Guess what- a new Saint Etienne record on a new U.S. label… In keeping with their tradition of periodically deploying a new disc every few years, Britain's classiest popsters this time have a concept album about the stories in a housing development just outside London, and the good news for longtime enthusiasts is that dance-pop is back in the mix. "A Good Thing," one of the record's collaborations with Xenomania (Dannii Minogue, Kenickie, Real McCoy), is the kind of floor-filler that hearkens back to Primax's masterful Bungee Mixes of "He's on the Phone" or the Trouser Enthusiasts' mix of "Sylvie," a very specific kind of disco stomper.
Other tracks play about with dance technology as well, but more often than not pulling the bait-and-switch of "How We Used To Live" back in the day, with its building of synthclaps, hi-hats, and chords that lead the listener to think a pounding 4/4 is just around the corner, instead going into Motownian girl group mode. "Milk Bottle Symphony" is the finest example of this kind of track, a series of sketches that ride that particular sonic tension beautifully.
