This release -- on Savoy Jazz(!) -- amply demonstrates why St. Etienne have maintained such a devoted following for as long as they have, which is fifteen years or so, by our reckoning.  Superbly crafted pop from beginning to end, Tales from Turnpike House presents a series of songs linked -- as both the title and cover suggest -- in a manner akin to a block of flats and their respective inhabitants.  Each song is in and of itself a pithy commentary on the post-modern condition and taken as a whole, the album is an instant classic.