Foxbase Alpha

Interesting

Lovely background grooves. Put it in and only noticed it was over when it was done. Fitted my work day perfectly

I know that the 90s sample music with breakbeats has its place in music history but I can't really enjoy it that much. It's like hip hop without good lyrics but not lively enough to enjoyed as instrumental pieces. Okay for some background music.

The 'radio selector' album is bit of a risk - if it comes off it sounds varied and rich, if not an incoherent mess. On the whole this is the former, from French sports announcements to movie dialogue and fake TV themes, as well as a fistful of great tracks. Only Love Can Break Your Heart and Nothing Can Stop Us are ageless and it's a quintessentially early nineties time capsule.

La proposta en teoria i en imatge és engrescadora. Melodies sixties i look de l'época però passats per la modernitat de la cultura de ball de principis dels '90 amb una producció que en el seu moment devia ser el no va més. El resultat, malgrat recordo que en el seu moment es va parlar força de la banda, està lluny de ser rellevant. Potser és que en el seu moment no vaig entrar a la seva proposta i que per tant perdo el punt nostàlgic que intueixo deu ser el que més important a dia d'avui. Però objectivament el disc és simplement passable, amb la brillant excepció de 'Like the Swallow', un gran tema

Funky and catchy instrumental but the vocals became overly repetitive and annoying at times

AH IT'S FRENCH 1/5 NO GRANCE> GET THAT SHIT OUT This is Radio Etienne - get this french shit out of here (1/5) Only Love Can Break Your Heart - this is such an interesting sound to come from 2009. it sounds like it should be earlier. (3/5 fun pop sounds) Wilson - 1/5 Carnt Sleep - what'd you call me? this is the outro to Neon Genesis Evangelion written by the Gorillaz. (2/5 kinda boring) Girl VII - i love audiobooks. (1/5) Spring - it’s a song 🤷🏻‍♂️ (2/5) She’s The One - i honestly don’t know if this funk electrónica europop sounds good. (2/5 it’s getting.. flatter somehow) Stoned To Say The Least - get the british out of my ear too. That’s the Way (I Like It) by KC & The Sunshine Band came out in 1975. (2/5 original was better tbh) Seven minutes of this. The default beat for Seven Minutes. Nothing Can Stop Us - if this is like the last song i will not keep listening with my full attention. (2/5) there’s another seven minute song. i like long songs but i think i will keep myself safe. 2/5 i guess. i’m at the end of this with nothing to say. that plateaued and then took such a sharp dip.

St etienne are one of those bands i never got round to actually listening to so this is the impetus to go and do that as this is pretty bloody good.

CBA

Ох как трип хопом британским потянуло... Стильно блин!

Very light and casual with an interesting blend of dance, sampling, and pop vocals. I appreciate the effort; the listening experience was pretty unique. But when I didn’t like a certain refrain because it was too spacey or melodically annoying, often the repetition was unpleasant. The song titles and sound bites made me wonder if there’s a larger concept at play but the music isn’t attention-grabbing enough to want to investigate. 4.5/10

Not really my genre, but I still appreciated its weirdness. To electronic for my liking nowadays, but would have loved this when it came out in the 90s

Habile mix 90s acid house avec des tonalités pop 60s. La voix est un peu limitée.

more house music, nothing really stands out. Again, this genre just isnt my vibe, so its most likely lost on me. I cant figure why this gets a spot on the list either, it doesnt really differentiate itself as far as I can tell

This list must have been made in the 90s which would explain why there’s so much bland euro trash electronic music on it. That stuff was new and hip and cool when it came out. Now though? This is FAR from an album you need to listen to before you die

bien commencé. adorait bien la vibe. mais jamais eu de progression. devenu dull a la moitié. 5/10

Tykkäsin tästä mutta en oikein osaa sanoa miksi! Jotenkin helppoa kuunneltavaa 4/5

Hieno levy ja kiva ysäritunnelma! Vähän sen tyylistä, mitä itse tekisin, jos osaisin.

Ihan cool mut en vaan jotenkin tykkää tästä tän aikakauden saundista. Jotenkin tylsää. 2/5

2/5 naaaah

I wanted to like this album because Bob is such a nice bloke and they have a light air about them. Sadly, though, this was very very pedestrian.

Dug it. Reminded me of Debbie Harry/Blondie but more mellow

B-O-R-I-N-G

Background music, easy listening, slid into boring pretty quickly. The ones with a high play count on Spotify are probably the standouts for me as well.

First listen Saved 0/15

pleasant alt dance, sometimes dream pop-ish. But unfortunately some songs (almost half of them) are a miss. It doesn't get better than the first song. Still 3 stars is deserved

Interesting

Pleasant surprise--really enjoyed

I thought I'd like this more. I knew Spring before, because my sister showed me the song. But that was about the best from the album. I liked some of the shorter experimental ones. + Wilson + Carnt Sleep + Spring

I had previously only heard Only Love Can Break Your Heart! Not sure how I feel about it tbh, some friends of mine love this album but I wasn't so taken with it. Good background music, I wonder if I were in an altered state and not at work if it would be more impactful. Stoned to Say the Least for example, right now just sounds like pretty good on-hold music. But if I were stoned, to say the least, maybe its transcendent?

This was not at all what I expected based on the cover art. There was a kind of trip hop vibe to it. Pretty unremarkable overall. The lightest of 3s.

Not too bad as background music, and I can see how this had some influence down the line, but some of it sounded like stuff that I could have made in garage band. Some decent songs but a few were rather weak.

Another album that makes me question why it's on the list. It's not bad but other than the very weird Neil Young cover, I don't find it to be particularly interesting or emotional. It does have a "dreamy" feel but it didn't win me over.

