Saint Etienne, "Stars Above Us (Eric Kupper Club Mix)" (2006)

Look, America, this is your chance. I won't say "your last chance," though you never know. But an opportunity is knocking, and it's asking you to make Saint Etienne the stars they deserve to be. The band has signed to Savoy Jazz, and Tales From Turnpike House has gotten its long overdue US release. Sure, the company insisted on dicking around with the running order, so the album now doesn't begin with the inhabitants of Turnpike House waking up, nor end with them turning in for the night. Which is confusing for all our bodily clocks.

But we'll overlook that, because Savoy Jazz seems to be working to break the band. They placed "A Good Thing" on a recent episode of Grey's Anatomy, for crissakes, even though Sandra Oh is the only remotely interesting thing about that show whose central character is the most self-involved self that ever selved. They're even releasing the album's most intuitive song as a single, and commissioned mixes. Commerical mixes, to boot. We're not talking about a slow-growing Luomo deep house rework or a subtle Tiefschwarz rerub. We're talking about things like a discolicious Eric Kupper mix that keeps the song mostly intact while adding an almost "Bizarre Love Triangle" beat. It's tailored made for you to dance your head off to, and then wake up the next morning and call in to your radio stations to request. It's too late for the UK to embrace the album, but you still have a shot. Do it. Don't make me come down there. I don't want to spank your ass, but I will if I have to.