man i do like rock'n'roll. never thought about it. well what we have here is a supreme live band from sweden. sprung out of the super rockers union carbide productions. they had one hit in 96 ('instant repeater 99'), this one's the best they've done since then.
08 Apr 02 ·tempted: Yeah!
The singer Ebbott was once desperately looking for an after party at his hotel. He heard some noise that sounded like a party and looked and looked and looked... and found an ice machine.
An instrumental of monumental brilliance. Mixing religious moods with tight beats and strings really seems to work for me. The track opens quietly with piano chords and a bass guitar. A slow, funky drum beat comes in, and after this the track goes on all kinds of journeys, building up and down with doomy strings and psychedelic guitars. A really incredible way to set a mood...
from Song of Innocence available on CD - 1968 to 1970 (Stateside)
04 May 01 ·tinks: and if you like this, you'll probably dig the work axelrod did on the electric prunes' "mass in f minor" lp, too. 08 Apr 02 ·tempted: Endtroducing... by DJ Shadow would've never happened without David Axelrod. Not the way it did.
for years friends have been telling me i should give st. etienne a listen as they thought it was something i'd like. well, it took me long enough but they were right. if they had recorded nothing else than this song i would consider it one of my favourite pop songs. with lines like: "i should have told you to lose that girl/i should have told you that's not your world /on her radio she turned the disco down..." it was destined to end up a favourite of mine.
from Good Humor, available on CD
17 Dec 01 ·delicado: I'm also a recent convert to St. Etienne. I insisted to friends that I didn't like them, but I recently got 1992's 'So Tough', and thought it was brilliant. 09 Apr 02 ·tempted: If there's one group I find very difficult to criticize it's St. Etienne. People say they've made a bad album or two but I think they all are different faces of perfection. "So Tough" is probably the best choice to start with them. That's the band in a nutshell. And the most widely appreciated album. 12 Jan 05 ·OneCharmingBastard: Talk about a sleeper. Not their most obvious single by a long shot (that honor still goes to either their Jimmy Webb tribute "Avenue" or their Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods cover, "Who Do You Think You Are"), but this track not only stands the test of time, but improves like a fine wine.
Someday people will love this band. Until then, little four minute bursts of brilliance like this are part of my own private stash of cool cuts.
A lovely, dark, haunting song with an intricate string arrangement; this really got me hooked on Gainsbourg as soon as I heard it. Musically, the song dazzles me - the arrangement flows beautifully and sounds very original (to me, anyway; if I'm wrong, please help steer me in the direction of more recordings like this!). Serge is a great vocalist here as well. At times he whispers, but some lines he really spits out - 'a quel point je HAIS......ce que tu es...' The guy was a genius.
from Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg, available on CD
03 May 01 ·Mike: I must agree with you (it seems pretty appropriate to do so as you introduced the song to me yourself a few years ago) - this is a very beautiful song, very beautifully and expressively sung, and the arrangement is frankly stunning. This is definitely one of those Gainsbourg tracks which really hits the heights in every department. Surely worth a listen, even to those who can't stand the bulk of Serge's output. 09 Apr 02 ·tempted: Scott Walker has some similarly haunting orchestral arrangements but as a singer he's a sheep whereas Serge's a wolf. A great sheep, though.
Peers and close friends of Stereolab, Birmingham's Broadcast are one of the most interesting alternative pop acts in the world. This song is an example of their extraordinary skills in crafting a haunting, beautiful melody to go with a sound that's like a son of the band The United States Of America and Ennio Morricone. These folks took four years building their own studio. Can't blame them a bit as the results are simply stunning.
from Ha Ha Sound, available on CD
18 Aug 03 ·eftimihn: Oh yes, this track is gem, no doubt about that. To me the melody and harmonies incorporated are quite reminiscent of late 60s sunshine pop/soft rock stuff of that era. 18 Aug 03 ·tempted: You're correct there. They must be fans of people like Curt Boettcher and Margo Guryan, too! 08 Oct 03 ·tinks: i love this band. they are so very excellent to see live, as well. and they'll be here in about a month! woohoo!
