Hintergrundmusik
Je donne 3 parce que j'aime le style général, le son.. mais cet album en particulier c'est rien de spécial. Ca pourrait être un 2 étoiles mais je vais être smatt
Pretty solid. I like some of the rare-groove, soul-inspired tunes. Some of the more housey numbers too. And the opening cover version is a bit of a belter. Some of it's a bit too wishy-washy but all in all a rewarding listen.
This was a pretty relaxing way to start the day. The singles are all highlights, and there are enough of them to balance out the slightly more bland album tracks and keep things interesting. It very nearly gets an extra star for having a Countdown sample.
Not bad. Another background one. But I appreciate its more minimalist, repetitive tendencies.
местами прикольно и напоминает саундтреки из твин пикс это реально занятно, мне понравилось
vähän yksitoikkoista huonolla tavalla, sillattiin että poppiavähän mutta tylsempää joka on parempaa mutta ei tarpeeksi tylsää jok ahuonompaa.. muuten hyvää persu britti kaikuelektronikmusic pitää keksiä joku parempi tapa määritellä tätä musiikkia tommosta kaikubiitti.. biittikaikumusiikkia.. biittikone ja vähän kaikuu vähän distortoinutta vähän semmottiin vähän että kuulostaa pehmeämmältä.. ei ole niin terävää tykitystä vaan semmosta aaltoilevaa... just näin lukekaa pojat tämä review... miten musiikki vaikuttaa, describe how it makes you feel.. ei mitään että iloinen surullinen.. paskahyvä... omg produktio jne jne.. prkl tämä on review!! abstrakteja koskemattomia ajatusmaailmoja PELKÄSTÄÄN!!! (wave music... feels wavy..) stoned to say the least
Interesting blend of 60s pop and 90s production. I had only heard some of their later 2000s work before now.
It's ok, I'm not a Saint Etienne fan and this didn't change my mind at all
A collection of sunny tracks that easily go in one ear, and just as easily out the other. If you don't actively make it a task to focus on it, you'll most likely forget you're even listening to it for like 2/3rds of the duration, right until a particularly catchy hook fades in.
This was pretty good, quite easy listening.
I think this is the sort of indie pop that people without a real interest in music like. It's nice, it's mannered, it's all pretty dull to my ears. The little voice samples between are amusing on first play, but quicklt get a bit grating.
Different. Not bad. Skipped a couple that droned on repetitively.
Ok
hypnotic and beautiful. wasn’t sure what to expect going into this one, but it was like ear candy. for the duration of the album i felt like i was in a trance.
Some interesting ideas, and a lot of garbage!
Pretty fun. Surprised a bit at times but no ooohs and ahhhhs. 3.5 goin down.
Not really a fan of dance/electronically but this one was ok. Best was the NY cover.
I listened to this on stream today right after health, it was quite the tone shift. This album feels like something that will hit me in like four years but now it's like whatever and i kinda wish it had any bop in it. Someone did a bopectomy on it and it's so almost there constantly. Hi eric! I'm looking at you. Through.. window
Smooth, but I'd rather be listening to the Grammy Award-winning 1999 hit 'Smooth' by Santana feat. Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty off the multi-platinum album Supernatural
6/10 Foxbase Alpha by Saint Etienne is a landmark UK Dance Pop album
After the first two tracks, I'm thinking this is going to be a hot mess. By the end of track five I'm starting to dig the groove at least. By about track eight I'm ready for this to start wrapping up... and then it just keeps going... and going... for 30 more minutes. It's a decent vibe overall though; three stars.
I suppose I don’t mind what they did to Neil Young’s song, nor do I really mind the radio broadcast intro, but it must get better after that. It must get more interesting, original, unique, and exciting, yet this album does no such thing. It immediately hits its highest note (not that great a cover, honestly) and it’s all downhill from there. “Wilson” is a repetitively annoying song. Stop asking him if he’d like some goddamned sweets, he is CLEARLY not interested. “Carnt Sleep” is fine. “Girl VII” failed to interest me. “Spring” is the most fun the album gets, which is an insult. I won’t continue to go through what I think of each song because I can only imagine how exhausting it would be for someone to read, but you must know it is exhausting for me to have to think about. The whole thing is pretentious. Not for me, but not wholly terrible. 3/5
An alright album, I liked She's The One and Stoned To Say The Least the most.
