Finisterre (Saint Etienne)

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Finisterre
Finisterre cover
Studio album by Saint Etienne
Released August 2002
Recorded 2002
Genre House
Ambient
Techno
Alternative rock
Electronica
Length 46:56
Label Mantra Records
Producer(s) Saint Etienne, Mr Joshua, Ian Catt
Professional reviews
Saint Etienne chronology
Sound of Water
(2000)
Finisterre
(2002)
Tales From Turnpike House
(2005)


Finisterre is an album by the British pop band Saint Etienne. It was released by Mantra Records in 2002.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Action" – 4:45
  2. "Amateur" – 3:39
  3. "Language Lab" – 3:13
  4. "Soft Like Me" – 4:24
  5. "Summerisle" – 3:08
  6. "Stop and Think It Over" – 3:57
  7. "Shower Scene" – 4:26
  8. "The Way We Live Now" – 4:29
  9. "New Thing" – 4:11
  10. "B92" – 3:23
  11. "The More You Know" – 3:32
  12. "Finisterre" – 4:33

[edit] Singles

[edit] Action

July 2002

[edit] CD One

  1. Action (radio edit) – 3:52
  2. Anderson – 3:46
  3. 7 Summers – 5:06

[edit] CD Two

  1. Action (Mr Joshua edit) – 3:30
  2. Action (DJ Tiësto remix) – 6:52
  3. Action (Laub remix) – 4:27

[edit] Soft Like Me

2003

[edit] Seven inch

  1. Soft Like Me
  2. Gimp Crisis

[edit] CD One

  1. Soft Like Me
  2. Time & Tide
  3. Shock Corridor

[edit] CD Two

  1. Soft Like Me (Mr Joshua Mix)
  2. Abby I Hardly Knew You
  3. Soft Like Me (K.O.W. Radiophonic Rework)

[edit] Shower Scene

2002 Spain only

[edit] Twelve inch

  1. Showerscene
  2. New Thing
  3. Time and Tide

[edit] CD

  1. Showerscene
  2. New Thing
  3. Time and Tide
  4. Shock Corridor

[edit] Commentary

Finisterre was Saint Etienne's attempt to recapture their audience from the early nineties. The album marks a return to the musical patchwork concept of So Tough. The group's previous three albums had been free of sampling, and interludes between songs. Songs like "Action", "Shower Scene" and "New Thing" represent the upbeat dance-pop the group had previously written. While "Language Lab", "Summerisle" and "Stop and Think It Over" recall the ambient style of the previous three albums. In hindsight of Tales From Turnpike House's release, Finisterre appears to be a 'dry-run' for the styles, messages, and concepts developed on that album. Oddly the title track best links the two albums especially its similarities to Tales From Turnpike House's "Teenage Winter".

The album was not a success despite the moderate sales of the singles. Many fans, despite yearning for a return to a dance-influenced sound, found the album minor, not as bold as the aforementioned So Tough or as satisfying as albums like Sound of Water. The album was not helped by the presence of Michael Jayston, whose spoken word interludes often grated and destroyed the atmosphere created; in part because of their frequency and (some would say) self-satisfied humour.

The album was developed in conjunction with a feature film, that documented a journey through the group's beloved London. Unfortunately it was delayed, and finally released in 2005.