Eleven years after they sang 'London Belongs to Me' on their 1991 debut album Foxbase Alpha, Saint Etienne are feeling more than a little disillusioned. The result is probably the electro-pop trio's most downbeat offering to date, laden down with cantankerous lyrics about ugly modern architecture, the stupidity of gossip culture and citizens who "need to look beyond Big Brother". Suspecting (rightly) that Sarah Cracknell's breathy voice isn't necessarily the best vehicle for such moaning, meanwhile, the band have drafted in the actor Michael Jayston to provide some laconic asides between the songs: "Rock could be so good, but we make it all so rubbish," is typical of his deadpan contributions. That's not to say that Finisterre is all serious stuff. The band's trademark wit is still intact, however understated, and on 'Soft Like Me' (the best prospect of a hit) the Carpenters with a Moog meet the rapper Monie Love and still manage to produce a blissful summer anthem. Like most Saint Etienne albums, Finisterre is a decidedly hit and miss affair but at least, after a rather aimless few years, they sound like a band with a renewed sense of direction.