This album has the most unique Neil Young cover I’ve ever heard. The rest is just fine though it does sound like a decent amount of work went into making this album. No was this makes the list if the writers are not mostly Europeans. Was Stoned to Say the Least sampled by Kanye on Fade?

Decent album, heavy on the pop side. Do I think everyone needs to listen to this before they die? Not really

I enjoyed this more than I thought it would. It hit the right notes and made for a pretty dreamy, relaxing listening experience. In terms of quality more of a 3.5 rounded up. But that's good enough.

I don't like this.

almost a 3, it was ok

This was okay. In general, songs with vocals were better than the instrumentals. Some songs were just too long and monotonous.

Best Song: Nothin Can Stop Us. Has a nice retropop feel. The woodwinds are a nice touch. Worst Song: Stoned To Say The Least. Sounds like the soundtrack to a boring video game level. Overall: Pleasant but very mild electro-pop. It does nothing to excite, but also nothing to offend. Perfectly fine music to put on in the background.

I think this probably had a big influence a lot of music I like, and yet the sound of this album just doesn’t really do it for me.

Wonderful

"Foxbase Alpha" by Saint Etienne is an album that marked the intersection of indie pop and dance music when it was released in 1991. It showcases a unique blend of electronic beats, samples, and Sarah Cracknell's dreamy vocals. Tracks like "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" and "Nothing Can Stop Us" stand out as catchy and accessible moments on the album. The production incorporates elements of house music, creating a danceable and upbeat atmosphere. However, "Foxbase Alpha" can be inconsistent at times. Some tracks don't quite reach the same level of engagement as the standout ones, resulting in a somewhat uneven listening experience. While it was influential in its time, it may not have the same lasting impact as other albums from the era. In sum, "Foxbase Alpha" is a notable album in the early '90s indie dance scene, deserving a 3/5 rating for its innovative sound and memorable tracks, despite its occasional lack of cohesion.

this was not good.

Is this the sister album to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot? Having missed a lot of early UK electronica, I didn't really know what to expect here. It's quite lush and beautiful. There are some swelling jams here like on Like The Swallow or Stoned To Say The Least. The in-between tracks are a lot of fun as well, and provide a good breath in between the more expansive tracks. I found myself involuntarily bobbing my head to Nothing Can Stop Us. I can’t decide if I love or hate that the biggest song on the album is a Young cover. What follows is, in my opinion, better as a whole album, but the track works well enough as an opener.

This ethereal blend of electronic instrumentation and pop melodies evokes the carefree spirit of a perfect spring day or the sun-kissed liberation of the summer’s open road.

很神奇的体验，90年代的电子音乐又新又老的感觉，还有民谣的味道，主唱声音好好听喔

Saint Etienne straddle a line between chilling out and dancing (usually on the same song). Unfortunately, there's not much substance here They can't find a vocal sample that they don't repeat over and over...and over...and over. "Carnt Sleep" is a cool song, but I didn't hear many alluring melodies until "Like The Swallow" and the too brief "Dilworth's Theme." There are enough tiny hooks to keep it interesting, but a completely unnecessary cover of Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" *almost* ruined the record for me - Leading off, it set the wrong tone for me and set me against the album. But, they pulling me back in. I think the album could grow on me if I wanted to put in the time.

Heel relaxed album. Beetje drum'n'bass maar dan echt rustig. Lekker man!

Would've just rather listened to Dazzle Ships. Ambient/ electronica on parade, but no a groundbreaking album by any stretch of the imagination. By 1991, we'd heard everyone using samples and dialogue bits (hell, even Durutti Column). Nothing to hate hear, a decent album on its own - but not a lot to love. I think its another instance of the list creator's bias. Some other, more unique album gave up its spot for St E.

I’m sympathetic to Bob Stanley et al’s aesthetic values, as well (especially) as their dedication to marry those aesthetics with Head Boppin’ Dance Beats. Of course the Denniz PoP-style Scandi-reggae rewire of Neil Young’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” (and especially its lengthier, dubbier remix by Andrew Weatherall) is an all-timer. Kind by its own admission it seems like a record that’d be great for springtime, although unfortunately it isn’t springtime at the time of this writing. (Comparable rain and humidity though!)

This is great background for Twin Peaks, but as a whole album, it's not for me.

Feels very 90’s British electronic dance pop… Really not bad at all, kind of a nice listen.

interesting...

1 5

Such an easy, fun listen. Interesting samples, lovely vocals, funky beats. This the sorta shit I love cooking dinner to, dunno why but it makes me wanna chop and fry. Fav Track: Spring Straight 4/5

Started out sooostrong and my attention slowly dropped away. Really enjoyed the subtle shifts in tone and tempo but I did find the melodies and vocal performances lacking on a few tracks. A few I'm definitely coming back to though! Three and a half. Fave track: Only Love Can Break Your Heart

Classic fresh funky dance music perfect for a summer day. Basslines and drums that sound so so good and you can sink deep into. A winner for sure. Fave track: Nothing Can Stop Us

Apparently their biggest hit was their cover of Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" - I think it's dreadful. As for the rest of this alternative dance / trip hop album, "Carnt Sleep" wasn't bad, but I wasn't impressed by "Nothing Can Stop Us" which apparently was a hit single in 1991.

Hört bara lite sporadiskt tidigare. Många vassa spår.

