And the rain came down…

Without question, Saint Etienne is my favorite pop group of all time. At the dawn of the early 90’s the Et (as I and others call them) twirled effortlessly above their peers introducing indie to dance by way of a 60s pop variety show and releasing a score of classic singles that moved pop music forward while never forgetting to look back. Group vocalist Sarah Cracknell, now 40, has been my secret girl crush for 15 years. Hardly a vocal powerhouse, Cracknell and her warm and expressive voice have anchored the group and inspired others, like mope-icon Stephin Merrit and German techno wizard Paul Van Dyk to pen songs for her.

Lovely Sarah, who released a woefully under-appreciated solo LP Lipslide a decade ago, rarely steps out on bandmates Pete and Bob, but when she does it can be quite magical.

Such an opportunity emerges thanks to professional knob-twiddler Mark Brown, who recruited Cracknell to front his instrumental dance track of a looped opera aria, used widely in a bank advertisement in the U.K. Cracknell’s cryptic lyrics and forlorn vocal align perfectly with the track and with the Et’s darker moments of post-millennial angst to create a glorious, haunting slice of gloom house.

Cracknell makes a cameo in the darkly twitching video clip:

~ by agitpoptimist on January 30, 2008.