This is a record for the true Saint Etienne fan, and not those who liked 'Good Humor' because, gee, they sound like the bloody Cardigans. The same people, no doubt, who scratched their heads when they heard 'Places to Visit'. As Simon Reynolds so accurately describes in the liner notes, there has always been 'a subtle experimental streak' to their music, and it is this experimentation (and willingness to be experimented upon: the remixes of their songs are typically astounding, esp. 'Pale Movie' and 'Who Do You Think You Are') *combined with* their stunning, melancholic pop sound that makes them remarkable. This is not, as some other reviewer claimed, a departure. It is an extension or elaboration of an element that is discoverable at the heart of nearly all of their greatest songs, and I for one am pleased to see them producing something other than 'Good Humor, Part Two'. 'Sound of Water' is a must then for all true Saint Etienne fans. In it you can hear the sound of a group which continues to rethink and reimagine the very limits of their own ability and desire to construct blissful moments of pleasure and heartbreak. It is at this limit that we discover 'Sycamore', 'Downey, CA' and 'How we used to live' (see the video - it is superb!). P.S. contra the Amazon reviewer, this record is leagues ahead - in terms of experimentation and pure jouissance - of the new Broadcast CD.