The Clientele - Best Band Since The Smiths

"Let's leave it at that" ? Ummmmm, no, let's not, but I agree with you about the "way cool" thing.

The Clientele are the best band since The Smiths!

Alasdair Maclean?

I think the Smiths aren't ALL THAT either.

I MEANT DIGRAVINA

I can't take credit for The Smiths/Clientele thread, though I'd almost say I agree with its premise, as long as The Clientele continue down the path highlighted by the Suburban Light collection. I'm not too eloquent this morning, so I hope this next part makes sense… a decent sized group of fans/critics see The Smiths as being among the last of the truly great rock bands, and I frequently find it hard to disagree. (Though I sometimes think a case can be made for The Stone Roses simply on the strength of their debut album, and then there’s My Bloody Valentine) While The Clientele don't seem to have the truly magic energy The Smiths had when they started out, I'm reserving a possible place for them amongst my favorite bands and hoping they continue to release excellent singles/EPs. I'm not sure why some people on ILM have lumped The Clientele in with Belle & Sebastian... it seems too early for a backlash. I’m guessing it’s either not their cup of tea altogether (they can’t give in to quaint charm) or they just haven’t played Suburban Light enough times; I’ll admit that I thought it was near rubbish (like Alex) at first as well, but now it’s one of the most cherished pieces of my CD collection. Still, if The Clientele start passing the mic to every band member and every family member and every distant cousin like B & S, then I'll join the backlash. As of now, I'm happy to have them and I'm enthused by their promise.

I love The Clientele! <-- Using the exclamation point specified in the subject.

Just you wait -- the third album will be nothing but bad reggae and refried boogie and be produced by Glen Ballard.

<--I hope the italics worked. If not, it's a Ned Raggett quote.

Well, I'll take the bad reggae and refriend boogie as long as the sleeve is pretty. It's too early in the morning for me to deal with a Glen Ballard reference... but I will say this... my breakfast has returned to its plate in a more liquid form.

I can't believe this thread has been asleep for 6 years! haven't you people heard God Save The Clientele? it's really really good! "Bookshop Casanova" is some kind of sleepy-eyed disco masterpiece, no? The guitar solo is sooo Santana, duh.

There have been other Clientele threads in the last six years.

For instance - God Save The Clientele - The anticipation thread

My mistake, I must have glanced over in the search. Looks like I have some reading to do...

But your underlying point is right: The Clientele are great (and underappreciated). MacLean is also a very good guitarist, I think.

I don't really think they are underappreciated, considering that certain people follow them around the world on tour as if they were Manchester United or Exeter City.

Not sure that's right... That means that a few people really appreciate them. They should be much bigger than they are, I think.

i was just going to revive a clientele thread. "strange geometry" is my favorite lp of theirs. the last time i posted on them, "violet hour" had just come out and i was underwhelmed.

btw when did they get a gorgeous violin player?

also note that alasdair was once an ilxor.

I'd never heard of them until I went through Southall's Best of '07 list on Amazon. I bought it based on that recommendation and yeah, it's a very good album.

Also note that Graham was once an ilxor.

lots of former ilxors... where are they now?...

also note that alasdair was once an ilxor.

I remember reading about that on another thread. But wasn't it just one post by him (e.g., a response to another ILX'or commenting on The Clientele)?

The new violin player joined the band just before God Save The Clientele was recorded, I think. And yeah, she is hot.

as i recall, he was fairly active here for a bit. ca. 2001.

No, it wasn't just one post by any means; we also debated Derrida / Paul de Man / Rudolph Gasché once, for instance.

hi pinefox.

Their new Acuarela ep has been delayed for a month or so now, I really liked the droney tracks on the previous Adriane ep & hope they've done a few more.

i have all their early 7"s, I wish they were bigger than they are so I could sell them and buy a house

One of them's on the MySpace page: "Share the Night". It is great, but it's in no way like the Ariadne stuff.

Good song! But as they become more upbeat and clear, they do lose something essential (that hazy charm of their early records). Still, they've got to grow, and they are still a special band.

Yeah, I kind of think that they've done that... Really well, but better to change than keep on pumping out the same records.

Just you wait -- the third album will be nothing but bad reggae and refried boogie and be produced by Glen Ballard.

well thank god this didn't come true!

New album tentatively coming out in October. Sounds like it might be their last.

I'll be bummed if they break-up after the next album. Feels like they had plenty of room to develop their sound, without losing what makes them special and charming.

The interview makes the record sound extremely promising.

"Sounds like it might be their last."

it's only "might", so ill stay poisitive bout it.

The only Clientele record i return to is Geomatry,really.great piece of music.
also, alsadir is underrated guitarist

...seeing them love made it clearer, to me at least.

The only Clientele record i return to is Geomatry,really.great piece of music. also, alsadir is underrated guitarist

Cosign. I return to all their discs, actually. Losing Haringey (from Geometry, I think) is one of my favorite songs of the past few years.

Since K Got Over Me is one I listen to frequently. Well, listen frequently to many of their tunes.

Alasdair MacLean: We finished mixing. We started recording in that really quiet period between Christmas and the New Year because we wanted to capture a deadening, spectral ambiance.

Ooh, wonderful - though why does Alasdair still look like a young Christopher Hitchens? And didn't he used to post here?

the new album has leaked, I was under the impression that it was meant to be a departure from the last couple but it isn't really. It's got similar bits to the last couple, not much from 'the violet hour' in it. not sure it is that great at the moment but I have only listened once.

they are getting more and more a regular Belle and Sebastian twee style band, and less and less the original,mysterious heartbreaking band they used to be.
maybe a break-up IS the right step for them after all..

It's a strange album. I was also expecting something more along the lines of the Violet Hour from how it's been talked about in interviews with the band, but it's much more a continuation of the last two albums. I still wouldn't say they're anything approaching twee!

Still, their albums always need time to sink in before I know what I really think.

they are getting more and more a regular Belle and Sebastian twee style band

Only to a very minor extent. The heartbreaking closer to the last album (Dreams Of Leaving) is quiet, but hardly like Belle & Sebastian. And the lead singer is still a great, fluid guitarist. But I'm bias. I love this band, and I'll probably overlook their occasional missteps.

Yeah, they're still my uncontested favorites.

Excited for this disc tomorrow.

ah, forgot about this. i was just given an itunes gift certificate and wasn't sure what to get. now I know!

BTW, I don't think this band gets enough credit for evolving their sound. Like R.E.M., their early albums were covered in a production haze and the songs were painfully humble; gradually, the albums became more clear and distinct, and the songs became more robust and confident. Then they added new moods and textures (especially on God Save The Clientele, which was much happier, in places, than they'd been before, and which had a broader range of instrumentation).

But even if they stayed with the same sound and didn't evolove at all, I'd be okay with it, so long as they continue working in that particularly wistful, nostalgic vein.

i agree this band is probably a textbook example of how to successfully evolve a sound without alienating one's audience.. while i'm sure there's someone who prefers their earlier, lo fi reverb soaked days, it's not a complaint i've actually heard levelled against them

There's even more progression of their sound on the new disc, e.g., less string arrangements, more prominent use of horns, a Latin-flavor to some of the guitar work, their nosiest song ever (Sketch), and some of their best, clearest vocal harmonies ever.

