Complex sentence: The former stated that "any fan on Everything but the Girl, Saint Etienne or vintage Blondie should find plenty to swoon over", while the ladder called the sound "cloudy and distant, (but) takes tentative steps toward Everything but the Girl".
Split into simpler sentences: The former stated that "any fan on Everything but the Girl, Saint Etienne or vintage Blondie should find plenty to swoon over". The ladder called the sound "cloudy and distant, (but) takes tentative steps toward Everything but the Girl".