Playground magazine

Saint Etienne have taken things calmly. Seven years have passed since that far-off “Tales From Turnpike House”, and during that time, their many devoted fans have had to get by with only the occasional single, reissues, a greatest hits album (which obviously didn’t quench anyone’s thirst), and a Christmas album, “A Glimpse Of Stocking” (as well as listening to “A Good Thing” in Pedro Almodóvar’s “Volver” with tears in their eyes). Some months ago, they announced a new album, “Words And Music By Saint Etienne”. It will be released via Universal on the 21st May, just over a week before the trio’s eagerly-anticipated concert on the opening day of San Miguel Primavera Sound 2012.

It’s an album with a very carefully considered idea, it could almost be called a concept album; as the title suggests, the songs speak of the different ways that music affects life. The lyrics are very personal, taken from the trio’s own experiences - “Over The Border” is especially interesting, with Sarah Cracknell as a child wondering, among other things, whether Marc Bolan will still be important when she has children. Furthermore, however much confession there is here, these are verses that make a deep impression, which you can fully identify with. The cover, the titles of the songs - everything here is full of musical references, both to other bands and to their own (on the map in the illustration are Cemetery Gates and Mario’s Café, among other small nods). “Words And Music By Saint Etienne” left us with many questions, so we wanted to talk to Pete Wiggs about his latest offspring, alongside his own musical experiences (he confesses that he cried at an Edwyn Collins concert!). So pay attention to the words of Saint Etienne.

This is quite a nostalgic record, specially the song “Over The Border”. How much time did you spend watching “Top Of The Pops” as a kid?

[laughs] I’ve known Bob since I was one, basically. We grew up together, we went to school together, we discovered music together and watched “Top Of The Pops”. A lot of the experiences, specially the early days ones, that are sung in this album can directly relate to me and Bob being young. And Sarah has similar tastes and references. It kind of describes our growing up.

Sarah uses spoken word in some parts of that song. Is this a way to make the lyrics more credible?

I really don’t know. I suppose it makes them stand up more. Mmm… yeah, it feels more personal, even though it relates to the three of us. It really goes with the idea of the whole album: how music intersects with your life as you grow up and comes in and out from different places.

There are a bunch of pop references here (Peter Gabriel, Marc Bolan, New Order, Dexy’s…). Are these clues of some of the bands you liked back in the days?

Yeah, these are some of the common things we all like. We were really into T-Rex when we were really young, under ten years old. And we still like them now. New Order is another big group, as we say in the song. We were big Joy Division fans; we were really into, especially in our teen years, when we were 14 and 15 years old, Postcard Records and things like that. We were kind of indie kids. Parallel to that we were discovering 60s music a lot of the time and electronic stuff too. Growing up in the early 80s was a great time for electronic pop music and synths, and then when electro came out in America around the early 80s, we were also into that. It was incredibly underground at the time in Britain and seemed, like, really futuristic. It sort of explains in a way the kind of songs that we write, because when we were young at the same time we were buying the latest things and also discovering lots of 60s new things we hadn’t heard before. So when we started making music we tried to mix these things together.

I haven’t been able to find references to newer acts. Is this because you don’t listen to new music?

Oh, no, we do. I suppose it’s partly about the impact the things have on you. When you are new to things, when you’re younger, they may have more of a powerful catch on you. I definitely listen to lots of new music, but this record was more about looking back.

Could you tell me some new bands you like?

At the moment I’m really into dance music, I’m going through a house music phase. I like moody dance music like Art Department and Noir and people like that. And then, sorts of things like Tensnake. I also like Little Dragon a lot, that one’s a bit more poppy. Caribou I think is great.

Do you see yourself citing these bands in future songs?

[laughs] Yeah, probably. We often do put current things in. Ages ago we put World Of Twist in and people like that. But yeah, I think it is good to mention what you’re into at the time.

It’s clear you have succeeded doing a conceptual album. Was that hard for you?

Actually, the thing is, because we were reissuing all of our albums for the last couple years and for each one we were listening to all our demos and that stuff, we started thinking about the times when we recorded them. So it’s all been like a nostalgia trip for all of us. This got us all really excited about creating new things. Sometimes you think: ‘Oh, that was interesting!’, so it was really exciting to try and recreate those kinds of feelings and get back in the studio to do so. Once we had the music concept, as it was so universal, something that touches us all, we actually found it quite easy after that to write the words and fit them all together,

This is one of your most danceable records. What came first, the songs or the concept behind them?

We tend to have the tracks first and then the concept comes after. But with “Over The Border”, Bob had the idea for the lyrics and we used something I started chord-wise and it grew out of that. But generally we do the track and then come up with the words.

It may sound like a personal record, but in the end, it’s quite universal. I mean, everyone can relate to it. You’ve also started a sort of nostalgia campaign in which you let your fans participate and there is a song here titled “DJ”, which makes me remember that seven years ago I spent plenty of weekends at Razzmatazz Club (Barcelona) and I always asked the DJ on the pop stage to play “Snowplough”.

[laughs] Oh, really!?

Yeah! And he usually did it, too. It was kind of weird, you know, having that song in the middle of The Killers and Editors stuff. Anyways, you’ve also done plenty of DJ gigs—do you think a DJ has to play what he wants or should he accept requests whenever possible?

[laughs] I’m terrible with that. I always play what I want. I suppose, what you hope as a DJ is to play in a place where the people are receptive to hearing the stuff the DJ is playing for them. But at the same time, you know, when I go to a place I want to hear certain things; you sometimes hope you will hear something. It’s difficult, really. I think a club should be a mixture where the guest DJ plays what he wants, but then the club has an overall sort of aesthetic where people sort of expect to hear a certain song at least for a few weeks.

You’ve recorded plenty of stuff for Christmas, “Snowplough” being an example. You even announced this album in a Christmas message. What do you like most about that time of the year?

We are all big fans of Christmas. Bob was actually born on Christmas Day, so he doesn’t have a proper birthday and is probably extra fond of Christmas. Its music is fun. We were talking before about “Top Of The Pops”, well, the Christmas edition was always very exciting. There are a lot of parties, Christmas parties, and there’s always music around, with 1970s classic Christmas records. That was a time when we were excited kids and it kind of went into our psyches. So still when you hear them you get really excited. There’re too many fun things to do at Christmas! [laughs]

Why have you waited seven years to record a new album?

We’ve tried to work out why, really. Even though it doesn’t seem like it, we’ve done lots of other things. The reissues have taken quite a while to get those done. I don’t know why; there wasn’t an occasion before in which we could start doing it. When we were doing the reissues, Universal said: ‘When you’ve done your album, come to us first’. So we wanted to finish doing the reissues and then work on the album.

How have each of you spent your time these seven years when you weren’t in the studio or touring?

I’ve been constantly working! We did the music for a TV series that kind of only is shown in America and Singapore. It took a year doing that. There were also various film projects that either haven’t happened or are going to happen. Also writing music for others, doing gigs here and there, the Christmas record… I’ve been constantly busy. I should look back in my diary so I can answer this question better.

So, it wasn’t like time off.

No, really! I’ve constantly been doing stuff. And, you know, the childcare also takes time. I’ve got two kids – a nine-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl– and when my wife is working I’ve got to take care of them.