This was an album that flew by - negative and positive
Oké. Beetje Hooverphonic achtig. Klinkt best wel goed eigenlijk. Ook iets voor op de achtergrond. 3.4
Video game club music. Stand-out: Only Love Can Break Your Heart
Ok I didn’t know this would slap Favs Only love can break your heart Girl VII She’s the one Nothing can stop us
Standout track: Girl VII (4/5)
I didn’t care for the breathy/echo-y 90s style vocals, but the music was super groovy.
Mixtures of pop with dance - Very nice instrumentals - Nothing Can Stop Us is standout track - Vocals can be quite repetitive, some tracks are boring
Sleepy beats.. had that French sample/breakbeat electronica that I appreciate. My favorite was "Nothing can stop us"
Nothing notable.
Chill and a blast from the past
Alt tanssimusiikkia, eli taas tämmöistä looppaavaa settiä. Tässä on kyllä enemmän vokaalia niin ei oo ihan triphoppia, mutta vähän. Parhaat: Stoned to Say at Least, Nothing Can Stop Us
Was kinda cool. Great background music for working. Some reggaeness to it and I was really curious about the genre. What IS it?
Nice one!
wild mixture of styles. Nice for elevators or shopping malls
Fantastic grooves mixed in with some ok background music. Nothing can stop us is a jam
Not bad, not my cup of tea, but not bad
Enjoyed the vibes but it was a bit too repetitive and lasted too long to score higher.
I don’t think I’d come access St Etienne before today. It felt ever so vaguely familiar, but in a way that a lot of pop music does. No tracks made me think I’d heard it before. Anyway, this sounded pretty fun. There was nothing that blew my mind, but it did make for a decent list while I was working away. Probably not going to be one that sticks around in my memory, but I certainly didn’t dislike it by any means. It’s just fun poppy synth dancy music!
Not bad at all! This works mainly as background music, but there's no shame in that. The grooves are immaculate, and I'm a fan of the airy distant vocals. Standouts: She's the One, Nothing Can Stop Us, London Belongs to Me
Definitely groovy at times
It was nice, I guess.
This is fine. Not really my favorite style of music but the album as a whole is pretty decent.
Chill vibes to get the tube to
I enjoyed this more than I thought. Funny side story. I always confused this for a Camera Obscura record. Just kinda had a look that felt that way to me. When I hit the end Spotify autoplay rolled into a Camera Obscura song.
Smooth, beats, nice for a relaxed day
Foxbase Alpha is very chill and this is a good thing. Liked Songs Added: Spring Nothing Can Stop Us
Had me going “huh?” then “huh!” then “hmmm…” But at the end of the day, Spring and Nothing Can Stop Us are bona fide bops!
Before I read these reviews, I had pegged this album as background shopping music. Apparently, I am not alone in this theory. However, I actually didn't mind this.
This was ok, made for fun background sound, but nothing I needed to listen to before dying. Went harder on the first half. 3*
Only love can break your heart
this is a ok album. Its lyrics were good but not exaclty amazing, and its music wasnt the best. Overall it is a decent album.
3.1
2.5
Saint Etienne - Foxbase Alpha.. Music like this can go either way with me.. But in small doses, absolutely love this kind of stuff. Across a full album it wears on me a bit... I did omit the two tracks added for the US version so it was a bit shorter than it's hour run time I'm going with (7.3) ★★★½
C'est mid de chez mid, j'ai rien à dire tellement que c'est mid rahhlala
I liked the chiller stuff better than the "clubby" stuff. Good but a bit too long, no reason some of these songs are seven minutes long.
This was new to me, although I have heard other St Etienne songs. Pleasant enough, a blend of ethereal chill and house music, amen breaks, piano riffs and samples. There’s a nice version of Neil Young’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart”. I’d listen again but it won’t be on regular rotation.
I love Air and Stereolab, so this kind of worked for me, but not as well as either of those two bands. This feels a little more sterile, or calculated, and less organic, but it was still enjoyable.
notable for its unevenness at least, lots of catchy groovy moments but also many grating repetitive moments
Interesting without being overly repetitive. Good production.
Light, dreamy, well-crafted album somewhere on the edge between dance and indie pop. Not what I would naturally seek out, but a great piece of work. Best song: Nothing Can Stop Us
It was okay.
78% Best: Only Love Can Break Your Heart; Girl VII; Spring; She's the One Must-Hear? Not quite
Un estilo distinto a lo que estoy acostumbrado, de a ratos un poco experimental.
