The sound of London

I think if one wants to hear the musical sound of London, one only needs to listen to Saint Etienne. In preparation for an upcoming trip to London, I watched the documentary Finisterre, which was scored by Cracknell, Wiggs, Stanley and co. The documentary consisted of visuals of the city with "interviews" dubbed over in which a few people explained what it was about London they loved/hated/felt/imagined. Saint Etienne's music really is the perfect fit for conjuring up London's visuals. Whenever I hear "Railway Jam" from So Tough, I immediately think of riding the tube and rail in London. And "Finisterre" itself is a aural journey through the great city. One of my favorite bands, Saint Etienne will always provide my musical soundtrack to London.

Their new album Tales From Turnpike House will be released Stateside in January, and will have two extra tracks that the UK edition did not include.