Good Humor

St. Etienne's fourth album, GOOD HUMOR, abandons the dance elements of earlier releases to focus on the ultra-melodic Bacharach/Wilson/Beatles pop that has always been at the root of the band's music. The record sounds swoon-inducingly gorgeous. Leslied keyboards, vibes, and real strings and horns colour Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs' arrangements. Sarah Cracknell's underrated voice, always the band's strongest feature, has matured into a fine instrument pitched somewhere between Dusty Springfield's soulful English Rose and Petula Clark's young sophisticate.
The achingly lovely "Erica America" is the immediate highlight, though the near-conversational "Mr. Donut" comes very close. The groovier "Sylvie" and "The Bad Postman" recall earlier club hits but with a lighter touch. All 11 songs, from "Woodcabin" to "Dutch TV", are frothy, melodic, and magnificent pop. GOOD HUMOR is one of the best albums of 1998. Original US copies included a bonus disc of singles and remixes.|