So far, there doesn’t appear to be a Stateside release set for the latest Saint Etienne album, which seems like a crying shame; not that the band is especially popular over here, but Saint Etienne succeeds especially well as a British export; you can count on them for top-notch material so reliably that it’s almost boring, and they’ve got enough tricks up their sleeve that they appeal to a wide spectrum of people. And yet they’re obviously British; no one’s ever going to think Saint Etienne was born in the streets of Berlin (unless you count Sound Of Water, he said snarkily). They’re a bit like Monty Python; even into their second decade, they’re beloved by both their native citizens and the unwashed American masses alike (albeit in smaller portions). Sub Pop even saw fit to put out Travel Edition, a career retrospective destined mainly for American shores; who was the one that decided they wouldn’t have a market here?
No matter. If you were smart, you managed to grab the limited edition disc, which included an EP entitled Up The Wooden Hills. Hard to say whether this is all “exclusive” material, or whether it’ll all show up on the upcoming album of the same name, apparently set for November. Both the EP and the album are geared towards children, so there’s a warning sign (meaning you might be even smarter if you just hold off and buy both albums as standard releases). There were really two directions for the EP to take, considering it’s Saint Etienne we’re talking about. Either they take the road best personified by Good Humor and parts of Sound Of Water and put together six pastoral tracks, complete with babbling brooks and cute little bunnies, all sung in Sarah Cracknell’s sophisticated vocal style. Or there’s the option best personified by their earlier work, where they put together a neo-eurodisco opus for the impossibly hip four-year-old crowd. Turns out the EP is a mix of both, with “Bedfordshire” and “Night Owl” taking the former route, “You Can Count On Me” splitting the difference, and “Let’s Build A Zoo” going mad with 60s mod dance stylings.
Children’s music? Yeah, I guess. If your toddler’s already bemoaning congestion on the Tube and smoking outside nightclubs. But don’t let that stop you from enjoying it.
addendum: The Guardian would like to point out that the three-year-olds do indeed enjoy Up The Wooden Hills. Who am I to argue?