对笔者来说，在Saint Etienne这个名字背后，埋藏著一段段九十年代的英伦音乐美好时光。那是九十年代初叶的日子，崛起於Post-Acid House/Indie-Dance纪元的Saint Etienne，无疑是那么教乐迷趋之若鹜。当年，我们认定Bob Stanley（前Melody Maker乐评人）、Pete Wiggs和Sarah Cracknell三人是最懂得打造出漂亮、甜美、长青而新鲜创意Coctail-Pop的才子才女，从他们身上可以体验到其独有的流行音乐智慧。忘不了，是其1991年处女专辑Foxbase Alpha把Northern Soul、Girl-Pop、Italo House、Dub与Ambient凑合而成的清新可喜、妙不可言声音，当年我不禁以「全港首席Saint Etienne迷」自居；也深记得Avenue这首长达七分钟的Epic单曲（取自其第二张专辑So Tough的先行单曲）是来得多么破格；到了94年第三张专辑Tiger Bay所洋溢著的古朴民谣幽情与典雅欧陆情怀，更是笔者心目中Saint Etienne最登峰造极之作。那些年头，Saint Etienne总是来得如斯叫人雀跃不已。打从脱离Heavenly厂牌后，Saint Etienne便一直游走於不同唱片厂牌旗下，从Creation到Sub Pop到Bungalow到Mantra甚至只有在日本发行唱片的L’Apparell-Photo，他们彷佛无法找到好归宿似的。最新一张Tales From Turnpike House，则是Sanctuary的出品。Saint Etienne由出道至今已有十五个年头，当年一脸清秀少女气质的Sarah，从乐队最新一辑宣传照片上可见，已难掩岁月在她脸上之留痕。在音乐上，我们也看到Saint Etienne昂然进入了另一成熟层次──他们要打造出一张概念专辑。Saint Etienne出了一部有关伦敦的纪录片。电影中大量采用Finisterre专辑里的音乐铺陈整部电影，有清亮的吉他民谣展现城市生活的忙碌与阴郁，也有华而不俗的电子舞曲表现多元族群、多元文化的活力。除此之外，老牌演员Michael Jayston 用沉静的嗓音，款诉著诗意的口白，更与音乐交织成错落有致的章节，犹如一支长篇音乐录影带，充满浓郁的艺文气息。导演 Kieran Evans 和 Paul Kelly 原本就是拍摄音乐录影带出身，对於画面节奏的掌握相当精准，长、短镜头、远景、特写的交错，素材的框取，都有一种独特的气味。由於长期与音乐界合作，两位导演的首支剧情长片，不只拍摄大都会光鲜亮丽的面向，更瞄准城市的角落，那里有 Bob Dylan 和 Oasis 首演的 Water Rats 戏院，在流行乐的历史中占上一页；也有专门贩售乐器的市集、藏著八轨混音机的破旧车库，孕育著年轻人的摇滚梦；还有 Banksy一竿阴谋叛变者进行文化游击的街头战场，涂满讽刺的标语、纳粹的标志和毛泽东像。Kieran Evans 和Paul Kelly 透过影像和声音，让我们看见都市边缘的一群徬徨脸孔，期待在次文化中杀出一条血路。伦敦人说，外地人只是到这个城市消费一个集体行为，以为刺个青、留长发，就能跨进另一个世界；异乡人说，伦敦是艺术的中心，音乐工业只会在这里发生，他们离不开这个城市。Like most bands formed by former music journalists, Saint Etienne were a highly conceptual group. The trios concept was to fuse the British pop sounds of 60s London with the club/dance rhythms and productions that defined the post-acid house England of the early 90s. Led by songwriters Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs, and fronted by vocalist Sarah Cracknell, the group managed to carry out their concept, and, in the process, Saint Etienne helped make indie dance a viable genre within the U.K. Throughout the early 90s, Saint Etienne racked up a string of indie hit singles that were driven by deep club beats — encompassing anything from house and techno to hip-hop and disco — and layered with light melodies, detailed productions, clever lyrics, and Cracknells breathy vocals. They revived the sounds of swinging London, as well as the concept of the three-minute pop single being a catchy, ephemeral piece of ear candy, in post-acid house Britain, thereby setting the stage for Brit-pop. Though most Brit-pop bands rejected the dance inclinations of Saint Etienne, they nevertheless adopted the trios aesthetic, which celebrated the sound and style of classic 60s pop.The origins of Saint Etienne date back to the early 80s, when childhood friends Bob Stanley (b. December 25, 1964) and Pete Wiggs (b. May 15, 1966) began making party tapes together in their hometown of Croydon, Surrey, England. After completing school, the pair began worked various jobs — most notably, Stanley was a music journalist — before deciding to concentrate on a musical career in 1988. Adopting the name Saint Etienne from the French football team of the same name, the duo moved to Camden, where they began recording. By the beginning of 1990, the group had signed a record contract with the indie label Heavenly. In the spring of 1990, Saint Etienne released their first single, a house-tinged cover of Neil Youngs Only Love Can Break Your Heart, which featured lead vocals from Moira Lambert of the indie pop band Faith Over Reason.Only Love Can Break Your Heart became an underground hit, receiving