Finisterre (album)

Finisterre is the sixth studio album by English alternative dance band Saint Etienne, released on 30 September 2002 by Mantra Records. A double-disc deluxe edition was released on 3 May 2010 by Heavenly Records.

Finisterre
Studio album by
Saint Etienne
Released30 September 2002 (2002-09-30)
Recorded2002
GenreElectronic, ambient house, techno, alternative rock
Length47:48
LabelMantra
ProducerSaint Etienne, Mr Joshua, Ian Catt
Saint Etienne chronology
Asleep at the Wheels of Steel
(2002)		 Finisterre
(2002)		 Travel Edition 1990–2005
(2005)
Singles from Finisterre
  1. "Action"
    Released: July 2002
  2. "Shower Scene"
    Released: 2002
  3. "Soft Like Me"
    Released: 2003
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic73/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Robert Christgau[3]
Drowned in Sound10/10[4]
The Guardian[5]
Mojo[1]
Pitchfork7.6/10[6]
7.7/10 (deluxe edition)[7]
Q[1]
Rolling Stone[1]
Stylus MagazineB[8]
Uncut[1]

Background

Following two relatively uniform albums, Good Humor and Sound of Water, Finisterre contains a wide mixture of sounds and styles (as would its successor Tales from Turnpike House). The album returned to the inclusion of vocal interludes between songs as last heard on their album So Tough and a more angular, electronic sound, particularly on tracks such as "Action", "Shower Scene" and "New Thing". "Language Lab" and "Summerisle" recall the ambient style of Sound of Water, while "Stop and Think It Over" would not have been out of place on Good Humor or its predecessor, Tiger Bay.

The vocal interludes were supplied by Michael Jayston's narration as featured in the film released to accompany the album, also called Finisterre. The film was directed by Paul Kelly and Kieran Evans and was born out of visuals used to accompany certain tracks from the album shown during their live shows. The film debuted at a sold-out show in October 2002 at the Royal Festival Hall on London's Southbank, and was re-released to select screens in 2005. It is currently available on DVD. The album sleeve features a photograph of the East London tower block Ronan Point shortly after it collapsed in 1968 with the loss of four lives.

Nitsuh Abebe of Pitchfork Media scored the album 7.6 out of ten and wrote that "[t]he big comeback on Finisterre's part is that they're tugging those strings again, confidently", citing "B92" as a highlight. However, Abebe criticised "Action" and "New Thing" as "just begging for the bigger kick drums that would turn them into flat-out stompers."[6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Action"Coler, Cracknell, Higgins, Powell, Stanley, Wiggs4:45
2."Amateur" 3:39
3."Language Lab"Stanley, Wiggs3:13
4."Soft Like Me"Cracknell, George, Stanley, Wiggs4:24
5."Summerisle" 3:08
6."Stop and Think It Over" 3:57
7."Shower Scene"Coler, Cracknell, Higgins, Powell, Stanley, Wiggs4:26
8."The Way We Live Now"Stanley, Wiggs4:29
9."New Thing" 4:11
10."B92" 3:23
11."The More You Know" 3:32
12."Finisterre" 4:33
2010 deluxe edition bonus disc
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Primrose Hill"Ian Catt, Stanley, Wiggs2:14
2."Anderson Unbound" 3:45
3."Seven Summers" 5:05
4."Gimp Crisis"Stanley, Wiggs3:27
5."Abby I Hardly Knew You" 3:22
6."So Mystified" 3:00
7."White Dress" 2:16
8."Time and Tide" 4:01
9."Shock Corridor" 3:24
10."Stop and Think It Over" (Kid Loco Mix) 3:33
11."Mountain Rain" 3:50
12."Queen of Polythene" 3:09
13."Ballade de Saint Etienne" 3:55
14."Stevie"Brian Wilson3:03
15."Got It Together Again"Lee Hazlewood2:30
16."Fascination"Cracknell, Oakley, Waterfield3:51
17."There There My Brigadier"Stanley, Wiggs3:30

Previously unreleased tracks are "So Mystified", "White Dress", "Stop and Think It Over" (Kid Loco Mix). "There There My Brigadier" was never released commercially, but given away on a promotional single at a Doctor Who convention in 2003 for a later-abandoned album of Dr Who-related remixes.

B-sides
from "Action"
  • "Anderson Unbound"
  • "7 Summers"
  • "Action" (Mr Joshua Edit)
  • "Action" (DJ Tiësto Remix)
  • "Action" (Laub Remix)
from "Soft Like Me" / "Shower Scene"
  • "Gimp Crisis"
  • "Time and Tide"
  • "Shock Corridor"
  • "Soft Like Me" (Mr Joshua Mix)
  • "Abby I Hardly Knew You"
  • "Soft Like Me" (K.O.W. Radiophonic Rework)
  • "New Thing"

Charts
Chart (2002) Peak
position
German Albums Chart[9] 92
UK Albums Chart[10] 55
US Top Electronic Albums[11] 11
US Top Independent Albums[12] 44

References
  1. "Finisterre – Saint Etienne". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  2. Kellman, Andy. "Finisterre – Saint Etienne". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  3. "Saint Etienne". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  4. Merryweather, David (29 September 2002). "Album Review: Saint Etienne - Finisterre". Drowned in Sound. Silentway. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  5. Lynskey, Dorian (26 September 2002). "Saint Etienne: Finisterre". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  6. Abebe, Nitsuh (28 October 2002). "Saint Etienne: Finisterre". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  7. Hogan, Marc (4 June 2010). "Saint Etienne: Tiger Bay / Finisterre". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  8. Plagenhoef, Scott (1 September 2003). "Saint Etienne – Finisterre". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 7 August 2007.
  9. "Saint Etienne, Finisterre" (in German). charts.de. Media Control. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  10. "SAINT ETIENNE". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 June 2013. Note: Select "Albums" tab.
  11. "Saint Etienne – Chart history: Dance/Electronic Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  12. "Saint Etienne – Chart history: Independent Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
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