I liked it, had a nice background music vibe good originals that probably turned into samples. Maybe I don’t know but oh good listen
Really enjoyed this. Very relaxed feel mostly. Tailed off towards the back end of the album.
I knew of this group but hadn't listened to them much. This album is pretty good! I liked it.
Not objectionable; definitely not essential.
Solid
Dance pop. Intéressant mais pas mon style de prédilection
Deeply 90s.
For me this album kept swinging between interesting, quirky fun and outright annoying. Do I think that this is an album that you need to listen to before you die? No I really don't.
According to wikipedia, the debut album from Saint Etienne drew on a love for club culture and 1960s pop samples, which is evident in the recording. The repetitive hooks and sampling make for a groovy and fun sound that builds enjoyment instead of getting old.
Kinda chill British house dance music. It’s fine but I doubt I’ll ever think of it again apart from the band being named after my favorite French football team.
A cool and very 90s album. Lots of enjoyable electronica, which strays in to acid house and techno at times. Some of the tracks are a bit experimental for my tastes, and I don't think there is enough vocal work, which is a shame as it's often the highlight of the album. It's a very brave debut album, and would have been pretty groundbreaking in the early 90s I think. Highlights: Only Love Can Break Your Heart Girl VII Stoned To Say The Least
I enjoyed the album more aesthetically than anything, it has a good mix of genres and themes I enjoy, ranging from ambient to synthpop to house, but doesn't really excel in any of these. The album wasn't bad at all though, some tracks did stand out (like Only Love Can Break Your Heart), and I usually do enjoy film samples in albums, which added to the bubbly quirky feel of the album.
Blind album and artist. Middle of the road. Not great but not bad. Probably wouldn't listen to it again if I had choices, but smooth listening all around
90’s UK Club music? Not bad. Interesting to listen too from a list perspective but nothing to write home about.
Feel like I've seen this one before, but haven't heard or heard of it. Fairly unassuming indie rock type of album, but a good few on here that were really interesting. Better than the usual fare. Favorite tracks: Only Love Can Break Your Heart, Girl VII, Stoned to Say the Least, Like the Swallow. Album art: A woman holding up the name of the album on a picket sign. Good border going on, solid cover. 3.5/5
interesting album of rock with electronic influence
It was ok, a few good tracks here and there. Most of the songs were meh.
Ethereal, light house music. Inoffensive enough, but does get a little boring. Favorite tracks: "Stoned To Say the Least"
I like the Lemon Jellyish vibes on some tracks. A lot of it sounds very dated now though.
Didn't hate this, but also found it kinda boring.
fun ! but at some point it all blends together.
норм, но кроме французских интерлюдий ничего не отложилось
Fine, not very memorable
This album starts off as Corporate Jazz and then at some point became Stardew Valley and then became Omen Synth? None of these are real genres but also none of them should be on the same album
Weird one as I quite liked this kinds house meets 60s vibe, but I've not a clue why it's "essential" and on this list. It's going to be a 3 because it does drag towards the end
If “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” had a big moment in the U.S. I was too young for it. It’s really a great tune. And the rest of the album was pretty enjoyable, definitely chill, super chill. Are they Scottish? I should listen to this again.
3.5
Bueno
I liked a couple of songs but wouldn’t listen again
Quite gentle! 3.5 really!
Band reminds me a lot of Belle and Sebastian. Could do worse. A think a little bit goes a long way but I liked it.
oo
pretty decent listen. 3.5
It's alright, but I could have lived without listening to it.
Completely new to me. Vibey.
Bright, warm. pop love songs with electronica. You could dance if you wanted to. Or relax with a fruit flavored drink of some sort. Could possibly help relieve you of any paranoia developed from listening to other more cutting edge music. Well done overall but do watch your sugar levels.
I liked it.. interesting. Didn’t love it but I might listen again
Great 80s band
Surprisingly solid.
Not sure why this is on the list. Its a perfectly fine album but essential seems a stretch.
I really ended up liking this a lot more than I anticipated. One of the better chill out albums I've heard on this list so far. A bit of trivia: At the time of recording, Sarah Cracknell was not fully part of group, and as a result she does not sing on Only Love Can Break Your Heart, which is sung by Moira Lambert.
