Heavenly Rec

Kneecap: Fenian [Vinyl LP]

Kneecap: Fenian (Red/Black) [Vinyl LP]

Good Humor is Saint Etienne’s fourth album released in 1998. The American spelling ‘humor’ is used in the title as the band were, according to Sarah Cracknell, “fed up with the ‘quintessentially English’ tag, so there was a bit of a backlash against that.” The album was a departure for the group, who had been associated with the Indie Dance genre. Tiger Bay, their previous album, had added many acoustic and orchestral elements but still belonged to the synthpop and dance genres, while Good Humor is more acoustic. Good Humor was demoed in the UK using synths and drum machines but was recorded in Sweden under the guidance of Tore Johansson, who augmented their sound with a full band and a horn section.

Lanegan Mark: Straight Songs of Sorrow [Vinyl LP]

Delivery: Force Majeure [Vinyl LP]

Saint Etienne’s new album, International, is their final album-length statement, after the group’s 35-year excursion through pop. A dreamlike drift with friends and collaborators, International features cameos from the higher echelons of pop - 80s chart heroes, electro, acid house and all points in-between, from Vince Clarke to Nick Heyward, Confidence Man to Erol Alkan, Chemical Brothers, Orbital, Doves and Xenomania, through to the lesser known, but equally exhilarating Bradfordians Augustin Bousfield and Flash Cassette (an artist described as “sitting somewhere between Funkadelic and a SEGA Mega Drive”). Saint Etienne are the 90s band who never left us, never imploded, and never adhered to clichéd excess. They are a testament to getting along, getting on with creating something new and, of course, getting away with it.

Blue Vinyl + Poster.