Sweet

71/100

Can I have one of these, one of these, and two of those please. Come on auntie we'll miss the bus! I forgot the two long (mostly) instrumentals on here that sort of don't belong but also kind of do. Like the Swallow turns into MBV almost. Album as a whole is not what I think of when I think St Etienne but it's kind of better for it, and shows they didn't just make fantastic cheesy pop like You're in a Bad Way or He's on the Phone. Nothing Can Stop Us Now fulfils that here, and is right up there with their best. Pleased to note that Spotify have only partially carried out Neil's writ. Makes me want to go listen to So Tough and Good Humor. Did in fact stick So Tough on straight afterwards, classic two sides of a C90. I wonder which two songs I dropped to fit them on?

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Only love can break your heart, Wilson, Carnt sleep, Nothing can stop us

Decent club music from the early 90s. Not great by any measurement, and not an album I would say needs to be heard by anyone before they die. That said, I have a soft spot for this music that I grew up with, and its not a "bad" album. 3/5

Like their later stuff better but very good

Good stuff

I was vaguely aware of Saint Etienne, but I thought they were more shoegaze and less indie-retro-pop. I actually think I may have been confusing them with Pale Saints, or other bands of that time. Very chill, nice beats with a retro 60s vibe. Ultimately got a bit boring and there wasn't anything that really stood out. Definitely a 3-star album for me; I liked it, but I won't go out of my way to revisit it.

I can see why people like this. I do not. BUT it's far from insufferable but a 2 is the best I can give.

The singer almost sounds like she's signing off key on purpose. Right from the start it put me off. A lot of it feels like discounted Massive Attack that fell off the shelves. Too bad because they have one or two songs that show they could do better.

It's mellowish and lacks some energy, even the upbeat Girl VII doesn't seem to carry any pizzazz.

Unfortunately pretty boring. It starts off with Only Love Can Break Your Heart which is a banger. The vibe/sound is great... good soft electronic dance with a cool echoy ethereal voice... they just need better music. Stoned To Say the Least also kind of gets there, but there's not enough else to push it higher.

I don’t think Saint Etienne hit their stride in this first album but it’s an enjoyably enough slice of dance music with retro inflection.

I'm not a fan of club culture and house music, but the 60's pop influences they inflect in their music was refreshing. A pleasant soundtrack to my afternoon, though I doubt I'll listen to this often. Interesting , but not essential for me. Bonus points, the cover art is cute and fun!

Charming and winsome, fun and vibe-y, the world could do with more records in this vein. Neil cover is tops, "People Get Real" also lovely, and "Nothing Can Stop Us" awfully engaging. with plenty of other interesting bits.

Omg no. I found the new least favourite song- Wilson. STOP. I do not like the french and this reaffirmed why. JK but seriously this was awful.

I enjoy an album like this one that - while not necessarily having a theme - ties a lot of the songs together, almost a cohesive listening "experience" if you will. Bonus interest in having seemingly-random samples and movie/tv clips to put me in a different listening place. Small downside in this case is that a lot of the songs tend to blend together (which I realize is almost a contradictory complaint), so I'm not sure I can pinpoint a favourite track or 2, more that this is a vibe album. Some with vocals, some less a song and more a trance chillout (e.g. "Stoned to Say the Least"). It's a bit of "let's try a bunch of stuff" which does go hand in hand with this being their debut album. In the end, I'm not sure *why* I like it but it does seem to fit really nice with a summer early morning downpour**. Highly melodic and breezy - I'm not sure there's enough *there* there to give it a keeper's 4 (e.g. there are a few lousy low-effort ones - "Kiss and Make Up" is just weak fluff - other lesser cuts near the end too...) but a strong 3 seems right as it's prompted me to listen to more of the group's later material. 6/10 3 stars **since I wrote that I've been thinking about how many ratings I may have given to albums i'd previously been unfamiliar with that are/were based on that day's mood or circumstance or weather or whoknows. If this album had come while I could only listen while driving 500km by myself I might have fallen asleep or been annoyed as hell etc.

Wouldn't listen again but for a first time not a terrible experience

3.5/5

Not bad electro flow pop

Cool alternative dance album. 3.5 stars

This is short, but brilliant. I'd not have guessed that this would have gone back as far as 1991 - it's doing things that I'd assumed would have been a few years (at least) later, and it does them well. Top notch.

Takes me right back...............

Pretty unimpressed through most of this. The Neil Young cover (of a song I like a lot) didn't do much for me. Mostly it was my usual issue with this kind of music, just the repetition of simplistic lines. If there's some deep nuance or subtle complexity to it I'm not getting it. The interstitial found sound bits and clips seemed random and not particularly inspired. But then it surprised me with the last couple songs which I though surpassed anything else in the album.

The bass guitar is the star here.

Ida synes den er jette bra

It seems to get on this list for a 90s album is to poorly cover one song from the 60s then ramble or meander through the rest of the songs for about 35 minutes. Lemonheads was another example of this.

Nice chill background music but nothing too exciting

abit too much trip pop for me in the last 5 tracks, before those a couple of pretty good tracks (Girl VII, Spring, Carnt sleep)

Lol, I went from listening to Black Flag yesterday to this. Sarah Cracknell is one of my all-time crushes so I can't help but love this. It conjures up hot Summer holidays by the seaside. It's so airy and dreamy. Perfect pop.

6/10. Honestly maybe deserves a better score, I liked this way more they I expected to like a house album that was shortlisted for a mercury prize

It was pretty fine, a little ambient. 6/10

Pretty good bit of early electronic I'd not encountered before, some tracks I'll revisit but some of the longer ones don't really hold up.

60s pop and 90s club culture combine to form a largely pleasing mixture. Very summery.

One shouldn't put a ton of stock in my review of this album. I listened to it on a day I switched from Adderall XR to Vyvanse, which is like going from espresso to Sanka. That being said, I sort of loved this (the album, not Vyvanse, Daddy's back to his true love tomorrow).

