For Laz and anyone else who likes the band: I've recently started going through Saint Etienne's discography in order.
Never having heard much of their music outside of DI lists, I was surprised to hear that Foxbase Alpha had some Ibiza house vibes. A bit long and sonically inconsistent, but it's straight feelgood music. I listened to the US version which had a couple extra tracks and maybe that was just a bit too much for a first listen. Pleasant surprise nonetheless.
So Tough is fucking good. A little trimmer, a little darker, a little more focused, more of an "album" instead of a never-ending house wormhole. I was really impressed by the sampling (two tracks in a row borrowed samples from Paul's Boutique, which I'm guessing was an influence on the album) and they integrated it well throughout the album instead of just in select pockets. It really informed the feel of the record. But despite all the consistency and sonic creativity, the songwriting was there too. Great stuff.
Tiger Bay is up next.