It's another lovely autumn album.

their nosiest song ever

I love the heck out of The Clientele, but sometimes I wish their tunes would just mind their own damn business!

http://www.richarddaviesmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/the-clientele-letter-920x1024.jpg

I think the bass playing really carries this band.

that letter to richard davies is astonishing. more astonishing is the fact that richard davies appears to still be alive.

my fiancee sorta knows these guys IRL. i think they're pretty fantastic though i don't know much beyond 'strange geometry'.

My two favorite things about the letter are:

1. Even in Alasdair's letters it's raining. Truly, the man knows no hot summer days.

2. The deft way in which he leaves open the possibility that he didn't like Barbarians.

the original opening sentence in the letter had all sorts of references to puddles and bicycles and balloons but it just didn't flow.

saw alasdair yesterday in his amor de dias incarnation and they were probably the quietest band i've ever heard.

also this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yo_Gabba_Gabba!

I love Bonfires On The Heath, better than God Save The Clientele... Perhaps it's the same level as 'Strange Geometry' was.

i did them injustice seven years ago. it must have been the singer's soft voice which didn't appeal to my younger self. or maybe i confused them with another band. i have eight songs by them on my ipod and at seven of them are good. their music evokes three notions in me. the expression "it is raining cats and dogs", the buzzcocks title "harmony in my head" and a fairy tale in a forest with a rainbow rising over the trees of a clearing.

at least seven

Bonfires On The Heath completes a nearly-flawless run of five albums.

it is a real beauty. i have this and the new espers lp on my shuffle and they compliment each other perfectly for droney autumnal rambles. it does remind me of the violet hour in tone more than any of their other efforts, only with added disquiet and creepiness. and less hiss.

solo session on wfmu: http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2009/11/alasdair-maclean-of-the-clientele.html#more sounds lovely. w/o the rest of the band his guitar sounds quite Robyn Hitchcock-esque in parts.

New album is kinda disappointing.

That's been the mini-review for every album since the Violet Hour.

finally heard the newie.. it's good, inasmuch as the sound is there and the quality is consistent, but tbh it does feel like treading water. if this is indeed their last album it's certainly not a bad note to go out on, and probably the right one.

i'm loving this record ...

never paid much attention before to this brian o'shaughnessy chap who produced the last few clientele records and am surprised and rather pleased to see he's produced a shitload of stuff i like..

it's their last album?

they kind of hinted it would be unless it goes triple platinum.

what i'd kind of be interested in if they wanted to shake their sound up a little is a more guitar-heavy kind of thing -- i love the rare occasions when alasdair lets loose with a psychedelic guitar solo ... maybe that's just me ...

yeah i love it when alasdair does that too. it happens live quite a bit, wish they would do more of that on their records.

two acoustic gigs tomorrow:
http://www.theclienteleforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=160&sid=dd369aa0e556d3015c19847011eedb8a

they better tour the US again before they break up, I've had to miss them every time they've been here.

That "we're going to break-up" line sounded fairly noncommittal to me. Maybe I'm hearing what I want to hear.

I hope they stay together. Best since The Smiths? Hard to say. But what a band.

" hope they stay together "

i think an Alasdair solo career/in different, new band could be great change too.

Yeah, that's certainly possible, too. Change can be good, I suppose.

here's his side project, which might even be *mellower* than The Clientele http://www.amordedias.com/

cause, y know, it will be hard for The Clentele at this point not to repeat themselves imo, and personally i'd prefer a change
xpost

Wow! Hadn't heard of Amor de Dias. Thank you.

where can i listen to their music?

dunno ....

in the future probably..

here is Alasdair's blog, where i found out they recorded most of the Amor de Dias record.
refardless, his blog looks interesting:

http://theclientele.blogspot.com/

Yeah. He's a smart guy. I've read his blog, and I like it. Another good blog is by dj/rupture.

No connection between the two. My mind works in mysterious ways (when it works at all).

Alasdair used to post here in the early part of the decade.

lupe from pipas is in his new band.

which of course i see now is made clear on his blog, sorry.

Alasdair used to post here in the early part of the decade.

I've read that before, but I've never seen one of his posts.

(Can't remember seeing one, at least)

I love the new album, but still hold out hope that they'll decide to record an album-length Ariadne EP.

after liking each album before this one more than the previous i can't get to grips with this one. it is clearly their most accomplished record but it isn't all that likable to my ears. they used to be the model of economy but this is luxuriant in comparison and yet maybe that's merely covering up their weakest set of songs.

really? i feel like God Save is more "lush" than the new one -- but maybe that's not quite what you mean. And "God Save" -- even though I love it death -- might be the only Clientele that verges on self-parody a little bit. This one feels more natural to me ...

I can see that. Still, sometimes I think the last song on God Save -- Dreams of Leaving -- is the best traditional song the band ever released (I say "traditional song" because I think a non-traditional spoken-word piece -- Losing Haringey -- is the best thing the band ever released).

self parody might not be the right term -- again, I love that record. Maybe it just has a somewhat lighter touch than other stuff by them?

Xposting a bit. I too was really thrilled when I saw them live, (relatively) kicking out the jams, and it completely changed the way I think about about them. Maybe the ultimate "soft" band who ought to cut loose more often. "Never Anyone But You" from the new one is as close as they're probably going to get to a "What Goes On" and it's fantastic.

The Robyn Hitchcock comparison above is interesting, especially given the totally Hitchcockian line "There's a phantom in the space between my bones."

"gaps" not "space." Shouldn't go by memory when drinking...

maybe 'luxuriant' or 'lush' is the wrong term, perhaps I meant 'busy'. it seems the rest of the band had much more to do with how this one sounds, I could just be against democracy.

re: Hitchcock, I wouldn't be terribly surprised if Alasdair didn't name him as an influence, but I do think there's a similarity at times in the guitar style and the kind of magical melancholy vision of England both of them have going on ...

(i didn't know alfred hitchcock played the guitar!)

there's footage of the tiny acoustic lexington gig up on youtube. i was sat downstairs minding the coats...

oh goodness Strange Geometry is still soooo good. "Spirit" is divine. I guess I should get the new one. I've been listening through their whole library again over the last week or so, and Strange Geometry stands out (though they are all wonderful): these songs are taut, as though they were trying to play Motown songs, lovely but concise, with nothing to spare.

yeah, it is a wonderful record,especially during the winter -- just listened to it a week or so ago. the songs kind of seem simple and hummable on the surface, but when you start paying attention they're sometimes super complex!

I just listened to God Save The Clientele for the first time in ages, and it is a letdown after Strange Geometry. Well, it leads off well, but "Isn't Life Strange?" kills the momentum. And I think I get the earlier remarks about self-parody. Take "The Queen of Seville". The sound is gorgeous, but the lyric is empty, and actually kinda lazy, Clientele-by-numbers: pick a geographical location, make it kinda "olde England" by invoking royalty. And then the song is goes on about being lonely.

I'll get the new one, though. I just looked at the album art and it's gorgeous! It's an Archimboldo! I keep running into Archimboldo paintings lately, prob. b/c artistic references like that are more common coin in France; my kids just got an Asterix comic book with a parody of an Archimboldo painting in it. I guess kids here know that kind of thing? The painting in question hangs in the Louvre (I saw it a few weeks ago), so maybe it's not unreasonable for kids here to get that kind of reference. Well, that's the painting in the comic; I'm not sure where the one on the Clientele album cover is from.

much as i love strange geometry, it had the distinction up to now of being the only clientele record i could say with any certainty wasn't my favourite. it is strong, has a strident, television-y kind of clarity, i can see why it's regarded by many as their best. god save the clientele, on the other hand, is just flawless, victoria street aside. i like the new one an awful lot but it does suffer by comparision a little.

