Very often, artists and bands don’t have a clue when they are going to come up with their last album. The reasons can differ, and in most cases, it is some sudden circumstances like a band breakup or a legal hassle. Yet, on rare occasions, they decide it is time to call it quits as far as recording goes, and it is usually those bands and artists that know exactly what they are doing and why, and have solid (personal) reasons to do so.
And in most such cases, it is those artists and bands, like in this present case with Saint Etienne, that have offered some of the best music in their genre so far, with those who favour their music thinking that they should have kept recording. But Bob Stanley, Peter Higgs and Sarah Cracknell have decided that International, their new album, will be their last. Maybe they think that their inspiration is gone or they simply had enough, yet so far, and including this, their last offering, maybe they shouldn’t have.
Simply put, Saint Etienne haven’t missed a beat (in a literal sense too), before or here, as the twelve songs they call their last are the brilliant electro-pop they rightfully made their name with – carefully crafted melodies and arrangements and Cracknell’s constantly exceeding vocal performances, all suited for the dance floor or any other occasion you can think of.
All in all, Saint Etienne conclude their studio recording career with yet another big bang they used us too, with hope that they just might change their mind at some point.
