I don't know, I guess Saint Etienne are objectively somewhat distinctive, but probably not to an extent that explains why, in my mind, they're practically a genre unto themselves - that's probably just as much due to how long I've been listening to them and (related) how long they've now been making music which has remained reliably (a) at least quite good and (b) Saint Etienne-sounding. And here we are: Home Counties, which boasts an impressive number of choruses (of which songs "Whyteleafe" is my favourite) and continues to sound kind of non-specifically nostalgic without condemning itself to period piece kitsch. Nice.