I kind of agree with this ^^^^, even tho Losing Haringey is my favorite Clientele song.

I also agree with cw, never got on with Strange Geometry.

is alasdair's side-project (amor de dias) still happening? no news since mid-2009, and since then there's been the announcement of a new clientele "mini-album" coming later this year.

i love the idea behind this side-project, btw. clientele vibe plus a tropicalia vibe could yield beautiful music.

I was wondering when that Amor de Dias album was going to turn up as well. I had the impression it was already completed and just waiting to be released, though. The new Clientele EP is, according to a post on their forum, mostly material from the Bonfires on the Heath recording sessions deemed good enough for release. There's a West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band cover, and I see "Jerry" is on there as well, which is a much older Clientele song (and a good one!).

i just asked alasdair via twitter about the amor de dias record, haha. i'll let you know what he says!

thanks! i guess this "tweeting" thing has its uses.

Have been struck lately by how much "My Own Face Inside The Trees" sounds almost like a Moles song. That organ bit is very very Untune The Sky-ish. Also love the way the song suddenly shifts, after the first two verses. Very Davies...

got a tweet back from alasdair about amor de dias: "hey - we're at mixing stage, so when that's done it depends on who will release it, and their schedules. I think next year for sure."

Thanks for the update! However... next year? Cry cry cry.

minotaur is really lovely.

just started listening to 'bonfires' this week. thought it a bit samey at first but certain songs are starting to reveal their magic ('Jennifer and Julia').

yeh i've started listening to it again too with the onset of autumn, it does have a very specific mulchy mood. minotaur is generally a much sparklier, breezier affair, though there is a real undercurrent of menace to it.. the new recording of gerry is particularly good.

new ep is really good. jerry effectively blends the group's trademark-sound with a much harder-edged guitar break.

so hoping the ep means they aren't breaking up.

minotaur is just $1.99 at amazon.com (mp3). hadn't gotten it yet, but am listening now -- sounds great.

air turned colder this morning. the clientele sound great right now.

^ Yes! The ultimate Fall band.

been listening to their latest album today. bonfires on the heath, never anyone but you, jennifer & julia sound perfect now.

listened to bonfires on the heath last week for the first time in a while. had written it off to some extent as their weakest effort, but i was wrong! pretty great record. still need to get around to that amor de dias record ...

beginning to think BOTH is one of their strongest records.

ah, yes it is great and back in rotation, thanks for the reminder.

Bonfires on the Heath and Never Anyone But You are fantastic. Waiting on the box set...

i'm just hoping they keep recording together as a band. (unless yr aware of an impending box-set?)

one of the cliente's best moments, and saddest songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpDu37hhKVg

an amazing string of albums.

just wishful thinking about a boxed set.

merge should do a suburban daylight vol.2 / louder than bombs / bubblegum perfume style affair of the previously uncompiled singles & eps, interspersed with those long droney/spooky instrumentals/collagey bits, there's an instant classic double album right there. it would have to have 6am morning rise on it though, thats the deal. and paul verlaine. and all of the lost weekend and . what a band.

they've got a fair number of odds and ends I think are worth compiling, mostly covers (Where the Universes Are, for example), but most of their latterday singles are taken from their albums.

I really cannot overstate how great the Amor de Dias album is, especially if you dig Bonfires on the Heath.

"Emptily Through Holloway" is my jam lately.

circling back to losing haringey, one of my favorite sad songs of the past decade.

I listen to them in the summer when I am dreaming of cooler weather, then when cooler weather comes, I listen to them again.

i need to get the amor de dias lp pronto

yep, lost weekend is tops. it's the violet hour in miniature.

i'm not sure how sad losing haringey is though! i have fond memories of listening to that last world cup in the sweltering heat when i lived down the road from green lanes, where those strange little weeds grow...

it makes me feel deeply, sadly nostalgic for my youth.

i miss this band.

the violet hour. Every summer. Forever.

Was so thrilled to have caught them on their last or one of their last tours.

so good so good

i would still love a box set

that is, i only really got into them a couple of years ago so everything i own from them is digital.

Bought The Violet Hour and Suburban Light about 18 months ago without knowing any of their music. Have spent the time since then falling completely in love with this band. Originally I found The Violet Hour to be one of their weaker albums (Strange Geometry was my immediate favourite) but it really got under my skin after a while and has become one of my favourite albums.

Feel the same way about Violet Hour

yes, violet hour forever, my favorite record above all

I hear that some shows are in the offing, and it looks like they have a contribution to the Merge Singles Club if this is to be believed: http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2014/01/merge_records_c.html

Clientele things! Happening!

The violet hour is probably under my skin more than any piece of music. There was that summer where every night my best friend and I would chat while falling to sleep to it. I miss this band. I miss that version of our friendship. I miss that version of myself. Anyway. ~livejournal entry~

Excellent news.

http://pitchfork.com/news/54206-the-clientele-to-reissue-suburban-light/

It's about time!

That person selling it on Ebay for $270 is going to be gutted.

Probably the same kind of person that re-list records for stupid prices until the end of time by bands like Red House Painters and Swell and never seem to ever reassess.

So happy about this! Mainly for the small handful of unreleased tracks from this era, but it will be nice to have Suburban Light on vinyl as well.

bummed that it still appears -- apart from expanded reissues and one-time-only concert appearances -- they're still on "indefinite hiatus" leaning toward "disbanded permanently."

Yeah... You aren't anywhere near NYC this month are you? Speaking of rare concert appearances...

far down south, unfortunately. NYC's the best.

heh, I'm flying in from the south to see them! also NYC is fun. but mainly the clientele (and amore de días).

-- they're still on "indefinite hiatus" leaning toward "disbanded permanently.

I feel much more hopeful than that! Though I don't expect a new LP any time soon.

amor, that is. unless they're gone italian.

i like the idea of this amor de dias side-project, but haven't really focused on the results.

is there a single song that's especially worth seeking out, for the uninitiated?

Touchstone or Hampshire Lullaby are very Clientele-like (they all are, of course, but these in particular).

i actually thought amor de dias was supposed to be a radical break from the clientele sound (with amor de dias being very tropical-sounding).

oh, don't get the wrong idea, they are different. but strongly reminiscent of the clientele, especially when alasdair is singing. a little more surreal and dreamy.

I really like "Harvest Time" by Amor De Dias.

wait...

So glad to Merge re-issuing Suburban Light. Will be my first CD purchase in 2 years.

This is good news, I guess. I'm not super thrilled about the "cleaned up" bit though. I really like the murk on these songs.

Anyone want to buy a face value ticket to their brooklyn show on the 21st?

I'm delighted to be involved in promoting this:

http://chickfactor.com/2014/04/cf22-first-london-show-with-the-clientele-birdie-would-be-goods/

and I'm just as delighted to say that we (that is to say The Hangover Lounge) will be issuing a special 7" picture disc with brand new recordings by The Clientele and Birdie which will be given away on the night! I expect there will be some for sale after the event also.

New Clientele song! I'm very excited. I haven't heard it yet, I'm expecting it any day now.

