Saint Etienne

Saint Etienne followed up their stunning "Avenue" single with an EP of remixes. The disc holds four mixes of the title track. The first mixes are two done by Gordon King from World of Twist. The "Variety Club" mix erases singer Sarah Cracknell's voice and adds film dialogue samples to the baggy beat, while the "Butlins" mix keeps Cracknell's voice in place but is otherwise similar to the first mix. The other two mixes are by Rudy Tambala of the shoegaze group A.R. Kane. The "Martial" mix turns the song into a club groove that wouldn't sound out of place on a Soul II Soul disc (except for the stabbing shards of noise guitar Tambala adds), while the "Venusian" mix is a subdued atmospheric slice of outer-space soul and is the most successful reworking on the disc as it keeps the melancholy essence of the song intact and takes it to strange places. An interesting diversion for Saint Etienne fans but not really a necessity. (Gordon King's "Variety Club" mix turned up on the group's Casino Classics compilation). ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide