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Finisterre
Studio album by Saint Etienne
Released	August 2002
Recorded	2002
Genre	House Ambient Techno Alternative rock Electronica
Length	46:56
Label	Mantra Records
Producer	Saint Etienne, Mr Joshua, Ian Catt
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Pitchfork Media link Stylus Magazine {B) link
Saint Etienne chronology
Sound of Water (2000) Finisterre (2002) Tales from Turnpike House (2005)

Finisterre is an album by the British pop band Saint Etienne. It was released by Mantra Records in 2002.

Contents 1 Track listing 2 Singles 2.1 Action 2.1.1 CD One 2.1.2 CD Two 2.2 Soft Like Me 2.2.1 Seven inch 2.2.2 CD One 2.2.3 CD Two 2.3 Shower Scene 2.3.1 Twelve inch 2.3.2 CD 3 Commentary

1. "Action" – 4:45
2. "Amateur" – 3:39
3. "Language Lab" – 3:13
4. "Soft Like Me" – 4:24
5. "Summerisle" – 3:08
6. "Stop and Think It Over" – 3:57
7. "Shower Scene" – 4:26
8. "The Way We Live Now" – 4:29
9. "New Thing" – 4:11
10. "B92" – 3:23
11. "The More You Know" – 3:32
12. "Finisterre" – 4:33

July 2002

1. Action (Radio Edit) – 3:52
2. Anderson – 3:46
3. 7 Summers – 5:06

1. Action (Mr Joshua Edit) – 3:30
2. Action (DJ Tiësto Remix) – 6:52
3. Action (Laub Remix) – 4:27

2003

1. Soft Like Me
2. Gimp Crisis

1. Soft Like Me
2. Time and Tide
3. Shock Corridor

1. Soft Like Me (Mr Joshua Mix)
2. Abby I Hardly Knew You
3. Soft Like Me (K.O.W. Radiophonic Rework)

2002 Spain only

1. Shower Scene
2. New Thing
3. Time and Tide

1. Shower Scene
2. New Thing
3. Time and Tide
4. Shock Corridor

Finisterre was Saint Etienne's attempt to recapture their audience from the early nineties. The album marks a return to the musical patchwork concept of So Tough. The group's previous three albums had been free of sampling and interludes between songs. Songs like "Action," "Shower Scene," and "New Thing" represent the upbeat dance-pop the group had previously written; "Language Lab," "Summerisle," and "Stop and Think It Over" recall the ambient style of the previous three albums. In hindsight, Finisterre appears to be a "dry-run" for the styles, messages, and concepts developed on the Tales from Turnpike House album. Oddly, the title track best links the two albums--especially its similarities to Tales from Turnpike House's "Teenage Winter."

Despite the moderate sales of the singles, the album was not a success. Many fans, though yearning for a return to a dance-influenced sound, found the album minor, not as bold as the aforementioned So Tough or as satisfying as albums like Sound of Water. The album was not helped by the presence of Michael Jayston, whose spoken word interludes often grated and destroyed the atmosphere created; in part because of their frequency and (some would say) self-satisfied humour.

The album was developed in conjunction with a feature film that documented a journey through the group's beloved London. It debuted at a sold-out show in October 2002 at the Royal Festival Hall, and was re-released to select screens in 2005.

v • d • e Saint Etienne
Sarah Cracknell • Bob Stanley • Pete Wiggs Gerard Johnson • Ian Catt
Discography
Albums: Foxbase Alpha • So Tough • Tiger Bay • Good Humor • Sound of Water • Finisterre • Tales from Turnpike House
Compilations: You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone • Fairytales from Saint Etienne • Too Young to Die - The Singles • Casino Classics • Continental • Interlude • Smash the System: Singles and More • Travel Edition 1990-2005 • Smash the System: Singles 1990-99
Other releases: Reserection • Fairfax High • Places to Visit • The Misadventures of Saint Etienne • Up the Wooden Hills • What Have You Done Today Mervyn Day • This Is Tomorrow
Related articles
AS Saint-Étienne • Heavenly Records • Creation Records • Sub Pop • Mantra Records • Sanctuary Records