(i have heard it, or at least a demo version - they played it when they djed last week) 8)

awesome!

this is great news. koogs, how is the new song? tim, koogs or others, any idea if this means they will record more material together?

Shit - is it totally sold out?

Went to the site and clicked the button to buy one and got:

£14.00 + £1.40 Booking fee = £15.40
no tickets available

I'll be putting the remainder of the tickets up for sale in the next 24 hours - I don't expect them to last long though. I'll pop a note up here (and tweet from @hangoverlounge ) when they're up. Sorry for the inconvenience.

> koogs, how is the new song?

i'm not really qualified to say - i'm not a fan and didn't even realise what it was until someone pointed it out halfway through.

(Daniel I don't know of any plans to do any more recording past this and the Merge single previously discussed, but they do seem to be enjoying the process. Oh and the Merge site has news of some July shows in the US, too: http://www.mergerecords.com/the-clientele which you lot may or may not have noticed.)

Thanks Tim - I hope I'm around when they go on sale so I can jump on and get one! I never got to see them back in the day and I'd love to.

(Daniel I don't know of any plans to do any more recording past this and the Merge single previously discussed, but they do seem to be enjoying the process. Oh and the Merge site has news of some July shows in the US, too: http://www.mergerecords.com/the-clientele which you lot may or may not have noticed.)

― Tim, Monday, April 14, 2014

thrilled and encouraged by even the possibility that they'll record more albums together as a band.

ooh, I love all of those bands! I hope I can snag a copy of the 7"... I had to pass on the Merge one because it was only available as part of a series, too much $$$.

Haha I did think of you when we arrived at that line-up, FH. It sounds like your cup of tea.

The rest of the tickets for the show are on sale now: http://hangoverlounge.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/the-clientele-birdie-would-be-goods.html

Oh sorry, that's my blather, this is the ticket link: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/269194 (though please feel free to peruse the HL blog for news of the other exciting forthcoming events, all of which are free.)

Thanks Tim for the news about the tour. Just got tix to the SF show in July. Very excited.

It sounds like your cup of tea.

The first time I saw the Clientele I did it by delaying my return flight by a couple days so I could see them play a London show... I think this was in 2004? Anyway since I was there for another night I went and saw the Would-Be-Goods too! It was a fun couple of days. Koogs showed me around town a bit, and an unknown ILXor (I was drunk) gave me a Shirley Collins CD. Maybe it was you!

More Clientele dates? Great news to kick off the morning!

Got the reissued Suburban Light yesterday. Sounded great while I was driving around with the windows down on a warm Bay Area evening.

I also picked it up this weekend! It does sound great.

Love the bonus material

ooh I hope mine arrives today!

mine arrived today, all the way from the states! (from Denmark)
can't wait to get home from uni...

(that's supposed to be: I'm from Denmark)

Really excited to pick the vinyl up sometime this week. It'll be really cool to actually see one of their records in a shop. I always seem to find a section for them but it's always empty.

God Save & Bonfires are both out there with reasonable availability.

I did manage to find those both online for very reasonable prices but as for record shops here in Minnesota I just seem to have no luck. Strange Mercy is right at the top of my list of albums I want on vinyl and has been for the last year. Couple of copies on Discogs for over a hundred dollars but that's about it. Rarely even comes up on eBay.

Strange Geometry? Yeah me too. All time favorite album.

I bought strange geometry vinyl for a friend on his birthday. I guess he can retire now.

It was my birthday almost a month ago and I still haven't received anything in the mail...

your copy of Dan Fogelberg's Souvenirs is on its way, i swear!

no idea about this reissue. what is the new/extra material?

who gives a shit about vinyl, though, really?

Extra material is on a CD. Unreleased/alternate versions/limited stuff.

I like vinyl.

The only unreleased thing on it I haven't come across before is May Has Brought a Change in You... not sure where it is from. There's some demo versions that might not have seen the light of day before as well.

Strange Geometry? Yeah me too. All time favorite album.

― Evan

Oops, that was indeed meant to be Strange Geometry and not the St. Vincent album (already have that on vinyl)

I like vinyl too. It looks and sounds lovely.

I should force my friend to give strange geometry to one of y'all because he heavily favors violet hour over it iirc. At least violet hour is easier to find on vinyl.

Violet Hour does seem to be bit more available. Think I only paid $30 for it in the end.

Strange Geometry was my favourite when I first got into them. It's much more instant than Violet Hour which I actually thought was a little dull the first time I heard it. After a while I kept going back to Violet Hour and it's taken over as my favourite and has become one of my favourite albums ever. Not many albums have grown on me like that did.

That's funny. I kind of have the exact same story. Since I got into them late, Violet Hour sounded kind of limp and dour in comparison. Now it's extremely hard for me to imagine that perspective. I guess the production made it all blend together, though I now I know the songs!

oops- I now know the songs*

yeah, I didn't get heavily into violet hour immediately. but the aforementioned friend played it every night through one summer, and it eventually took a very strong hold. I immediately took to strange geometry, however, while my friend apparently did not, which does seem a bit backward to me.

Have Strange Geometry on vinyl - didn't realize I was lucky to have it, was one of the first things I ordered once I started collecting. Also one of the first albums I downloaded when I started reading Pitchfork. Also All Time Favorite top10 (agree completely w thread title). Caught the band live last year for local Pop Revo festival's 10th anniversary - all time top5 concerts, wooow, especially hearing/seeing Alasdair's live delivery was eye opening.

Never really got into Violet Hour bc of production, still like it over Bonfires but not overn God Save. SG #1 by far for me. Woohoo Clientele!!!

I was at that PopRevo show, it was a total wonder, not least because it was the first show back as a three-piece and they played a bunch of stuff which no-one had heard live for years. I probably mentioned all of that upthread somewhere.

In other mentioned-upthread news, I have the new recording I talked about now: it's lovely, The Clientele in bright and breezy mode. And a trumpet! It's called "On A Summer Trail".

Has anyone heard the tracks from the Merge singles club 7" yet? Falling Asleep and Orpheus Avenue?

I hope all these new songs are harbingers of a new album (more new Birdie recordings would also be pretty wonderful)!

The Birdie thing we're putting out is "Spiral Staircase" (it's never been out in the UK before) because the new recording ("Bowling Green Saturday") wasn't finished in time for manufacture ahead of the July show (i.e. today). But we are doing our best to persuade them that the world requires the great lost Birdie LP.

Triple Echo is so good!

I know!

Right?

I don't know anything about Birdie. Fill me in?

yes, was going to ask the same thing...

birdie is debsy from dolly mixture (though maybe better known as saint etienne's key regular backup singer on tour, occasionally on album.) paul kelly is the other member, he's done some film work too.

xpost

The core members of Birdie are Paul Kelly (East Village, Episode 4) and Debsey Wykes (Dolly Mixture, Coming Up Roses, tons of other stuff), both of whom have played with Saint Etienne in their time. They make a beautiful noise, which I'd tend to think of as cool-psychy-pop and they know better than most how to deploy an electric piano.

Try these:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-KdaAKlB6g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e40p8lnEbA

(We're talking about them here because we have a split single coming out featuring them and the Clientele, and the two bands will be playing the same London show at the start for July; 5 tickets left, hurry hurry.)

I'd attend but I just spent a bunch of money seeing the Clientele up in NYC!

Thanks!

