 Paul van Dyk featuring Saint Etienne Although it is, disappointingly, not a cover of "Tell Me Why" by The Beatles, this is the finest club thing Saint Etienne has done in quite awhile. It's poppy, but trancey, and overall just a great song. German DJ Paul van Dyk is the ostensible leader of this session, though truly, it's Sarah Cracknell's voice that draws you in, as always. It is a collaborative effort in the truest sense, very much a Saint Etienne song, but not simply a van Dyk remix – it is much hipper and fresher than Saint Etienne has been sounding on the last couple albums, probably more vital than anything since Tiger Bay. This EP presents six mixes of the song from van Dyk's album in one seamless flow – very much a club night out unto itself. The mixes delve deeper into the song as the disc progresses, yet each mix retains recognizable elements of the song, not just wandering off into arbitrary clubbiness and dancefloor deceptiveness. No, I have no idea what I meant by that either, but I'll go on anyway as if nothing happened. Quite rises above the cheesy veneer of van Dyk's stuff in general. Dark, moody, housey, evocative, propulsive, smart, savvy disco fun this is. Quite, quite good. A must for Etienne fans, certainly, and recommended anyway for its medicinal booty-shakin' potential. I wish I went clubbing more so that I might actually experience the semi-hazy late night 2 am give-in-to-the-beat type Saturday night this evokes. Even so, it's great music for nude vacuuming as well.
Review by Amos Onus |