Cette horrible ville qu'est Saint-Etienne.

Pas tout à fait compris ce que venaient foutre les Verts dans cet album, Robert des explications ??

From the looks of things, Foxbase Alpha may have been seen as a twee 60s pastiche that was picking off whatever meat was left from the carcass. How the music contained inside this record proved that to be completely wrong. Saint Etienne used what was around the sphere of 90s counterculture and fused it into a palatable and at times surprising collage of downtempo covers and euphoric performances. Sometimes it is best to judge a book by its cover, one doesn't know what lies within. Favorites: Only Love Can Break Your Heart, Carnt Sleep, Spring, She's the One, People Get Real, Stoned to Say the Least, Nothing Can Stop Us, London Belongs to Me, Kiss and Make Up.

Dance alternativo. Ni fu ni fa.

What in the world

Nothing special.

A classic evergreen of soft rave. Somehow exactly describing the vibe of the time it emerged from. Somehow timeless. Some Songs are stronger than others but still the melancholic ambience resides very luxuriously in this lush synthpop realm surrounded by thick, reverby bass lines. Strong 4.3

Meh

I like the vibe of the album but the final couple of songs didnt really do much for me. "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" was good. 2.8/5

Meh

When there was music it was good.

Really enjoyed

Chill vibes. Enjoyed this album on a summer morning

Charming in its way, if a bit bland, with a chill vibe that's easy on the ears. The band takes a very subtle approach to incorporating several musical styles with a clever use of sampling. A little goes a long way. Fave songs: Nothing Can Stop Us, People Get Real, Only Love Can Break Your Heart, London Belongs to Me, Stoned to Say the Least

3/5. Some good electronic dance songs with some ones that are definite repeated listens. Can get a little old near the end but definitely a fun album. Best song: Only love can break your heart.

Felt pretty neutral about this one. I liked “nothing can stop us” and London belongs to me” best. Her voice was kinda boring. Weird to hear electronic music with pitchy vocals.

Didn’t enjoy this. Some of the songs I really hated. nothing can stop us was okay. 1.5

This was strange.

I liked this a lot. I thought I knew their work but this album surprised me plenty. They were always lumped in with Britpop artists on compilations and I never understood how what I considered to be pop songs sat alongside what I now realise were also pop songs. I’ll listen again, for sure.

Mostly ambient noise stuff with intentionally distant echo-y vocals. Unique, but def not something you "have to listen to before you die".

This album is taxing to listen to. Drags in and fails to make a point in any direction.

Rather boring album that just had way too many electric sounds mixed in

I’d didn’t hate this album, but wasn’t exactly wowed either just became background music really.

i did not like it

«Stoned to Say the Least» is very nice. The whole album is nothing really special. Only few songs give me chance to score with 3.

Overall I really liked it, although it did become a bit stale at parts, but I got the vibe checks, so I'm rating this high.

Know and like the first song (track 2). Track 3 sounds like something you'd hear repeating in your head as you're dying. Otherwise lovely and dreamy with some weirdness in between.

I do not get it. I do not understand why this is on this list. It's not bad, just very unremarkable. Maybe I don't fully grasp the context behind this band and this release, but I really feel like this album is not essential at all.

This was pleasant. Nothing really had a big impact on me, but it was a pleasant listen.

For a lot of this album, if there were no vocals and I was told this was a soundtrack for an upcoming Streets of Rage game, I would believe it without question. There are a handful of tracks that feel too slow for it, though, and some that are too major-y like London Belongs to Me. Weirdly sad album for how the instrumentals feel. The release I listened to has 2 songs I don't see listed here, People Get Real and Kiss and Make Up. The Neil Young cover is interesting as an opener for the album, the arrangement is pretty cool.

A very consistent pop/house record. I enjoyed it a good bit. What holds it back is that there isn't no song that I really want to come back to.

This was perfectly fine but I can’t imagine any reason why anyone must hear this before they die.

Кайфовый альбом с интересной идеей и историей создания Некоторые вещи супер экспериментальны, поэтому 4

очень кайфово работать алкоальбом: ирландский кофе

Пункт 0: я по названию группы долго был уверен в том, что они - французы (да, во Франции есть город с таким названием). Но нет, бритиши... Пункт 1: это что за коллекция семплов такая интересная))) умело они обращаются, без вопросов. Хороший плейлист для чего-то монотонного. Пункт 2: Only Love Can Break Your Heart - кавер на Нила Янга (!) и самый успешный трек с альбома (!!!). Послушал оригинал - кавер больше зашёл. А ещё есть какие-то вайбы группы Комбинация, не знаю почему... прям вот такая попса из 90х, это почему-то сразу чувствуется. Хорошее, мне понравилось)

семплы бога, да и в целом кайфанул жуть

There wasn't anyone named Etienne and I couldn't identify any saints. There was a really good Neil Young cover though.

Spotify has been pushing "Nothing Can stop Us" my way for quite a while and I enjoy it, with it's combination of baroque pop and punchy electronic production. The rest of the album doesn't sound too different from many of the electronic/acid jazz/trip hop coming out of the UK in the 90s, so why Saint Etienne gets the nod I'm not sure, other than the fact they were a bit ahead of the curve (1991) and they're from San Francisco. Some of the shortish snippets are annoying. That, combined with the fact that the most listened to track is a Neil Young cover, isn't saying much about the song-writing

You can hear the early beginnings of Brit-Pop and Pop-electronica here. Also their the cover of Neil Young’s song is cute but ultimately this record is not very memorable and nothing really sticks with me.