I'm from the states, and no worries- I've got tickets to their show here in July as well! I really can't wait. The chickfactor show in Brooklyn was magical. I mean, so was their Hoboken show in 2010, but I only become a bigger fan as the years pass if that were possible.

I owe my ambition to write overly knotty and complex but beautiful guitar parts to these guys (also Kozelek).

See you there I guess!

love the sound and texture of those birdie songs.

yeah birdie sounds real good too, thx for recommending.

@Tim that's so funny you were there - I did notice some english speakers and thought, wow Clientele really has fans (totally makes sense, were I not at roskilde festival 5th july I would buy tickets for the london show now)

sure i've said this before, but losing haringey is brilliant, mind-blowing, sadly-sweet nostalgia.

got my suburban light in the mail just now! and a package from slumberland at the same time, when it rains it pours

Will you be at the Clientele show in NYC this July?

nah, can't afford to go up there as often now that I don't have family living there to stay with... also I'm going to the outer banks! might try and catch one of their east coast summer shows if the timing (and distance) is right.

Oh I guess I misread your earlier post. Good luck catching them if you're able to! I'm just glad that they're active again.

Thanks! If the stars align I'll be going through DC in July and I'll try and time it so I can see them at the Black Cat!

The Clientele on facebook:

"wow thank you so much Suburban Light purchasers - our old 4 track record is currently #27 in the Billboard LP chart."

Awesome!

Tempted to post on there asking about a Strange Geometry reissue but I'm worried that will come across as looking a bit greedy.

do it!

Done. Because I'm that cool.

nice.

I asked Alasdair at the Chickfactor show and he said "If Merge wants to!"

well maybe the suburban light success will help

When Merge first starting posting about these 25th anniversary reissues I actually posted on their Facebook page asking if they'd consider putting out either a Surburban Light or Strange Geometry reissue. They responded with something along the lines of "Watch this space" Then just as they announced the reissue they responded again to my post with a link to the Pitchfork article about the reissue. I though that was pretty cool.

So basically, I need to start hassling Merge now.

Thought not though obviously.

I'm 99.9 percent sure I have Strange Geometry still sealed in my closet. I bought it after I bought the cd and have just been using the cd or flacs all these years. Pretty sure Violet Hour is in there unplayed along with God Save The Clientele still sealed. My reissue LP came this week, I thought I read something about the cover art being slightly different, but other than being darker than the original one, looks the same to me.

If you ever need some extra closet space I'm sure one of us could help you out.

Think the new version has the same artwork that the original vinyl had but the CD had completely different artwork. I'm still waiting for my copy to arrive so can't be sure. Has anyone noticed any difference in sound quality? Didn't they say something about remastering it differently?

"I Had To Say This' seems more punchy, but it could be the tube I have in now, but I don't think it is that, I think it is the remastering.

I'm glad there isn't too much difference. Always loved the way it sounds.

Surprised Pitchfork haven't reviewed this yet. Think it's the only Clientele album they gave a low mark to. Think they need to make it right.

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19257-the-clientele-suburban-light-reissue/

so the bonus stuff is worth it? listening to my old CD right now. so good.

think i've said it before, but alasdair really is a great guitarist -- that little solo in "from a window" is sort of a perfect, economical part.

would love a violet hour reissue, although I'm not sure how it could be improved upon... there's a fair number of b-sides you could tack onto it, I suppose.

Alasdair is an amazing guitarist. Every song is knotty as hell and totally inventive. Watching him work through each number live is exhausting.

I meant

*Just watching him work through each number live is exhausting.

anyone have any good clientele live recordings? i would be interested...

I think I have at least two live sets... I'll check when I get home!

I seem to have a few -
I have

@ KEXP 11/26/2005 FLAC

@ KCRW 2007 flac - dunno date off hand, looking at some program that tells me whats on a old dvd, but not the date

Cellar Door, Visalia, CA 3-10-2007 flac

Live at Emmaboda 2002 mp3 from Swedish radio

I think most of them were from dimeadozen.org except the mp3 one

That Emmaboda is a nice little six-song set (unless there is more?), and I've got...

Denton November 2005
Boston June 2007
Mergefest July 2009

The Mergefest has the best sound, the vocals in Denton are rough, and Boston is a bit tinny but a solid set of earlier stuff! All mp3.

Alasdair solo ... http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Alasdair_MacLean/ I think Tyler had this one on his blog a while back.

yeahhh, i love that set. would be interested in hearing any of the clientele shows mentioned (maybe most interested in the early stuff).

alisdair had a little joint birthday shindig on friday and played for about 45 minutes to about 40 of us in the basement of the betsey trotwood. also featured guests from early incarnations of the band - innes, dan. was good.

(tim might provide details if you ask him nice)

(alasdair, sorry)

this is a nice little interview http://passiveaggressive.dk/alasdair-maclean-fra-the-clientele-the-less-we-try-the-more-we-seem-to-succeed-interview/

At the risk of sounding obnoxious, people ask me what pedals/amps/guitars we use as if that’s the answer but really the key to our sound is that we practiced our instruments together for 15 years!”

it is nice!

Folks have posted both sides of the Clientele 7" that is part of Merge's "Or Thousands of Prizes" subscription box set on Youtube:

Falling Asleep

Orpheus Avenue

Lovely!

the new split 7" with birdie sounds pretty divine on first listen too.

:)

And it looks beautiful too!

ooh, and rough trade has copies for sale!

been available for pre-order on bandcamp for WEEKS

http://hangoverloungerecords.bandcamp.com/album/hl007-the-third-hangover-lounge-picture-disc

why didn't you tell me!

I might be capable of providing cheaper postage to the US for ILXors who can wait a month for me to be over there. If you're interested in that, say so and I'll work out whether we can make that work.

That would be very very cool of you to do!

I've space to bring a handful of copies to mail in the US in a couple of weeks... If you have ordered a copy and fancy a couple of dollars rebate (or maybe a free gift instead) drop me a webmail.

I can't send webmail, it goes to a blank page, but I ordered one and if it saves you a few bucks go ahead and mail it when you are in the US. Don't worry about a refund or anything, my last name is Sorensen and it was going to SF. I hope you can figure it out from that.

Yeah I was gonna say, if it saves you some hassle don't worry about the refund.

So all the picture discs that were ordered got sent out before I had a chance to bring them to the US, in a rare occurrence of efficiency in team Hangover Lounge. Have those of you who ordered them received them? Hope so (shout if not), and hope you like it.

The reaction to the single has been really good, which means we're close to selling out already.

The show last weekend was absolutely amazing, I should add. Dude playing a zithery-dulcimer thing! Backing vocals!

Wait- in Brooklyn? I was there! I don't know anything about a zithery-dulcimer thing though.

(tim means the london one)

Oh, I would have figured otherwise but last weekend (on Saturday) I was watching them in Brooklyn so I thought maybe he was there too.

Annoyingly, although I'm off to the US on Saturday, I couldn't make that work with any Clientele shows this time.

Bummer.

Well I picked up a picture disc at the show! Chatted with Alasdair too. Had a great time.

Mine came in the mail last week! It's very pretty. The record and the songs! Couldn't get over to DC last week to see them, but that's OK... I hope they tour (and record) again soon!

Glad you got it! I'm very proud of the whole thing, even though I had nothing to do with the parts I'm proud of (ie how lovely it looks, the quality of the music).

yeah the single is lovely, i almost can't believe my luck having a stone classic clientele summer anthem on 7". I thought those days were gone.