#53 - nice easy listening 90s
Only Love Can Break Your Heart is still a classic. Stoned To Say The Least is great too. Rest of it is just ok 3/5
Fun album. Not much to say
Interesting in a way, but nothing so mind blowing that I would be scrambling to relisten unfortunately. Didn’t know what to expect from the outset but quickly became fairly typical Euro pop reminiscent of what I remember from the time
Not terrible. Just boring
Meh. It was fine for the most part.
Yet another record that sounds like something you’d hear in an upscale/hip hotel elevator or bar/lounge. It’s not offensive, it’s pleasant, it doesn’t distract or draw attention.
I didn't mind this, but the only thing that stuck out to me was the cover of Only Love Can Break Your Heart
It's fine but I think this far into it I don't get why there needs to so much middle of the road 90s Brit electronica. I've heard it before. 3.5/5
This was a quirky electronic pop album which was generally quite enjoyable. The style sort of reminded me of Massive Attack, and while there were a few filler sections that felt a bit long-winded, the album was worth my time overall.
A little to bland for my liking.
she's cool, funky and dreamy
Dreamy pop music with pleasant vocals. Not my cup of tea really, but also not bad.
Maybe not an essential album but still very cool. Like the use of samples and cool bass lines. Would listen again!
Eh this one was ok.
A good mix of 60s style pop, trip hop, and house music. Sometimes all on the one track. An interesting band I wasn't familiar with before. What a great outro on this album too.
Sooooooo long
It was weird. But in a good way.
Pleasant 90s
Liked this a lot.
Some bops. Some missed ops.
A pretty solid 3 star record for me - the vocal performance was a bit weird -> flat and mopey and sad... actually a fair bit of dance music from this era was like this. the ‘keys’ parts esp are very jazzy! The blurb talks about the blending of “1960’s London” and the 1990’s dance music scene… I think this really works! It’s got all the high points that like Portishead and Groove Armada and even Moby traded on later in the decade. Neat to see where that ‘came from I found Kiss and Make Up kind of a nice stroll through that early 90’s dance sound memory
First full listen, even though I'm a nineties kid through and through. Some great stuff on this.
Not what I expected. I think the dreamy elements of the album were broken a bit with the hip hop inspired drums, but it was still a good listen. Fav songs: - Only love can break your heart - nothing can stop us
Parece muy adelantado a su tiempo en algunas canciones y en otras muy de principios de los 90. En un universo paralelo, habría escuchado muchísimo este disco.
Only love can break your heart je klasik ali ostatak mi i dalje ne leži nešto
Halfway between thinking it was pleasantly enjoyable and thinking it was not very interesting
I generally like stuff like this, and I can tell a lot of stuff I like was influenced by it. But I generally found it hard to get into. Felt dated istead of timeless.
Started out fairly reminiscent of Boards of Canada. The beginning was definitely a bit better. The back half wasn't bad, but it felt like it moved to a bit more of a poppy sound. The songs are a bit repetitive, but for an album like this, that's kind of the point. Maybe a song or two in here were 4 star quality, but the rest was solidly a 3.
This is very good music to have on in the background, but I don't think I would like it if I was actively listening. Stoned to Say the Least was the best song on here it had some really cool beats.
Enjoyed the different take on Neil Young to start us off. Some middling music for me until Stoned to Say the Least which brought this back up for me. What a trip of a song. Nothing Can Stop Us is such a fun song! That flute tho… Had some highs I loved and lows I hated. Middling 3.
Easy listening. A pretty, poppy kind of a sound.
Love it.
I love the opening to this album with a retro French football TV show intro cutting abruptly to the opening bars of 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart'. Beyond that this is a cool indie pop dance trip hop record from 1990. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Only Love Can Break Your Heart Date listened: 20/05/24
3.5 stars. Whimsical dance-ish indie pop. Groovy beats. Standout is "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" as well as "People Get Real".
Great.
Nogal vage muziek, het kwam mee op de golf van de easy-listeningmuziek zo te horen, creatief maar ook met een zeker 'wat moet ik hier nou weer mee'-gehalte. Voor 1991 klinkt het ondanks de filmsamples en de computerbeats nog best modern eigenlijk.
