Albums
June: 18 albums you need to hear this month
Jlin, Goldie, Arca and more
Saint Etienne 'Home Counties' (Heavenly)
“Pretty much everyone we grew up with was drawn to London,” observes St Etienne singer Sarah Cracknell on their fascination with the best city in the world – albeit from their original homes in Reigate (Pete Wiggs and Bob Stanley) and Old Windsor (Sarah). “It was a magnet.” Returning to the London imprint on which they released some of their most important music (‘Only Love Will Break Your Heart’, ‘Filthy’), they sound as assured as ever on ‘Home Counties’. On the dreamy ‘Whyteafe’, they discuss Crawley (!) and “the sweet municipal dream” while ‘Dive’, ‘Heather’ and ‘Unopened Fan Mail’ are up their with their best. Suburbia, it transpires, is a place that should mainly live in the memory. Ralph Moore
8/10