(we've lobbed a few more copies up on the Hangover Lounge band camp site, in case anyone's gagging to get hold of the vinyl; there aren't too many left.)

Great show at The Chapel in SF on Sunday. Alasdair seemed bemused by the full house and the warm reception from the crowd. Having never seen them live before I was very glad to get this chance. Maybe Merge will put out a remaster of The Violet Hour and they will tour again...

These guys are better than the smiths. There, I said it.

Yup

thirded

listened to bonfires on the heath last night, and it's really a great record - somehow I'd forgotten

It's fantastic for sure!

Hey, I don't think this would be an inappropriate request given its rarity...

Does anyone have a digital copy of It's Art Dad that they could share?

Never mind! Got it.

happy: http://pointyrecords.co.uk/news.php?id=86

is that a syd barrett lyric reference?

(tbh i'm more familiar with the this mortal coil version)

The track listing of that could be a lot better in my opinion. Only one song from The Violet Hour doesn't seem right. Porcelain or When You and I Were Young should be on there too.

Seems a little skimpy to me, but then any single-LP Clientele comp would anyway

At least someone is paying attention to their catalog. Better would be nice big box set. Maybe if this comp sells (and the reissues, too) they'll have backing to put together something more juicy. Will be interested to hear what's on the early unreleased session.

that is a weird track listing.

ha, yeah it is a weird selection, they'd be better served by a more idiosyncratic collection creaming bits off the odder eps , stuff that perhaps fewer people have heard alongside lp highlights & so forth, yeah, more violet hour too. a double album certainly. oh well, beggars can't be choosers & it has that untouchably great single from last year. and it's not like theres a bad note on it. very excited about the show.

I'm just excited they're reissuing the discography. Wondering if there'll be a US release? I guess that's up to Merge?

Of all the reissues, that is.

I'm surprised Suburban Light is being reissued again after the Merge 25 reissue last year.

Yeah! That one is weird.

Haven't seen mention of this here: couple of pre-Suburban Light versions of familiar songs posted up by Pointy in anticipation of the best-of (one familiar as a Relict number). They're beauties. Sound of Young Basingstoke indeed.

https://soundcloud.com/pointyrecords

thanks for the link, always happy to see this thread (title) bumped

i've heard rumours of maybe a live show in fall

not just a rumour --
Islington Town Hall on Friday 23rd October 2015.
Tickets http://www.wegottickets.com/event/322623

cool!
have actually heard more rumours, but probably best not to write abt it on a msg board

ready for them to come back to the Bay Area... they put on an amazing show about 1 year ago.

Live radio session tonight:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0686wbw

The Clientele will be performing on our programme, as part of the day of live music to mark the announcement through this week of the line up of bands and artists performing at this year's 6Music Live at MV sessions on October.

Those probably weren't the best live renditions the band ever did, but nice all the same.

Btw I always say pronounce it like "cl-eye-entel" and I guess it really is "clee-entel" uhm but, how wrong am I? feel like it would be weird to change my pronunciation after all these years...

I thought that Bonfires on the Heath was really great! Better than the album version even. And your pronunciation is not wrong. They're the Clientele, and that's a word Americans don't pronounce like British folks.

Strange Geometry reissue with a 6 track digital EP of outtakes, by the looks: https://www.mergerecords.com/strange-geometry-repress

Can only be good news.

Finally!

Just recently got the deluxe best of that came out. This whole time I didn't realize it was packaged with early demoes. Once I found that out I snatched it up immediately.

playing Copenhagen in August!

Heh, I revived the *other* Clientele thread earlier today for the same reason. Looking forward to it.

heh, I see... Copenhagen i August should be great, and Jazzhouse is a cool place.

bought 2 tickets, hope to go with my brother

see you there!

hey what's this Strange Geometry outtakes ep?

https://www.discogs.com/The-Clientele-A-Sense-Of-Falling-Strange-Geometry-Outtakes/release/8532412

anyone heard it?

aah see it's mentioned upthread...

Argh, that makes me realize I totally forgot to access those demos! I'll report back.

The album cover really is all-time...

http://cdn2.pitchfork.com/albums/1495/5d1cb216.jpg

Yeah, that is one of those album covers that is made for vinyl.

http://www.seetickets.com/event/the-clientele/moth-club-london/1039934

London show in mid-December, can only be good news.

I love this bad, esp. Suburban Light, Strange Geometry, and Bonfires. I saw them on the Bonfires tour and they were way better than I expected. Bassist has Macca moves.

*band

Indeed. They are the best band, regardless of the Smiths or whoever else.

might try and come to London for this one

they are indeed the best, was thinking about who's my favorite artist of all time and my go-to answer would be Dylan, but in a way he's too larger-than-life-iconic to be entirely personal, and so The Clientele is probably a better and more personal answer

I have hard time picturing playing them live and I love the records. Are they good on a stage?

it is magic

They're fantastic live

Yeah they're really great live. Always wish I could find a recording of when they were playing a sort of slowed-down version of Impossible that was absolutely amazing

I blew about $200 once to postpone my return flight by a day or two so I could see them play in London.

Moth Club set list for last night

Joseph Cornell
As Night Is Falling
Since K Got Over Me
Reflections After Jane
The Violet Hour
Impossible
Emptily Through Holloway
Porcelain
Saturday
On A Summer Trail
Falling Asleep
Orpheus Avenue
Lamplight

Like Goats
Jamaican Rum Rhumba

(I didn't go, but several friends did and posted the above on Facebook)

Yeah they were good. Rare treat to hear "Emptily Through Holloway".

I know exactly whose facebook you got that from, Koogs, because "Like Goats" is code for "The House Always Wins" (it's a standing joke of sorts, that the lyric goes "and the fields are drifting in to fill his space, like goats, like goats").

I thought maybe it was that Wiggles song.

New lp!

https://youtu.be/qP_gLrFPWXA

FUCK YES. Haven't heard anything on it but obviously album of the year :)

Interested to see what direction they go in. I thought there were subtle differences in all of their albums - all fantastic.

"the neighbour" might be their best album opener

new record is really really really good.

has it leaked then?

got a promo DL from merge

I gotta go out on release day and see if I can track down that version with the bonus 7", I was traveling when Merge put it up for sale

Norman are selling it if thats any use: https://www.normanrecords.com/artist/10780-the-clientele

43 pounds though....

very excited about this record, both the tracks released so far are gorgeous

Cool, thanks for the link! I visited their site and then decided to check out Tapete Records since they're handling the deluxe edition... and they have it for 30 pounds!

really looking forward to the new disc. even splurged for the band t-shirt. they had sold out by the time the tour got to SF a few years back.

where did you get the tshirt?

can't wait to hear the album

T-shirt comes with the deluxe:

https://www.mergerecords.com/music-for-the-age-of-miracles?utm_source=The+Clientele%3A+Music+for+the+Age+of+Miracles&utm_campaign=57a0fd34ef-Clientele_MFTAOM_targeted_shirt_AB&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a3d2363c04-57a0fd34ef-45777933&mc_cid=57a0fd34ef&mc_eid=697076e147

oh, I see

The Clientele - Best Band. Since The Smiths

My favorite band for sure

Missing is such a classic track

was just enjoying this wfmu session today -- http://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Clientele/Live_on_WFMU_with_Irwin_Chusid_-_July_23_2014

good stuff!

the house always wins...

how about an album poll after the new one has come out?

