Almost finished making CDR's of Saint Etienne's
Tiger Bay for everyone. Since this is one of my favorite albums, I thought I might as well provide a brief track-by-track. Because I've made it a policy to try to avoid actively hyping music to most people, I don't often get the opportunity to gush over an album in the way I'm about to. I've always been under the belief that it's easier to write about music that you hate than it is to write about music you unabashedly love, so if this ends up sucking, I'm sorry...
Saint Etienne - Tiger Bay (U.S. version)
Track-by-track
"Urban Clearway" sets the stage, pitting a heavy, hard driving rhythm against the rich sounds of a harp and sweeping strings. This song is the very definition of the word "lush", though thankfully, the orchestral aspects are never quite convincing enough to imply that this is anything but a grand dancefloor romp. However, being that all we've been introduced to so far is the modern/classical duality of the instrumentation, even in all it's brilliance, "Urban Clearway" is only a sign of what's to come.
It isn't until a few seconds into "Hug My Soul", after what may be the most perfect intro in the history of pop music, that the baton is passed to the third player in all of this. This is where the strings take a sudden, spine-tingling downward arc and we're thrust into an aural expanse filled by the coos of one Sarah Cracknell, owner of a voice so warm it could melt your heart. Lacking a bit in vocal range, Sarah more than makes up for it through her expressiveness. Glamorous and elegeant, yet still wholly innocent, this is the voice of an angel. It's this sweet, passionate voice that leads us through what can only be considered an epic pop song. Not afraid to be beautiful, "Hug My Soul", in my mind, triumphs over the accusations that it's too fey or kitschy, and is simply one of the most stunning pieces of music I've ever heard.
Here, we're offered the chance to catch our breath with "Former Lover", a comparatively stripped down ballad. With just the gentle plucks of a guitar, a wistful harmonica, and Sarah's lovely voice, it becomes apparent that Saint Etienne's talents lie far beyond just adding a few melodic lines to a firm dance beat. A bit of an emotional curveball, this one's sad, but still exceedingly pleasant to the ears.
If "Hug My Soul" is the dramatic, uber pop song masterpiece, then "Like A Motorway" is it's understated, yet equally touching sibling. The title of the song is obviously referencing the comparison made in the lyrics between a motorway and a woman's life without her lover, but it could just as easily be referring to the music itself. This song has a certain enduring quality about it. There is no vocal chorus, just an endless cycle of the song's rhythmic foundation that lead in and out of each verse. It's almost like an uninterrupted stream of thought, that to me, isn't all that dissimilar to the contemplative feeling you might have on a long, lonely drive, lost in your own thoughts. Everything seems so serene and undisturbed that you tend to forget that you're traveling at 80 mph and that life is passing you by with every second. That's how this song makes me feel. A classic pop moment.
In "On The Shore" we've taken a detour from the clearways and motorways, instead plopping down to enjoy the scenery. Mostly an instrumental piece, "On The Shore" maintains an atmosphere that would be best described as organic. We hear the soothing sounds of an oboe along with some noises that could easily be mistaken as cricket chirps and frog croaks. On The Shore of the swamp maybe? Still enchanting, nonetheless.
"Marble Lions" sounds like a late night lament for, well...I don't know. Being that I don't really focus on lyrics, it doesn't really matter. The song is still gorgeous. Being one of the songs co-written by Sarah Cracknell ("Hug My Soul" being the other), this is basically a showcase for her sweet, honey-dipped voice. If by this point you aren't completely in love (don't take this comment at face value Rick Carlisle) and swooning at the "Don't say goodbye..." part, there is no hope for you.
"Pale Movie" is certainly a fantastic song through and through, but I just want to focus on one part. When played at high volume, very few pop moments sound as exhilarating as the sudden kick out of the chorus at 1:41. During the chorus, the song builds up to unbelievable intensity as strings swell and a heavy wailing is introduced in the background. This is where critical mass is reached and everything begins to collapse in on itself. Begin, a frenzied barrage of computerized beeps and blips, along with the gut feeling that this song could potentially burst at any moment. Suddenly, the drumming picks up to a near frantic pace and then...FOOM!, a quick descent back to square one, all that tension released in one exhausting fell swoop. The aural equivalent of being launched into the stratosphere by way of slingshot. Awesome.
Relentless...brutal...unforgiving... See through the haze and you can feel every beat pulsate through your body. Hope you're a glutton for punishment. I am. "Cool Kids Of Death"
A last minute addition to the U.S. version of
Tiger Bay, "I Was Born On Christmas Day" reminds me a little bit of the Pet Shop Boys
Very. A throbbing disco beat, luxurious use of orchestral sweep, brief intervals of oscillating digital tones, hypersensitive male vocals...all the components are there. Being that
Very is one of my favorite albums ever, you can probably guess what I think of this song. Sure Tim Burgess almost sounds too wimpy, but after being beaten senseless by "Cool Kids Of Death", I don't think I have the will to complain anymore. :)
"Boy Scouts Of America" is kind of an eerie note to end on. It makes more sense following the "Tankerville" medley on the U.K. version of the album, but I think the contrast with the rest of the songs on the U.S. version makes it an interesting inclusion here as well.
Well, that's it. Actually, on the version of the album that I have, there are remixes of "Hug My Soul" and "Like A Motorway" that, surprisingly, are just as good as and in some ways better than the originals. You won't be getting those if you're getting your copy of
Tiger Bay from me though. If you want em', you can aquire them "elsewhere", but hopefully you'll do the right thing and just buy the damn album.
