SummersRadio™ New Music! Sarah Cracknell - 'On The Swings'
Saint Etienne's Sarah Cracknell has just released a new song online today called 'On The Swings'! 'On The Swings' is the first song released from her forthcoming new solo album called 'Red Kite' which will be released June 15th on Cherry Red Records.
It's certainly been a long wait for a new solo album from Sarah - her first solo album 'Lipslide' was first released in 1997! 'Red Kite' features twelve new songs including 'Nothing Left To Talk About' which features Nicky Wire (Manic Street Preachers) and another song called 'Take The Silver' that features the Rails.
'On The Swings' is as lovely as a fresh spring morning... Enjoy!
Hey this is our 1,500th post - how about a bonus track?
Mark Brown Featuring Sarah Cracknell - 'The Journey Continues' (Vocal Club Mix) From the 2008 single... Enjoy!
SummersRadio™ It's My Party! Saint Etienne - 'Over The Border'/ 'I've Got Your Music' (official video)
Today is my birthday and while I'm not having a party per se I've got at least two related posts planned before I become comfortably numb and/ or too sedated to post anything! :)
If you check out SummersRadio™ regularly you probably already know that London's Saint Etienne are one of my all time favorite bands - and their latest album 'Words And Music By...' (released in May) is one of the finest of their career. It's basically a concept album about music - which when you think about it isn't as common as one might initially think.
Bob Stanley has said that 'The general theme of the album is marking a route in your life through music' - hence the map on the cover art - which contains a total of 312 song titles! The opening track 'Over The Border' is my most favorite - as Sarah Cracknell's voice is always beautiful - but it's equally magical when she speaks (which we rarely get to hear) and here she tells a brief history of her life in music. Naturally I can relate as my entire life has revolved around music - every song is a memory - so many albums are a part of me.
So 'Over The Border' is a fitting birthday post song - as she talks about getting older - and doing so many things that I remember vividly as well - buying my first records - memorizing charts - and so on. It's an exquisite song that any massive music lover at any age can relate to... Enjoy!
Bonus Track/ New Video! 'I've Got Your Music' is the second single and video (I hope that 'Over The Border is the third!) released from their new album. The concept for the video is a simple but effective one - the band invited fans to send them a video clip of you holding up the cover of one of your all time favorite records. It's fun to see how many you can recognize - and I'm clearly not the only fan who also loves fellow Londoners the Pet Shop Boys as well... Enjoy!
SummersRadio™ New Music! Saint Etienne - 'Wouldn't It Be Nice'/ 'Tonight' (Club Clique Remix)
While we anxiously await the release of Saint Etienne's new album the band has just recorded a cover of the Beach Boys classic 'Wouldn't It Be Nice'! The song is the first track on a new compilation called 'Pet Sounds Revisited' - a tribute to the Beach Boys 1966 album. The cd is being released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Beach Boys and will be given away free on the cover of the June 2012 issue of the British music magazine Mojo. You can order a copy from anywhere in the world here: http://www.greatmagazines.co.uk/store/displayitem.asp?sid=5355&id=51418
Saint Etienne's cover begins stripped down with just the vocals of Sarah Cracknell - then morphs into some dreamy Burt Bacharach style production - alternating with some almost dancey bits... Enjoy!
'Words And Music By Saint Etienne' - their new 13 track album - is released on May 21st - here's the cover art:
Last month 'Tonight' was released as a four track EP featuring an 'Extended Version', a song called 'You Are Here', the '2 Bears Remix' and this 'Club Clique Remix'. It's available on itunes and also as a limited 12" single from the band's official store here: http://store.universal-music.co.uk/restofworld/artists/saint-etienne/icat/saintetienne/
This is the 'Club Clique Remix' of 'Tonight'... Enjoy!
SummersRadio™ New Music + Free Download! Saint Etienne - 'Tonight'/ 'Stars Above Us'/ 'Like A Motorway' (Alternative Version) London's Saint Etienne have just released their latest single online - from their first album of all new material in seven years! Saint Etienne are one of my most absolute favorite bands of all time, so this is pretty thrilling news I must say!
I was lucky enough to meet them on their 'Sound Of Water' tour in 2000, and they're all so incredibly charming - they signed all of my cd's and Sarah Cracknell signed her solo cd's as well. She also provided me with one of my most amazing - and surreal - concert moments ever. I was working as a buyer at the Virgin Megastore at the time, and they came by the store in the afternoon. That night when they came out on stage at the now demolished club Richard's On Richards (I was right in front of course) the first two words Sarah said into the mic were 'Hi Jim'! She remembered me - and my name! ♥ Swoon ♥ :)
'Tonight' is the first single from their forthcoming new studio album (their eighth) called 'Words And Music By Saint Etienne' which is set for release in May. The album will be preceded by another single next month called 'I've Got Your Music'.