What's everyone's favorite version of this band?

1. Moody lo-fi dreamlike (Suburban Light/Violet Hour era)
2. Mid-fi reverb plucking, more upbeat numbers (Strange Geometry)
3. Guitar stabs and psychedelic solos. If the song has guitar stabs, then there will always be a psychedelic solo at some point. (That Night, A Forest Grew ‎EP and other select songs from the later LPs)
4. Lush hi-fi (God Save, Bonfires)

Loosely how I subjectively segment their sound. Plenty of overlap obviously.

hmm I think my favorites are Strange Geometry and Bonfires but really it's impossible to choose

we could do a regular poll?

It really is weialala leia impossible to choose!

Curious though, as I feel like most people here might find their earliest sound to be the most "sophisticated"?

I have tried to get into The Violet Hour so many times but I have always found it weirdly impenetrable

strange geometry is my favorite but also love violet hour and god save the clientele. i don't really see them as stylistically different though, just the same thing with different production.

God Save the Clientele is the most sophisticated, it has a violin on it. The Violet Hour is probably my favorite record by any artist, ever.

'the queen of seville' is probably my favorite clientele song

Strange Geometry is my favorite. It just has this incredible cohesion that I think elevates it above just a collection of beautiful songs, like it needs to experienced as a whole many times over to be appreciated. Maybe the best sequenced album i've heard.

Suburban Light is kinda the reverse. It's filled with jawdroppingly good tracks that standing alone i would be super excited to share with someone else or to hear come up on a playlist, but I never get the urge to listen to it through all the way.

Violet Hour is closer to Strange Geometry but doesn't get stuck in my head as often. Still damn good though.

And weirdly those 3 albums encapsulate them so much for me that I haven't really ever bothered to get into any of their other stuff. I just kinda think oh yeah it probly sounds like the Clientele who I love and its probly good but I've already got enough.

I heard the new album at work today. Absolutely stunning. It really is everything I wanted from a new album by them.

My favourite album is The Violet Hour which feels strange as it was the least instant out of all their releases for me. My favourite song is Bookshop Casanova which is hovering round my top 10 songs of all time list. The harmonies and string combination in the second verse is one of those perfect moments.

So looking forward to the new album. Jealous of you folks in the biz that get advanced listens.

For albums I'd list Suburban Light at the top. But a top ten songs would pull in stuff from most albums and some of the EPs. Shout out to the That Night, A Forest Grew EP which has two of their best tracks, Retiro Park and Share The Night.

I'll do a poll once the new one is released.

"the neighbour" might be their best album opener

― reggie (qualmsley), Wednesday, August 23, 2017 8:47 AM (two days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Since K Got Over Me is tough hurdle. Hope The Neighbour is that good.

the violet hour is my favourite. liked the following ones, but i love the off-tuned misty feel of that one

Shout out to the That Night, A Forest Grew EP which has two of their best tracks, Retiro Park and Share The Night.

― that's not my post, Friday, August 25, 2017 10:06 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Funny, I remember ilx absolutely hating Share The Night when it came out! I think it's nice myself.

From that EP nothing comes close to George Says He Has Lost His Way In This World imo

I do think Alasdair was in a sort of a compositional rut around that time. He was really leaning hard on those stab-y guitar songs with obligatory psych solo

Strange Geometry was my introduction to the band, and probably because of that I found it a bit difficult to get into the earlier records since they have that weird ethereal (thin mercury?) sound compared to the lush production of SG, GStC and Bonfires (and the new one).

Lately I've been listening a lot to the best of compilation, nice mix

"suburban light" and "strange geometry" are my fave albums. I also find "the violet hour" impenetrable and hard to get into although "house on fire" is one of my fave Clientele tunes

Seconds ago I was grocery shopping at the local supermarket and they played I Wonder Who We Are and I was sorta freaked out. I walked half an aisle to hear better just to be sure I wasn't imagining it.

did you gaze distantly at a bag of chips

that happened to me a couple days ago at the grocery store, except it was eddie murphy's "party all the time"

i've heard 'here comes the phantom' at the supermarket, they seem to have an indie pop playlist that plays late at night since i hear beach house, grizzly bear etc all the time there too but only after 10pm

I watched (I Can't Seem to) Make You Mine on youtube and the comments are filled with awestruck The Lake House movie super-fans.

Apparently the movie opens with that song playing?

Lol thx for calming reassurances. I love them chips so much. We gonna last.

I've not heard clientele anywhere I've not sought out, and King Soopers was not my predicted venue.

Lunar Days is a beauty

this is rather lovely from, reminiscent of the adriane ep:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=s7szaOJnPYI

new track (everything you see tonight is different from itself) is fantastic

my copy shipped a few days ago, can't wait to hear the whole album!

New album streaming on NPR:

http://www.npr.org/2017/09/18/550698416/first-listen-the-clientele-music-for-the-age-of-miracles

Gonna wait until I get my vinyl copy because I'm seasonal like that.

When you read been readin about an album, and are anxious just to the streaming stage, that's where I been at. Psyched to listen later tonight.

Ha "just to get to"

album is fantastic

it's by some distance my favourite clientele album

Everyone you meet is wonderful

it's really beautiful!

Like it a lot lot.

It's very, very good.

"Everything You See Tonight Is Different From Itself" is like a whole album in six minutes — really fantastic.
coming around to the (weird) idea that this might be their best album.

good interview over here: http://www.aquariumdrunkard.com/2017/09/19/the-clientele-the-aquarium-drunkard-interview/

I haven't listened to it yet (came in the mail this morning!) but it's shocking to imagine a better album than Strange Geometry so I'm excited and nervous.

i know! i don't know, it might be that a band this deep into their career has no business making an album as great as Music for the Age of Miracles.

Interesting interview!

We’ve always had the ambition, but we’re always been too poor and too impatient to do it in the way we wanted to. I feel like we’re just starting that journey, really. I feel like we can do a lot more in terms of electronic beats and a lot more in terms of instrumental textures. It really sets you free, it’s like having a whole different palette of colors to use. I said I’d only do another Clientele record if we grew. We couldn’t keep on making Bonfires on the Heath indefinitely. We had to break through and do something else. We were actually able to.

On first listen, the electronic beats and other new production touches were exactly what I liked least about it. Great album overall, though!

i want to see these guys live again. I saw them maybe 9-10 years ago. Beach House was opening for them!

I remember feeling the same way about God Save the Clientele-- weren't there banjos or something else "adventurous" on there? :/

xpost

think there's pedal steel on that one.
Not like they've gone and made an "electronic" album by any stretch here, everything is subtly/smoothly incorporated to my ears.

Beautiful on first listen. They've managed to broaden the sonic landscapes while remaining rooted in classic Clientele tunes.

This album is kind of perfect isn't it? It's everything that's great about them but with a few new surprises (mainly the scope of instruments they've used). I can't stop listening to it. They've timed the released brilliantly too.

Falling Asleep is like a Lamplight-level masterpiece, I can listen to it on repeat for ages. Especially the album version that has an extra couple of minutes of outro!

this album
rocks very well
much Clientele

This is a pair of old slacks, slipped on for a lazy Sunday afternoon.
:'(

Apropo response from a 2015 interview with Alasdair MacLean:

We’ve talked about the sound and atmosphere you create as a band and you’ve mentioned that with each album you’re trying to refine that sound and get at the essence of it. Some critics have a tendency to accuse acts of rehashing old songs. What’s your opinion on that?

