Many moons ago when flares were back in fashion and it was acceptable for grown men to have pony tails, a musical genre was created, it fused the dance beats of the flourishing underground club culture back boning real songs by bands, nowhere near as sophisticated as the electronic rock and indie we take advantage of now and at some times it sounded heavy handed and crass.

Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs and Sarah Cracknell are, as Saint Etienne one of those acts who when they re-appear every couple of years, it is normally to a chorus of ‘are they still going’? Well, yes and for the last eighteen (!!) years have dished up warm servings of luscious pop, always retro with occasional lapses into kitsch but equally as forward thinking with their ideas.

This must be the fifty seventh ‘Best of’ they’ve released but London Conversations’, is the most comprehensive. Taking influences as wide ranging as Joe Meek, the early seventies output of The Beach Boys, the swinging sixties of their beloved London to cult movies such as The Wicker man and fifty years worth of pop culture, their back catalogue comprises many different genres made into a very British coup.

Long term fans will know the classics only too well, the break beat pop cover of Neil Young’s ‘Only love can break your heart’, the baggy dub shuffle of ‘Avenue’, the camp euro pop of ‘You’re in a bad way’ and the first Britpop anthem ‘Hobart Paving’, Britpop’ as in the early nineties sea change of musical creativity, not the flag waving sloganeering it became.

Always underrated, ‘London Conversations’ shows how they’ve inadvertently influenced many acts that have followed them. Accidental trip-hop anthem ‘Filthy’ can be directly linked to singers such as Santogold and MIA whilst ‘Like a Motorway’, one of the finest pop tunes of the nineties is responsible for the electro pop of Goldfrapp and even Kylie. New track ‘This is tomorrow’ produced by evil backroom geniuses’ Xenomania’ is sizzling pop Girls Aloud are too good at, if they continue in this vein; they could become a chart bothering act again.

Ultimately, at way over thirty songs long, the saccharine nature of Saint Etienne is like injecting yourself with a treacle overdose but if its three and a half minute pop nuggets you’re after then you needn’t look any further.

Chris Todd
8/10