Saint Etienne: Sound Of Water

In 1998, Saint Etienne recruited Cardigans producer Tore Johansson for Good Humour, an album of glorious pure pop that sounded like the best Cardigans record the Cardigans never made. Alas, for an encore, Saint Etienne has made an egregiously Cardigans-esque wrong turn, abandoning impeccable craft and Motown melodies for the breezy if aimless experimentation of its wildly uneven EPs. Saint Etienne has always been a pop band at heart, but Sound Of Water is more concerned with mood and atmosphere than songwriting, a misstep for a group that created some of the best pop singles of the '90s. It would be wrong to criticize Saint Etienne for not carbon-copying past triumphs, but Sound Of Water lacks much of what set the band apart in the first place, trading in undeniable disco anthems and tasteful (yet tuneful) pop for forgettable Beach Boys homages and songs that just don't come together. Saint Etienne has acknowledged a strong Krautrock influence on Sound Of Water, but it would be better off staying in touch with its inner ABBA rather than its inner Can. It has the unenviable task of following the group's best and most consistent album, but even if it didn't, Sound Of Water would still be little more than pretty, inconsequential background music from a band that's capable of much more.