International by Saint Etienne (Review)
By its very nature, dance and club-oriented pop music is disposable fluff, keyed to whatever’s trendy and specifically designed to move the listener’s body rather than engage their heart and mind. But for nearly 40 years, London’s Saint Etienne — the trio of vocalist Sarah Cracknell and producers Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs — have been producing unabashed pop music that’s also intellectually and emotionally stimulating thanks to Cracknell’s pristine voice, Stanley and Wiggs’ immaculate production, and a certain experimental bent.
But alas, all good things must come to an end, and earlier this year, Saint Etienne announced that International would be their final album. Sadly, such announcements are often cloaked in clouds of drama and acrimony, but thankfully, that’s not the case here. Cracknell, Stanley, and Wiggs simply felt like things had run their natural course and wanted to end on a high note, especially after last year’s acclaimed The Night.
As expected, International is not without bittersweet and melancholy moments. One of the album’s more subdued songs, “Sweet Melodies” finds Cracknell waxing nostalgic over the sort of breezily elegant synth-work and arrangements that Saint Etienne have spent decades perfecting. “Fade” chronicles a relationship’s final moments, with Cracknell gracefully succumbing to heartbreak amidst somber strings and fluttering breakbeats. International concludes with the aptly titled “The Last Time,” a dignified acknowledgement of time’s passing. Cracknell wryly sings about seeing old bands and looking up schoolmates on Facebook before delivering a cheeky message to Saint Etienne’s many fans: “30-odd years later/We seem suave and refined/But we’re not the dandy highwaymen/You might expect to find.”
Make no mistake, though: the prevailing mood here is definitely one of celebration. If Saint Etienne are going out, then they’re doing so in style, and everyone’s invited. Thus, International is filled with collaborations. Tom Rowlands (The Chemical Brothers), Jez Williams (Doves), Vince Clarke (Erasure), Paul Hartnoll (Orbital), and others contribute production, songwriting, instruments, and vocals to the album, bolstering Saint Etienne’s trademark pop sound but never subsuming or obscuring it.
Opening single “Glad” explodes from the speakers with Rowlands’ block rockin’ beats and Williams’ coruscating guitar while Cracknell sings of life’s ups and downs with grace and sympathy (“If you miss every chance/Heaven knows why your heart feels so еmpty/All the time”). On “Dancing Heart” — arguably the album’s biggest banger — she throws caution to the wind and abandons any concerns, declaring “My dancing heart doesn’t start until midnight/My dancing heart doesn’t beat until twelve.” And “Brand New Me” is a swinging tune filled with punchy horns and Janet Planet’s (Confidence Man) sassy vocals that — perhaps a bit ironically given its title — handily evokes vintage Saint Etienne circa So Tough and Foxbase Alpha.
At this point, I need to acknowledge the obvious: Sarah Cracknell sounds fantastic. No offense to Messrs. Stanley and Wiggs, but her voice has always been the highlight of Saint Etienne’s music. Indeed, my friends and I used to say Cracknell has a “phone book voice,” i.e., she could release an album of her just singing through the yellow pages and we’d buy it. Despite nearing sixty, her voice on International is still as warm, comforting, winsome, elegant, and coquettish as ever.
As disappointing as it is to see a beloved band like Saint Etienne call it quits, it’s nice to know they’re doing so on their own terms sans any drama or ill will. And even better, that their swan song is as good as anything they’ve ever done, providing a more-than-fitting finale for one of dance-pop’s most stalwart and enjoyable acts.