Dit album is gemaakt om te loungen. Al weet ik niet of die term in 1991 al zo gebruikt werd. Dat zegt wellicht dat 'de heilige Stephanus' een voorloper was. In dat licht hebben ze gezien een toepasselijke naam. Muziek die wat weg moet vallen; dat maakt het wel moeilijk om met een 1001 antenne goed te ontvangen. Je stemt af op dingen die er uit springen. En die zijn er niet zo. Het concept lounge is sterk uitgevoerd dus. Als oordeel dan ook geen 4 of 5 sterren, maar dat lijkt ook nooit hun inzet geweest. Zij gingen juist voor de 3. Die wil ik hen best geven.
It's the '90s and dance music is all the rage. You can see why from just the beats alone; they're peak. Foxbase Alpha's approach, however, is somewhere between the upbeat house and the chilled out downtempo. It's not bad! I don't think there was ever a point where the album really grabbed me, but I appreciate it's approach to dance music in the wash of baggy and drum & bass. Dance music for people who don't like to dance. Wait until they get a hold of Aphex Twin!
Min reaktion til alt det her 90'er electronica er meget afhængigt af mit humør tror jeg... jeg var i humør til den her. London Belongs to Me var en banger
With a name like Foxbase Alpha, and a cover like that, I prepared myself for something special. Just off appearances, I was expecting to hear some underrated hidden gem. It’s happened before, and I’ve been really wanting it to happen again lately. Bad idea. That’s not what this is. In the broad spectrum of downtempo and dance music that I’ve heard, this lies right in the middle. It neither excels at any one thing, nor fails miserably with any particular idea. A good example? The drums. They aren’t terrible by any means. But they just sound so flat. No impact and no punch. And no real flavor or unique sounding beats. Which I feel is sort of necessary for any album adjacent to the house and dub genres. The vocals also don’t really provide much. This could be fully instrumental and wouldn’t sound much different. She can sing good, but it doesn’t matter if I barely notice her voice is there. Sampling seems to also be a big part of the production style here. And again, it’s middling at best. Sampling isn’t easy to do. Not everybody can be a DJ Shadow or a Madlib. But I feel that if you aren’t going to fully commit to it and really attempt to go the full nine yards, might as well not have it at all. Because if you don’t, it can end up sounding something like this. Most of the “samples” are more like chops of some random person talking, looped on repeat. The most egregious example is Wilson, which I actually like because the rest of the song sounds good otherwise. This record isn’t god awful. I can just think of many from the same genres that I would rather spend my time listening to. But truthfully I am in no position to tell people how to make music. I’m just good at talking about things I like and dislike in songs. I wouldn’t write these reviews if I thought my opinion mattered anyways. Rating: 5/10
Elevator music, but the good kind. I'm never sure how I feel about these repetitive types of beats. Favourite track: Spring.
Exemplifies a lot of new trends from the early 90s including trip-hop and incorporation of dance beats. Probably goes on a bit long with several filler tracks able to be removed.
Very chill sample heavy electronic music - pretty sure I've heard the cover of Only Love Can Break Your Heart while shopping at Gap or something. I actually spent most of today revisiting the early catalogue of The Aquabats - tremendous.
Oh well. A touch of pre-trip hop intuitions--including some deep dub-like basslines--a large serving of EDM / house music drawing from renowned names at the time--whiffs of Orbital or 808 State abound--and a generous slice of 60s influences through those vocals reminding all those naive girl groups of that already bygone era (with naive and clichéed lyrics indeed). Well-crafted generally speaking, but with a somewhat similar mix of influences, Broadcast would achieve a far classier, more cohesive, and certainly more impressive result ten years later. With also far more intresting lyrics. Worse, parts of this debut are already plagued by a few unfortunate slices of cheese: all those commercial "dance" arrangements à la Lisa Stanfield that would be even more annoying on Saint Etienne's subsequent LPs--and which aged like sour milk not even put in a fridge. Finally, you have an endearing curio as the first proper song of this album with that 4/4 cover of Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart", in a style fitting with this album (but not with the "Loner"'s original intentions, lol). 2.5/5 for the purposes of this list, rounded up to 3. Which translates to a 8/10 grade for more general purposes. Number of albums left to review: 219 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 338 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 199 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 251 (including this one).
I listed to the entirety of this album on a long walk, and it was perfect for that. It's a sleepy little album with some deeper themes of jealousy, heartbreak, and love. It didn't completely wow me, but it was an enjoyable listen still. Best Songs: Carnt Sleep, Spring, Nothing Can Stop Us Worst Songs: Wilson
not my cup of tea.