Talk about best track being the first one, though. The throbbing bass in "Urban Clearway" leads to a bass keyboard pulsing like The Miami Vice Theme before being overlayed by a higher-pitched keyboard sound. Then those sweet wistful strings kick in, giving an overall image of traffic going down a six-lane, just like the opening shots of the CHIPS TV show in the 1970's. Call it a shorter dance-techno version of Saturday Night Fever's "Manhattan Skyline," which gives the same mental image.

"Hug My Soul" is not only a brilliant song, but has the same bounce as some of their Foxbase Alpha songs, only chirpier and with some lush stringwork. Sarah Cracknell's wispy girlish vocals and the chirpy synthesizers create a bubbly, romantic, fantasy atmosphere, even before she sings: "I'll be there/to run into your arms./I'll be there./Won't you hug my soul?" Aww! There's even a marimba solo in the latter part of the song. The alternate version has an even more thundering beat that kind of muffles the lush strings.

The tempo switches to the mellow and wistful "Former Lover," with the harmonica lending to the sad regret of marrying a fool while listening to wind chines and the long lost days spent with the title character. Sarah wistfully sings: "Why on Earth/didn't I wait for you?/Now look and see who's paying." She then makes up her mind to reclaim her life, which has been stifled: "Close all/of the doors, Maisie/make sure he knows I'm gone./Close down/over the ocean/Open the doors/fresh air."

The same bass synthesizer from "Urban Clearway" returns in the upbeat "Like A Motorway." Another lost love song, the title refers to this line: "She said her life/was like a motorway/Dull, grey, and long/'til he came along." The alternate version has different synthesizers and other sounds inserted within.

"On The Shore" is an instrumental with mid-paced backbeat, with an oboe courtesy of Kate St. John, late of the Dream Academy.

"Marble Lions" is this album's sweet ballad, especially the lines "Stars are calling/goodnight, darling/Don't say good-bye," which lends that sense of longing that "Hobart Paving" from So Tough did. The lines "Let's raise a flag/that has no colours/release the sun into the empty cathedral, yeah" should demonstrate by now Sarah Cracknell's improved songwriting. The emotional swell of sound that arises makes one want to cry out joyfully or burst into tears of joy.

A Latin-sound accompanied by the Etienne burst of techno starts "Pale Movie." One of my favourite upbeat songs here, with an interesting metaphoric image: "In the bed where they make love/she's in a film on the sheets/He shows dreams like a movie/she's the softness of cinema seats." The Latin guitar that comes in the middle is nice as is the burst of symphonic strings that follow, making it like a movie score.

"Cool Kids Of Death" is a quick-paced instrumental with pulsing bass-synth that's a quicker cousin of "Stoned To Say The Least" from Foxbase Alpha. Harmonicas, wordless vocals, synth-pianos, and other instruments are heard in this number.

Then comes "I Was Born On Christmas Day," the most joyful burst of sound on Tiger Bay. Sarah trades lines with Tim Burgess over a pounding backbeat that Kylie Minogue would have gnawed both her arms to get during her Stock-Aitken-Waterman days. I imagine a couple dancing blissfully, snow falling down in nice large flakes around them and the city.

That is followed by the haunting "Boy Scouts Of America," about the conflict brewing within a man assigned to guard a girl.

The best of their first three albums, after which their sound would totally change, but that's for another review.

Great Indie Pop/Dance Album
What makes this album great is that everything works together so well. Most of the songs are dance-oriented, with a tight drum-machine dance beat, but there are some slow slongs as well.

What I really like are Sarah Cracknell's breathy vocals, which are heavenly and contrast very well with the bass and drums. The songs are still pop songs in composition and work very well, but you can also hear influences from various other styles such as drums&bass and techno, and perhaps some early New Order.

This album is more refined than "Foxbase Alpha," and is one of my favorites.

Arguably Their Best Record
Of the five Saint Etienne records released in the U.S., "Tiger Bay" has to be as close to the best work this British outfit ever produced. While many fans are partial to "Fox Base Alpha" or "Good Humor," this is the CD which best combines the band's ethereal instrumental tracks with some of the most maturely crafted pop songs Cracknell/Stanley/Wiggs have created in their 10+ years together. Ironically, the band took a few years off after recording this CD and it was their final release under the American Warner Bros. label. The track list also does not feature a single song written by all three of the bandmates together. Despite this record more or less marking the end of the "early" Saint Etienne era, the individual songs have a maturity to them which suggest that this is about the best Saint Etienne could do during their first few years together. The record features perennial fan favorite "Like A Motorway," along with two of their other big British hits, "I Was Born On Christmas Day" and "Hug My Soul." Their are also some beautiful ballads written by vocalist Sarah Cracknell, including "Former Lover" and "Marble Lions" which stand alongside some of her best work as a solo artist. I think it's an essential part of any fan's Saint Etienne collection (if you have the UK edition with the bonus B-side tracks, it's a plus).