Good

Dig the vibe. Downtempo for the most part, but engaging throughout. Could definitely see myself putting this on while driving during the summer. Had never heard of them before this and will be added into my rotation. 3.5/5

This sounds like music that I would hear if I walked into Gap. I feel like I should be looking through piles of clothes and wondering how they find models that all look the exact same. It's not bad and is completely blase and unoffensive for me. I will say, these songs sound like they were made in the mid-to-late 90's, so this band seemed to be ahead of the curve a bit. Perhaps that is why the album is in the book, because they created music for clothes shopping. Otherwise, it feels so inoffensive that it may as well not exist.

I did not get much out of this. I was not bad, but I don't think it's anything special.

Verrassend album! Misschien toch een roadtripwaardig album voor onderweg naar La Douce France? In een normale setting zou ik het niet mega snel aanzetten.

Toen ik de cover zag dacht ik dat het echt een schijt album zou worden, maar het heeft mij positief verbaast. Kon er wel lekker op viben in de auto!

leuk album, wel grappig in elkaar gezet. Merkt dat het veel gesampled is waardoor sommige nummers zelf beetje hiphopachtig worden. Maar zou het niet nog een keer luisteren want toch vaak beetje kut

Prima maar ook weer niet zo veelzeggend. Sommige dingen ook doorgespoeld omdat ik er een beetje gek van werd. Las dat het lijkt op Primal Scream die we al geluisterd hebben, maar dan vind ik dit wel echtttt de mindere versie van. Mis hier weer héél erg de 2,5, maar dan maar 3

Best leuk album

Meh. Dance music not for me anymore

It's fine for what it is. I guess if you had a head full of molly it's easy to listen to. If you like melodies or bridges or even a drum roll you are out of luck. Sorry, you just get one rhythm for straight minutes

A few good moments here and there but overall I thought this one sounded dated in a bad way

That girl on the cover made me believe it would be good. Turns out it's not.

Can I go to bed ?

A few nice moments, but overall it was next-level boring. The song "Kiss And Make Up" might be one of the worst song I've ever heard. So again : Saint Etienne is in this list, but no Broadcast? This whole thing is a joke.

Quality edm indie sniza

Love this, perfect electro pop vibe but much more interesting

This was a nice album.

Enjoyable album.

I liked some of the album, good vibe, albeit a bit of pic and mix style, but not bad tracks... and then there's the rest of the album... just noise and eventually vocal... I really had to stick with it waiting for tracks to go somewhere and then just left me hanging. So in summary, some of its listenable.

I can't place this in a genre. It's modern yet retro. Loads of acid house vibes but with unexpected vocals. One thing that stands out as a negative is the repetitive use of samples. I like samples but only if they're used a little more cleverly that the same one on repeat.

A great record to enjoy good weather too. The beil. Young Cover is a huge hit. I loved it a lot!

Really a funky kinda groovy thing for the most part. Kinda fun. 3.5

just lovely

Not a fan of this, it all sounds the same to me. Nothing jumped out.

Enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Very interesting to hear the use of samples done so early, felt like a predecessor to Lo-Fi music. Vocals were alright but I enjoyed the instrumental portions a good amount. Had never heard of this band before.

Entertaining. Would rate 4 if it was a bit shorter.

something i’ve learned from listening to a bunch of new albums is that i don’t love techno. this album is no different but it’s a little better than the other ones i’ve heard so far

Moby, is that you? Bring me the real Moby.

Loved this.

90s

Fine pop album just not really my style

Good mix of house, ambient, 60s pop, and a handful of other electronic genres. Plus it leads off with a Neil Young cover. What's not to like?

Question: Is this sixties lounge/pop revival or nineties house? Answer: Yes. I had to listen to this album twice before I decided if I liked it. I do like it but its hard to decide if its a three or a four bagger.

Seems like the birth of chillhop, lo-fi or synth pop in the best sense.

I thought this was quite a good album! A lot of interesting and quirky ambient electronic music, and some really interesting use of samples. I don't feel like it was all my thing, but I may come back to listen to it again sometime in the future. Favourite: Stoned to Say the Least

This is fine. I like early 90s UK trip hop, dubby, jazzy, breaky stuff. This is a decent example but nothing beyond the opening track stands out.

Good mix of dreamy/ethereal sounds and catchy house music beats, if you're into that.

Hay un par de canciones ("She is the one" y "Nothing can stop us") que me gustan pero el resto va desde el ambient a sonido eurodisco. Creo que ha envejecido mal y que aparte de la gracia de hacerse los franceses no es algo a destacar como imprescindible.

3 stars

Not great, except for one song.

This is one I never would have listened to without this list. But it’s quite cool! Especially the more 60s-infused stuff

Not my style - but fun, quirky, and eclectic

This one really grew on me, enjoyed it

This album makes my penis soft.

Huh. That was weird.

Saint Eteinne are ethereal, not my favourite descriptor of music but they do ethereal in a way I can get down with: drum n bass (thick, funky bass lines and heavy drums), baroque touches (peak the strings all around or the choral soundscape of ‘Stoned to Say the Least’), spoken word samples and an elegant chanteuse. Very stylish record, but I wish it were a more songful and substantial one too.

Charming and delightful throughout, and an easy pleasure to listen to. The NY cover is as good as covers get – odd treatment plays utterly refreshing and is interesting in its own right, especially the breakdowns in latter part of song.

Gave me the heebie jeebies for some reason

It’s so 90’s

Laidback dance music. Enough variation. It's not all about the groove, it's mainly proper songs. Production is a little primitive. Some of the s-sounds are like nails on chalkboard. With contemporary production, this could probably be popular in the indie scene if it was released now. Favorite song: like the swallow.

I usually like music like this, but found this album extremely annoying to listen to for some reason. Sad :(

The subtle pop songs were was rescued this French dance number from the brink of a two. Slightly better than the other faux french electro we had recently.