Bob Stanley describes the single on their website thusly: 'Tonight is about the anticipation of going to see your favourite group. For some reason, I imagine this show is at the Forum in Kentish Town. The whole album is about the power of pop, how it affects and shapes your life.'
'Tonight' starts off with some beautiful strings and is soon chugging along with some catchy dance beats and Sarah Cracknell's always lovely vocals. It captures not only the anticipation of seeing a great concert, but also the anticipation of their first new album in seven years - 'it's been too long' indeed! If 'Tonight' is to your liking you can download a copy for free for a limited time from their official website here: http://www.saintetienne.com/ and you can also keep up with them on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/SaintEtienneOfficial?ref=ts
I hope there are some club remixes in the works for this song - and if it doesn't make the top 20 in the U.K. there's no hope for popular music! Well, this is the hope right here - even if it's only popular in an underground sort of way :) This is Saint Etienne's excellent new single 'Tonight'... Enjoy!
Bonus Track! 'Stars Above Us' was one of the singles released from their last studio album - 2005's 'Tales From Turnpike House' - a concept album based around a number of characters living in a block of flats in an area of London known as Turnpike House... Enjoy!
Classic! 'Like A Motorway' was the second single and video released from their 1994 album 'Tiger Bay'. This is the 'Alternative Version' - an extended dance remix that was included on the North American version of 'Tiger Bay'... Enjoy!
SummersRadio™ New Music + Free Download! Flow Machines - 'I Was Born On Christmas Day'/ 'Any Other Day' Seasons Greetings Humans! Today we present the third post in our Christmas trilogy - and also our third free download Christmas gift! Obviously I didn't make these gifts myself - the artists have - but Christmas is about sharing, so I'm honoured to share their fine music with you!
Flow Machines are an indie electronic pop band from Manchester that have released a cover of one of my most favorite Christmas songs - Saint Etienne's 'I Was Born On Christmas Day'. 'I Was Born On Christmas Day' was first released in 1993 - a duet between Saint Etienne's wonderful vocalist Sarah Cracknell and The Charlatans Tim Burgess. Today is also Bob Stanley's birthday (one third of Saint Etienne's trio), so the songwriting is apt! :)
Flow Machine's cover features the guest vocals of Louise Turner who also sang on Elbow's album 'The Seldom Seen Kid'. If this charming cover is to your liking you can download a limited copy for free from the band's official website here: http://www.flowmachines.com/
Their cover sounds a bit the Human League covering Saint Etienne - which makes sense considering that their debut single in 2008 was a cover of the Human League classic b-side 'Hard Times'. This is the fun video for 'I Was Born On Christmas Day' which features an awesome - and well synchronized - collection of 'found footage' of old school toys (the shifty eyes on Action Man are highlarious!) and memories from Christmas's past... Enjoy!
Flow Machines are set to release their new album called 'Hi-Res' on January 14th - and they released the first single from it last month - this is the video for 'Any Other Day'... Enjoy!
SummersRadio™ New Remixes + Free Download! Belle And Sebastian - 'I Didn't See It Coming' (Cold Cave Remix/ Richard X Remix) Glasgow's Belle And Sebastian released 'I Didn't See It Coming' as the second single from their most recent album called 'Write About Love' last fall. The song is an indie pop duet between lead singer Stuart Murdoch and Sarah Martin - who plays guitar, keyboards, violin and provides backing vocals in the band - and there are two brand new remixes coming out later this month!
These remixes will be included on their new EP called 'Come On Sister' which is released on July 26th - on vinyl only! The 12" will include the title track remixed by Tony Doogan, the album version of 'Blue Eyes Of A Millionaire' and two remixes of 'I Didn't See It Coming' - one by Richard X and one from Cold Cave. You can pre-order the EP through their label Matador's store here: http://store.matadorrecords.com/come-on-sister or from the bands official website here: http://www.belleandsebastian.com/
So first up we have the remix from Wes Eisold of Cold Cave - which is the more club friendly version of the two remixes. I really like Sarah Martin's vocals in this song - she sounds a bit like another Sarah - Sarah Cracknell of Saint Etienne... Enjoy!
This is the 'Richard X Remix' which also features a new animated video... Enjoy!
SummersRadio™ First Day Of Spring! Saint Etienne - 'Spring' (Foxbase Beta Mix) 'Spring' first appeared on Saint Etienne's debut album 'Foxbase Alpha' in 1991. This version is from the limited 2009 release 'Foxbase Beta' reproduced and remixed by Richard X. I've always liked when a singer with a beautiful voice has spoken parts in a song - and few voices are as heavenly sounding as when Sarah Cracknell says 'with the love I've got you'll forget about her...' Enjoy!
