Saint Etienne's Hobart Paving has been stuck in my head since I woke up this morning to the sound of the drizzle outside. "Rain Falls Like Elvis Tears", oh yes. Everything about this song is beautiful. And that chorus of "Don't Forget To Catch Me", one of the most romantic songs I know. The video is lovely too.
I fondly remember when this song first 'hit' me. It was the summer of 98 and we had just arrived in England on holiday. My best friend Jon had been a big fan back in 1994 when we first heard of Saint Etienne in the States and had made me tapes of the first two albums, which I was now listening to on my Walkman. When Hobart Paving came on, I sat up in awe, tears automatically springing to my eyes at its beauty. Then in September of that year, having just graduated university, I was about to set off to backpack around Europe and I stopped in at one of my favourite record stores, Secret Sounds in Bridgeport, CT, the day before I left. Chris had just gotten the double disc edition of Good Humor in and convinced me (not that it took much) to buy it. I had to wait over a month before I got to hear it but it remains one of my all-time favourite albums. I saw them at the Paradise club in Boston that December and, well, things haven't been the same since ; ) I remember the show being absolutely fantastic, wonderful versions of The Springfields' Are We Gonna Be Alright? (written by Matthew Sweet) and I Was Born On Christmas Day. Every time after that I'd go to the Boston shows and then drive down for the New York ones. I'm now finishing up an interview I did with them for The Quietus and am gutted I will be missing their xmas shows this year.
No comments:
Post a Comment