There were some really interesting moments and intepretations of other songs on this. Not my bag but I was okay with carrying it for a while.

an old and forgotten favorite

Not something I'd ever heard of before, but I love it. Was hooked from the first track. Adding this into my driving and work rotation for when I need something chilled. Exactly the reason I love this generator as I would never have heard this normally. 5*

Kicking off with that Neil Young cover was a very turbulent start. Completely tone deaf as to the original-- and not an improvement in my opinion. It didn't get any better from there. This one wasn't worth it for me.

Granted, it's been about fifteen years since this came out, but it's still seems to emulate music that was being produced 10 years prior to its release. At one point in my life, say like 25 years ago, I would've listened to a few times. Today, this is lackluster and obsolete, kinda like cable TV ... it still works, but why waste your time.

YES WILLIE WOULD LIKE SOME SWEETS! HE TOLD YOU WHICH ONES HE WANTS! YOU’RE GOING TO MISS THE BUS JUST GIVE HIM THE SWEETS!

This is some uninspired shit. Very boring. The best I can say is that it is not offensively bad.

I'm sure they were wildly influential on the genre. But not on me.

I'm not sure how to catalog this. It's both soothing and catchy. I'll def add it to my regular listening. Musically i really dig it. Vocally incredibly smooth. Sexy music.

Nice and sweet - even funny at times - kind of electronic ambient with a bit of class and some good pop writing. An interesting record

Fun indie pop with a rock edge. Tinges of dance music as well. Fun catchy song writing. Hints of electronic music as well.

Great trip-hop / poppy debut album. Really enjoyed it.

Non!

Kultsjanger fra en tid 10-20 år før dette ble albumet. Det har sin sjarm, men også sinebegrensninger

Still enjoyable but nothing outstanding

It’s good to finally put a sound to another familiar band name. They seem like a cross between early 90s dance and easy listening, two of my less favourite genres. Considering this, it wasn’t bad. The Neil Young cover and Nothing Can Stop Us were high points and the samples on Wilson were fun (possibly inspiring The Prodigy’s ‘Charly’?). It doesn’t do enough to be labelled a ‘must-hear’ for me though, Clive. Also, I didn’t need to hear the words ‘France football’ in the intro today. Too soon >:( 2.5

really enjoyed this - didnt think I would but right up my alley

4.5 pretty

A lovely bit of British whimsy.

An album with flashes of trip-hop mastery, but certain tracks caused it to fall from a 4 to a 3. Solid for a debut album.

Lovely and spritely

Ok techno album, enjoyed the listen, not probably going to listen again

Sometimes interesting, but boring more often than not. 2/5

The Saint Etienne stop on the sample music train is one tethered to time but quite attractive in its dubby way. It doesn't present as a lost classic and the influence seems to have waned, but the sounds are still here, a little overstuffed.

Fun album! I liked Spring, Nothing can stop us and Carnt Sleep. Some of the lyrics were a bit repetitive and the housy things were not really my thing. I think I might come back to it though, it might grow on me

I don't know, man. All of these European eletrcopop artists are starting to blur together. I'd be hard pressed to tell you the difference between Saint Etienne and Air or Massive Attack. The main difference seems to be the film samples and that's not a positive differentiator. In fact, those stupid samples take this from a "meh" 3 stars to a "nah" 2 stars.

This album started off pretty interesting. Its lowkey an album you would play at a club - it definitely can get you moving. Nothing can stop us was a good song and made me wanna dance. I didnt think any other songs stood out but they were all decent. Album got old after nothing can stop us. Meh 4/10

Nice background music I guess

HL: “Like the Swallow”, “Girl VII”, “Spring”, “Nothing Can Stop Us”, “London Belongs to Me” Some unexpectedly psychedelic moments (like “Wilson”) I liked; I’m confused as to why, with all the influences and genres at play, the album as a whole sounds *dry*. Is it a victim of the early CD era? I was going to add the album was overlong, but turns out I had a deluxe version which was about 10 mins longer. November 19, 2022 CanCon alert:🚨 They said Winnipeg

I always like Saint Etienne's music: it never knocks me off my chair, but it's always pleasant and relaxing. And that goes a long way! P.S. Their 2021 album, I've Been Trying to Tell You, is quite good, too.

I absolutely adore this album. Such a cool mix of 60s pop with trip hop and dub influences. The Neil Young cover is next level too.

Fun, fun, fun. They don’t make ‘em like this any more. Mainly because it’s not worth the hassle of clearing that many samples these days. I really like the juggling of pop sophistication with other, more down-home, pop culture references. An excellent pop album. Only ‘Swallow’, which seemed to really go against the prevailing mood and was a little jarring to these ears in context, stopped this being a full 5 stars.

I loved this album when it was originally released. Girl VII was my gateway to London as I started to explore the city in the early 90's. Saint Etienne managed to make Kennington, Silvertown and Tooting Graveny sound glamourous. It's lost a little of the appeal over the years. It still has a nice slouch feel without ever being seedy. Some of the samples get on your tits after a while.

Pretty interesting house/pop album. I could feel the vibes.

Fy så tajt! visste att ajg skulle älska detta när jag väl gav det 1 chans.

I really like the sound of the album and I guess St Etienne may have influenced a lot of the 00's dream pop acts like Beach House or indie pop acts like The Radio Dept. But it's a bit long and a bit too unfocused when it comes to song writing. It's an OK experience and the influentialness is definitely showing.

The beginning of my love affair with Saint Etienne. A band that encompasses London and my years living there. House & club culture meets the sixties delivering epic coolness. This band make me happy every time I listen to them.

