2017 reissue - 'Finisterre' was originally released in 2002. It combines the influence of Saint Etienne's forays into more acoustic music (Good Humor) and trip hop (Sound of Water), but also returns to the patchwork sequencing of their classic albums. 'Finisterre' is not a mere collection of previous influences. Saint Etienne manage to pilfer from electro, hip hop, and even a teasing of vocoder on "New Thing." This brashness could sink most pop groups, but Saint Etienne's effortlessness still manages to shine through on 'Finisterre.' Those who've been waiting nearly a decade for the group to return to the messy but masterful patchwork anti-formula formula of the first three albums should be happy with this one. Like So Tough and Foxbase Alpha, the flow of the album is charmingly disjointed and seemingly made up of tangents -- albeit the kind of tangents for which most pop groups would happily exchange their Sarah discographies in order to call just one their own. In that sense, Finisterre is a return, forsaking the unified approaches taken on both Good Humor and Sound of Water.
A1 | Action |
A2 | Amateur |
A3 | Language Lab |
A4 | Soft Like Me |
A5 | Summerisle |
A6 | Stop And Think It Over |
B7 | Shower Scene |
B8 | The Way We Live Now |
B9 | New Thing |
B10 | B92 |
B11 | The More You Know |
B12 | Finisterre |