Track Listing 1. Ivyhouse 2. 52 Pilot 3. We're in the City 4. Artieripp 5. Sadie's Anniversary 6. Half Timbered
| Details | | Distributor: | Alternative Dis. Alliance | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes Though only a brief six-track EP, Saint Etienne's PLACES TO VISIT is a fully-realized and extremely satisfying record. 1998's magnificent GOOD HUMOR had been a departure for the Northeast London trio of Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley, and Pete Wiggs. Saint Etienne abandoned the club-oriented dance sound of the group's first three albums, FOXBASE ALPHA, SO TOUGH and TIGER BAY, for a mature, lush, orchestral pop sound somewhere between classic Dionne Warwick and The Cardigans. PLACES TO VISIT combines the two sides of the band's sound into a coherent whole, melding slow, trip-hop-styled dance beats to rich, catchy pop songs to create an atmospheric and stimulating whole. Cracknell's classic pop voice recalls Petula Clark, and the layered arrangements of Stanley and Wiggs support her beautifully.
Editorial Reviews ...signals a return to the unit's hallmark retro-pop origins, littered with acid house textures and electronically erected ambience....This celebrated outfit remains as on-point as ever, a lengthy seven years into its game. Bravo. CMJ (05/17/1999)
3.5 stars out of 5 - ...a band stripped bare....Like listening to pop music on long-wave radio....like all the genuinely beautiful, when stripped of the glitter, the make-up and the expensive dressing...they're still beautiful. Melody Maker (02/08/2000)
3 out of 5 - ...this is the trio moving into electronic Krautrock territory. Dab hands with the analog trickery, the results are somnambulent, drifting instrumentals for Sarah cracknell's wisping vocals....Think of it as a sketchbook for the next album... Muzik (04/01/2000)
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