Saint Etienne // London Conversations

It is a rare thing, in these times of “instant” fame to see a 'Best Of…’ album that has so much depth and history behind it, so you can imagine my shock to see that this album is comprised of two discs and contains a total of 35 tracks! Saint Etienne celebrate nearly two decades of success with this release and it reminds us all, once more, what an important role they played in defining the Brit pop / indie dance scene of the 1990s. Atmospheric vocals, flashes of luscious strings and piano combined with their upbeat and uplifting sound, have made it difficult to put Saint Etienne in "a box”. Songs such as ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’, ‘Nothing Can Stop Us Now’, ‘You’re In a Bad Way’ and the club classic ‘He’s on the Phone’, all capture their ethos perfectly and it continues to this day with the two new singles, which also feature. Saint Etienne it would seem, were one of the best-loved things about living in London in the early 90s. By all accounts, they ‘were’ London. Whilst I would love to be able to say I was part of the crazy London party scene which they were the apparent staple soundtrack of, both “Underground” and “Over Ground”, I was but a mere teenager who had been cruelly whisked to the Highlands of Scotland. Fair - I think not!