a fair amount of airplay within nightclubs across England. Later in the year, Saint Etienne released their second single, a cover of the indie pop group Field Mices Lets Kiss and Make Up, which was sung by Donna Savage of the New Zealand band Dead Famous People. Like its predecessor, Kiss and Make Up was an underground hit, helping set the stage for Nothing Can Stop Us. Released in the spring of 1991, Nothing Can Stop Us was the first Saint Etienne single sung by Sarah Cracknell (b. April 12, 1967), whose girlish vocals became a signature of the groups sound. Cracknell was the main vocalist on the bands debut, Fox Base Alpha, which was released in the fall of 1991. Following the release of Fox Base Alpha, Cracknell officially became a member of Saint Etienne; she had previously sung in Prime Time.Only Love Can Break Your Heart was re-released in conjunction with Fox Base Alpha and cracked the lower end of the British pop charts. Saint Etienne was beginning to gain momentum, as the British press generally gave them positive reviews and their records were gaining a strong fan base not only in England, but throughout Europe. During 1992, the group released a series of singles — Join Our Club, People Get Real, and Avenue — which maintained their popularity. In addition to writing and recording music for Saint Etienne, Stanley and Wiggs became active producers, songwriters, remixers, and label heads as well. In 1989, Stanley had founded Caff Records, which issued limited-edition 7 singles of bands as diverse as Pulp and the Manic Street Preachers, as well as a number of other lesser-known bands like World of Twist. In 1992, Stanley and Wiggs founded Ice Rink, which intended to put out records by pop groups, not rock groups. The label released singles from several artists — including Oval, Sensurround, Elizabeth City Slate, and Golden, which featured Stanleys girlfriend, Celina — none of which gained much attention.Preceded by the single Youre in a Bad Way, Saint Etiennes second album, So Tough, appeared in the spring of 1993 to generally positive reviews and increased sales. Over the course of 1993, the group released three more singles — Who Do You Think You Are, Hobart Paving, and I Was Born on Christmas Day — which all charted well. In 1994, the trio began to lose momentum, as their third album, Tiger Bay, was greeted with decidedly mixed reviews, even as singles like Like a Motorway continued to chart well. After completing a new track, Hes on the Phone, for their 1995 singles compilation, Too Young to Die, as well as the French-only single Reserection, Saint Etienne took an extended break during 1996. Sarah Cracknell pursued a solo project, releasing a single titled Anymore in the fall of the year. Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs began a record label for EMI Records, which had the intention of releasing music from young, developing bands. In the fall of 1996, Saint Etienne released a remix album, Casino Classics; a new studio effort, Good Humour, followed two years later, and the trio returned in 1999 with an EP, Places to Visit. The full-length Sound of Water appeared in mid-2000, featuring guest appearances by Sean OHagan (of the High Llamas) and To Rococo Rot. After a successful U.S. tour in support of Sound of Water the group issued Interlude, a collection of new tracks, instrumentals, and B-sides, in early 2001. A year later, the trio followed up with Finisterre, and Tales from Turnpike House arrived in 2005.