St. Etienne

Although stylish with their light, elegant electronic pop, over the past ten years St. Etienne have not been able to move beyond their status as second-string Brit-popsters. Nor do they pass muster with Sound Of Water, an obvious stab at a more mature sound which ups their lush, Bacharach-esque MOR quotient with loads of strings, nylon-strung guitar and damp piano playing. Their attempt at evoking a certain mood goes too far when the guitar on "Boy Is Crying" shamelessly rips off The Doors' "Riders On The Storm"! To Rococo Rot and Sean O'Hagan (High Llamas) provide distinctive arrangements which only underline the lifelessness of the songs and out-perform Sarah Cracknell's flat and charmless vocals. More like the sound of water torture, really.