Words & Music by Saint Etienne - Saint Etienne
Words & Music by Saint Etienne Image
Metascore
82 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 24 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.3 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 12 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
Rate this:
  • Summary: The British electronic pop trio return after seven years to work with producers Ian Catt, Richard X, and Nick Coler on its eighth studio album.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 24
  3. Negative: 1 out of 24
  1. The Independent on Sunday (UK)
    May 25, 2012
    100
    Words and Music, the first full studio album in an aeon from Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs, is a masterclass of pop theory and practice in perfect harmony.
  2. Q Magazine
    Oct 12, 2012
    80
    They have made an amazing album about how amazing pop music can be. [Jul 2012, p.106]
    All this publication's reviews
  3. Under The Radar
    Jul 19, 2012
    60
    Words and Music amounts to little more than an attempt to scale the same heights; sweet vocals, minimalist keys with the odd guitar thrown in.
  4. Fact Magazine (UK)
    May 30, 2012
    20
    Words and Music by St Etienne really brings it on itself, and the result is totally vapid.

See all 24 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. Jonalfie
    10
    Modern pop doesn't get any better. Equal parts euphoria and melancholy. If relevancy is important in the pop world then the band continue to be as important than any on the contemporary scene.… Expand

Related Articles

  1. Music

    May's Best New Music

    May's Best New Music Image
    Published: May 31, 2012
    Looking for some good new music? We round up the best-reviewed albums of the past month, a list that includes new releases from Killer Mike, El-P, Saint Etienne, The Walkmen, and more. You can also listen to most of May's best albums in their entirety.
    More »

Current Music Releases

Full List »
  1. The Complete Columbia Album Collection - Johnny Cash
    Metascore: 99
  2. Rumours [35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition] - Fleetwood Mac
    Metascore: 99
  3. Live in Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 2 - Miles Davis Quintet
    Metascore: 92
  4. Jama Ko - Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba
    Metascore: 91
  5. Like a Rose - Ashley Monroe
    Metascore: 89
  6. Same Trailer Different Park - Kacey Musgraves
    Metascore: 89
  7. Your Turn - Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog
    Metascore: 88
  8. Minute by Minute - The James Hunter Six
    Metascore: 88
  9. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness [Deluxe Edition] - Smashing Pumpkins
    Metascore: 88
  10. Music For the Quiet Hour/The Drawbar Organ EPs - Shackleton
    Metascore: 87
  11. M B V - My Bloody Valentine
    Metascore: 87
  12. Beautiful Africa - Rokia Traoré
    Metascore: 87
  13. LSXX [Last Splash: 20th Anniversary Edition] - The Breeders
    Metascore: 87
  14. Annie Up - Pistol Annies
    Metascore: 87
  15. Rage Against the Machine XX [20th Anniversary Edition] - Rage Against the Machine
    Metascore: 87
  16. Without a Net - Wayne Shorter
    Metascore: 86
  17. MCII - Mikal Cronin
    Metascore: 86
  18. In Time - The Mavericks
    Metascore: 86
  19. Haw - Hiss Golden Messenger
    Metascore: 86
All Current Music »