A vaguely EDM album which seems about 20 years ahead of its time.

I didn't know this group and I really enjoyed it.

Light and airy, a precursor to Air and late 90’s early 2000 electronic

Atmospheric tones

Another cooky sample party that is fun at times

A fun sexy time. New contender for “just play it on loop”

I have thus one on vinyl. I don't love it as much as I used to do. Nothing can Stop us is ace. The retro feel stop it aging. Is is twee at times by the melancholy balances it out. Though it was going to be a 3 but I've fallen in love with it again. 4.

I found this album to be chill and easy to listen to, but the majority of the tracks are in my opinion small steps above the background rhythms one might find on a synthesizer organ. If not for a few decent tracks, I would have gone to 2.

Kinda nice

This was pretty boring. It had a Massive Attack feel to it, only blander and more forgettable. By the time Song B would start, I'd have already forgotten about Song A. There's a song on here called Stoned to Say the Least, which makes me think that this album is probably only good to zone out to when you're zonked out. On any other occasion, it's painfully uninteresting!

In the '90s, electronica was trying hard to sound like hip-hop. It made many new subgenres. And of course, not all of them worked.

Easy to listen to and enjoy. Nothing complex, just simple goodness. I like their version of Only Love Can Break Your Heart. 3/5

Swwwwaaaggboss

Decent dance music. ”Nothing Can Stop Us” is great

Me gustó bastante. La combinación del house con influencias del pop retro resulta tanto etérea como fácilmente consumible. Un disco conciliador entre los sonidos mainstream de épocas pasadas y la integración de los sonidos populares en la EDM noventera del rave. Tiene un buen balance entre las composiciones minimalistas y algunas más robustas con vocales incluso. Disfruté sobre todo la ondita techno-house de Stoned to say the Least y la vibra etérea de cualquier pop indie posterior a los 2000 meets 80s Madonna en Girl VII. Mood: Un día de buen humor y parsimonia.

Not bad. Got better as it went along. I did think it was a bit uneven though.

Aw yeah, this is my jam. The vibes of this really take me back. Big nostalgia feels with this one. And it's so great to finally know who did that song I've heard a billion times and stuck in my brains but I never knew who it was (Only Love Can Break Your Heart)

Love the album and its title, looks like an iconic poster. The music itself is decently great though it can get a bit tiring after a while. One of the more happy trip hop albums I've heard. Their cover of Only Love Can Break Your Heart is a highlight and one of the best covers I've heard for a while.

good easy listening music

This is like if Madonna sucked even more than she already does.

I’ve never heard of this band but they were cool

Tuve que llegar al final del disco para encontrar un tema que me gustó un poco, "London belongs to me".

"Foxbase Alpha" is the debut album from the English band Saint Etienne although their name was taken from the French football team AS Saint-Étienne. Their style of music is described as a combination of club culture and house music with 1960's pop. That's fair enough. I also heard elements of trip hop, straight-forward pop and similarities in certain songs to bands such as New Order, Everything But The Girl and Spandau Ballet. The band cited OMD's "Dazzle Ship" as a major influence. The band consists of Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs both on the synthesizers and other instruments and Sarah Cracknell who would eventually become a full-time band member and vocalist during the recording. This is a pretty good album and at times great. One of its strengths was kind of changing tempos and beats over the album length. I think if the music would have stayed with same beat it would have gotten quite boring. It was on the short list for the 1982 UK Mercury Prize for best album. The album begins with a TV or radio show or movie dialogue in French and the song "This is Radio Etienne." This leads into their cover of Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart." An interesting cover choice but it works. They changed the time to 4/4 (more fast paced) from the orginal Waltz and also the chord progression. It is defintely more poppy. A driving piano and Moira Lambert was the lead singer, not Sarah Cracknell at this point. A first -half album highlight is "Girl VII" with its bongos and other percussion. The first heavier dance-oriented song on the album. Sarah Cracknell's vocals give it a dreamy atmosphere which is common on a lot of these songs. I Iiked the album second half better than the first. "People Get Real" reminded me a lot of New Order. A nice pop song and melody. A softer dance beat. "Nothing Can Stop Us" was the third album single and is the most soulful song on the album. It also has a great groove and is a happy sounding song. It samples Dusty Springfield's "I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face." "Kiss and Make Up" was the second single. Another cover...this time of a Field Mice song. I guess piano-driven house music is an apt description. A weird synth start. A great dance-pop beat. Cracknell's sultry vocals. Probably my favorite song on the album. Saint Etienne was much bigger in the UK than the US. I had not heard them much. I enjoyed this album and will give some of their other albums a listen. I liked their variety kind of within their own style and their musical influences are bands that I am a fan of.

Pleasant enough but meh.

Only a few hits

I really liked this. Definitely a group I've never even heard of before, and I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Slow and easy listen, but never feels too simplistic. Good stuff

I liked this well enough. It kind of faded into the background, but I think it was supposed to, to some extent. I was impressed that it was from 1991, as I would have guessed it came some years later. I'm going to give it credit for really helping to create a sound that was later often imitated in the late 90s.

This was nice to listen to. Good accompaniment for working.

A nice mellow groove.

This was an enjoyable listen - reminding me of something I’d hear in a cool lounge… nice dance vibe with a retro feeling that I quite liked. Great to have on while I went about my routine!

rilassante, particolare.

Interesante. Chill.

An okay album from what I remember. It kinda of was just background noise on my morning walk.

Nothing special

Dreamy and warm

Meh then, meh now

Not all that interesting. Yes, the Neil Young cover is good, but no better than Neil's version. Nothing can stop us now is still very cool, but everything else is mediocre. Given Bob Stanley's musical knowledge I'm disappointed. Very 80s sounding. Perhaps this was quite good for its time, but I just remember that they were the height of cool and Cracknell was a blonde bombshell.

