Saint Etienne — Tales From Turnpike House

Yes, I know, I'm cheating. But I couldn't pick one song from this album (although, it's easy to pick which song should be taken away and burnt in a rubbish bin - teaming up with David Essex sounded like a fabulous idea, but Relocate is abysmal). The neo-Bauhaus desires of Finisterre and the wishful escape of Tiger Bay have passed; Saint Etienne is finally at peace with the reality of London. The highlight is probably either Side Streets, a lush song celebrating the fact that you might get assaulted on the streets of the city, or the wonderful Stars Above Us, which contains echoes of former Etienne hits mixed in with Xenomania goodness.

Plus, if you can get hold of the 2CD version, Let's Build A Zoo is the best children's song of the new millennium - altogether now: "And a gnu at the end of the queue!"