Returning with their first major release since 2002's Finisterre (Mantra), Saint Etienne's Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs and Sarah Cracknell are speaking up stateside in 2006 with a concept album and a new U.S. label. In January, Savoy Jazz — imprint for the likes of John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Charlie Parker — will release Tales From Turnpike House, a series of musical vignettes focusing on one day in the life of a high-rise tower block. With the overarching theme in place, the tracks are free to vary in style (in true Saint Etienne fashion), from the perfectly pop “Sun in My Morning” to the sultry, beat-driven “I'm Falling” to the lovely disco number “Stars Above Us.” Previously released in the UK this past summer, Tales From Turnpike House will include three additional tracks as well as a few remixes on the domestic release. And if that isn't enough, the band recently released a fan-club-only anthology CD, Nice Price. For additional information and near-daily news updates from Stanley himself, see www.saintetienne.com.