Chill, retro synthpop.

not for me

Love it! So quirky, joyful and upbeat, such intelligent use of the most obscure samples.

It was interesting but not really my thing.

Cool dance music

Classic UK electronic pop album from the early nineties just like Screamadelica (1991) or The White Room (1992) or Blue Lines (1991) or Morning Dove White (1993). Has Saint Etienne ever made a bad album? (Tiger Bay should be on the list as well, and last year's I've Been Trying To Tell You was one of the best albums from 2022.) 5*, some favourite songs: She's The One and Like A Swallow. Apparently "Dazzle Ships" was a big inspiration for the album, but as always there are plenty of other music references as well (after all, Bob Stanley's "Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop" (2013) is one of the best books about popular music ever).

No, not for me.

Nice sound, some catchy tunes but also tedious at times

Great album, but unfortunately not entirely to my taste, but despite that this is absolutely deserving of at least a 3.

Didn't love it, but they get an extra point bc of having a song called stoned to say the least lmao. Maybe stoned this album is better

Let me tell you a little story about French club/house music: NO!

Overall 7/10 Only Love Can Break Your Heart 10/10

Couldn't even get through the whole album - gave it a good try, though. Made it about halfway through until I couldn't take it anymore. Ultimately, the vapid, overproduced sound didn't draw me. The whole album very much reminded me of bad filler music used in early 2000s rom-coms.

Dull

Didn’t really enjoy this. Sounded like Madonna in her techno phase. Some of it was ok. 2 stars.

fine, euro-poppy upbeat stuff

Stoned to Say the Least is chefs kiss

I found this album to be quite repetitive while also being difficult to dance to. It's like a way less groovy version of TV girls french exit

Well I am very impressed by this. Having heard this, I wonder why dub indie wasn't a bigger subgenre. The bassy, echoey production against Sarah Cracknell's none more Felt Records voice is a lovely contrast (and one I didn't think happened until the late 90s). It also zips past faster than its 50 minutes would suggest. Like a dubby bubble bath.

The 2k French triphop sound this album has is soooo dope. I live for "Kiss and Make Up". Gonna make that my alarm for a while, actually ;3;

Kind of avalanches and hop hop sample vibes but not really for me

ok

Cute left-of-centre dance-y, pop album. Fun but slight.

Not crazy about it but it was fine. Decent beats are kind of fun, but I prefer some other artists. 6/10

This was pretty interesting. Something I hadn't heard before.

Foxbase Beta.

beta

Dance alternativo. Ni fu ni fa.

Alternative dancetrip hop. Francesa. Está chulo.

Starts off really meandering, then picks up for a moment, only to plunge back in to some sort of wistful, breezy cacophony of stupor. And just when I'm ready to write it off completely, seems to pick back up again with a catchy sample or neat melody, only to then throw me back into it's lazy, hazy swamp of synthesizer goop.

"Foxbase Alpha" is steeped in a strange flavour of nostalgia: we hear radio broadcasts, old 1960s film samples, the quiz show "Countdown" and more. It's a fun concept for an album: create a strange world existing in between the stuffy post-war generation and the raved up optimism of the early 90s. But it doesn't always fly. We begin with a radio announcer's anthem, bursting out its fanfare several times in succession before giving way to an inspired house-style cover of Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart". It's one of the most esoteric introductions to 1991 I've ever heard. This opening is Saint Etienne's most well-known track and for good reason- it really does work and lovingly evokes the time it was made in. The other hit was "Nothing Can Stop Us" (apparently there's a version out there with Kylie on vocals) which is similarly enjoyable for its immediacy. Elsewhere we range from decent downbeat club tracks ("She's the One") to syrupy, cringeworthy pop ("London Belongs To Me"). Then there's "Stoned to Say the Least", which stretches its repeated bassline to breaking point over nearly eight minutes, while "Wilson"'s "would you like some sweets, Willy?/Come on Auntie, we'll miss the bus!" is one of the most grating samples I've ever heard and I'm banishing it to my nightmares after hearing this. I'm not exaggerating when I say it nearly tanked the whole thing. It's all alright in the end, though, as "Like the Swallow" feels like a worthy tribute to the album as a whole: sometimes boring, but always evocative, pretty, and strange.

Meh… if I could give this album 2 1/2 stars, I would, but since I can’t, I will give it three because I liked it more than I disliked it.

It was alright, liked a few songs.

This was a fun French album. Nice easy listening and not awful bike ride music either. Only love can break your heart stood out

This album kind of reminds me of the Bjork album I listened to earlier. It's a little less alien-like, but exudes the same energy. I really don't think artsy European house music is up my alley. I don't get it. The whole album blends together, and makes me gloss over and tune out. Fave tracks: Girl VII, Spring

This album was quite enjoyable. I found it reminiscent of Portishead, except with a light and poppy sound where they are dark and ethereal, like the other side of the coin. I liked their selection of samples and inclusion of radio/film dialogue in a couple sections. I did not particularly like the Neil Young cover, surprised it is their top song. The vocals are too far back in the mix, the bass is too forward and the rhythm is kind of clunky. All the other songs I thoroughly enjoyed and overall found this to be quite a soothing album. Fav Tracks: Carnt Sleep, Nothing Can Stop Us

I liked this but couldn’t find it on streaming so listened on YouTube with ad breaks and not the best sound! Enjoyed it enough that I might look to get hold of my own copy.

Nice one.

Such a nice downtempo electro groove. Faves: Only Love Can Break Your Heart, Spring