So Tough (Reissue)

IMPORT. Saint Etienne's classic So Tough, re-issued as a double disc set with a bonus CD of B-sides and rarities.

"...Saint Etienne's So Tough is visionary pop that ought to be a hit. The CD cover is an old photograph of a little girl - a tomboy - looking sweetly inquisitive. She's on the verge of experience, and that sense of expectancy can be heard in the way vocalist Sarah Cracknell embellishes the bouncy, filigreed tunes with a lovely, clear voice: 'Everyone's dreaming of all they've got to live for/Joking around still digging that sound.' Digging that sound themselves, keyboardist Pete Wiggs and guitarist Bob Stanley - Saint Etienne's composers - invent a new pop environment based on an affectionate rehash of swinging '60s styles. Bass notes are mixed with rich-sounding computerized chimes, soft piano or sweet violas, making each track a whimsical, Utopian narrative...It's Blondie without trash, each cut a delightful pop homage bestirring lifelike memories." - The Quietus