I think that I completely understand why people would say that about The Clientele, as they’re viewing us in 2015 as a Rock ‘n’ Roll band. The kind of rock band that has to focus on reinvention, this Miles Davis or Picasso styled reinvention. But in 2015, Rock ‘n’ Roll bands don’t mean anything and The Clientele isn’t one; they’re an art project. Again I know that sounds aggressively pretentious.

What it is it’s a refinement of a certain idea and it’s something that’s lasted a couple of decades and a lot of people have contributed to it. So you shouldn’t expect a Kid A from us or a Screamadelica. That’s all bullshit now anyway. I don’t think it matters now, I don’t think it has any meaning anymore. What we’re doing is just rumbling on with this art project that’s been going on since the ’90s.

Our whole aim and our whole methodology is separate from what they’re looking at, what their expectations are. We don’t have that idea of the difficult third album, that’s foreign to what we do.

oops spelled apropos wrong

that's a great response

It's so rare you hear an actually interesting answer from someone in a band

i was listening to the sassoon lyric and i finally looked to refresh how and who and why i knew this... ohhh, yeah. that was really moving actually.

OK the reason I'm not on board with the assessments upthread that this is their best album is that the compositions feel a bit bloated. Just a bit overthought imo. Cynical read is that they're compensating for otherwise slightly less inspired melodies...

Still, I love it. The Clientele is my favorite band. Just looking at it in comparison the the rest of their catalog.

New album is very good but it's not their best.

are we ready for an album poll?

Ready! It's the perfect time of year to back through their albums again.

we can poll the greatest comp too!

ok then. i'll put up the album poll this weekend. great idea to poll the greatest hit comp as well.

Strange POLLometry ...

I Had to POLL This

God POLL The Clientele

We can POLL together

POLLiceman getting lost

POLLcelain

POLLing time and money doesn't mean a thing

Poll is up. Very excited to see how many voters and what is the consensus view. Have to say that I forgot about The Minotaur... don't think that was their best effort. I only included full length albums.

Minotaur starts well but has a drop in quality a few tracks in iirc, weird EP but ofc nice that they were trying something new

it's that time of year

They were very good the other week. No new songs on the night but I believe there are some goodies in the works.

God Save The Clientele is the fourth studio album by British indiepop band The Clientele. Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, it broadens the band's palette through the use of pedal steel and slide guitar.

wow, never knew this

anyway:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxaPeBJ0oa8

I'd love to see them again

Yeah GSTC was recorded, barring a few overdubs, at Mark Nevers's studio (where a lot of Lambchop's work to that point was recorded); the final mix was done at Bark in London. I've heard conflicting things about whether the Nevers mixes exist in any meaningful form.

hell yeah time to break out my Suburban Light and Strange Geometry LPs

i always thought strange geometry was obviously the best one but now i think I've listened to GSTC way more in the past few years

the highs of GSTC are very high but I do find some of it a little treacly/pastiche-y, moreso than usual

after many years of trying I finally cracked The Violet Hour...no idea why I always found it so impenetrable

the house always wins

I revisit It's Art Dad very often

I mean I constantly listen to them overall but I wanted to mention that one in particular

In an August sky-y-y-y-y

I'm thinking these days that Music for the Age of Miracles is up there with the Violet Hour in my Clientele album rankings, it's so so good

I want to like it that much but I'm still really turned off by the bloated compositions and distracting backing vocals.

Don't mean to be a downer about it though... I know it's loved here. I want to love it. Though I've said before that I think I would love a "Naked" version of the record!

GSTC is my least favorite exactly because it sounds like it was recorded in Nashville, which basically means overproduced imo

(ha, sorry, I guess "nashville == overproduced sound" is about the most cliched thing a person can say)

the Nudie suits were also ill-advised

So I’ve really be into As Night Is Falling. The one with all the moody organ (or synth) and Alasdair singing about Ms Jones. Whatever that first chord is from the organ - so nice.

it's very good

bit of an outlier for Alasdair vocal-wise, somewhat strained, soulful in its pathos

Those ghostly dreamlike songs they do are my favorite.

I love 6am Morningside the most! It really captures the quiet peaceful mood of early morning.

ooh that's good too

Driving South and As Night is Falling always seemed of a pair to me, both amazing

My favorite part of the song is

It's a suburb in the rain
It don't matter anyway

I always want that sequence to repeat, at least musically. Wouldn't mind if it happened twice in a row. It's the prettiest part!

Speaking of the songs in this category... has anyone heard the original version of Six Foot Drop by Clock Strikes Thirteen? I've never heard it and can't find it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmz3XtwWdnA

Not sure how I missed that!

maybe wasn't uploaded last time you looked? I have that 7", Drive-In Records was quality indie pop.

a bit of Dear Prudence in Driving South

The title track from Age of Miracles is such a wonder: the lyrics, the arrangement, the asides, the way the Hindi section calls to the final lines, the 'Wake up in the night time with the silence so close' which might be my favourite of his, the repetition, the languor. Damn.

That closing minute or so could be straight off Bryter Layter.

Yeah! That song is unbelievably good.

Now, the year is turning
And the eeriness comes...

The Relict LP getting a vinyl reissue by the looks of it.

YAY!

ooh, I see the Bandcamp version of Tomorrow is Again has four more tracks than the CD version!

Wow, so I didn't even know this existed. Unsurprisingly amazing on first listen. Thanks ILM.

Stoked for this...

So what’s the story with The Relict? Lots of overlap in personnel and vibe with The Clientele but a different band led by the guy that dropped out of The Clientele after the first album.

you already know

https://theclientele.bandcamp.com/album/closer

the Relict album seems sure to please any Clientele fan

what's the story w "Closer", standalone or teaser? it's lovely of course

Today our first new music in a while is released. It's a cover of a beautiful song by Mick Head. Everything it makes will be donated to #BlackLivesMatter. Get it here: https://t.co/NcorJ3Ipuu pic.twitter.com/7hwphQPVuH

— The Clientele (@theclientele) June 5, 2020

ahhhh. their sound is so distinct I'd never have guessed it was a cover. very cool

Mick Head seems an obvious candidate for a Clientele cover version

Awesome! I know Alasdair MacLean has spoken of his love for Mick Head in the past, because it's why I bought that Strands album.

Not heard any Mick Head before - will check him out

Have a listen to the Magical World of the Strands

Ah thanks.

Had been searching Mick Head on Spotify and drawing a blank

His 80s work was the Pale Fountains, and in the 90s Shack and the aforementioned Strands album, and then recently he's Michael Head and the Red Elastic Band.

It's probably an obvious one but Comedy by Shack is just glorious.

xpost, many thanks for the Magical World of the Strands recommendation. Lovely indeed.

not to mention that a new Clientele tune can brighten the worst day

Never heard of Michael Head & The Strands before but it’s hitting the spot this morning.

hopefully this tweet will embed properly

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">On Friday July 3, the crimes we committed in our teens (between 1991-1996) will be available for you to condemn and/or purchase on bandcamp <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/soundofyoungbasingstoke?src=hash&;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#soundofyoungbasingstoke</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/clienteleism?src=hash&;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#clienteleism</a> <a href="https://t.co/McLO25ze4Q";>pic.twitter.com/McLO25ze4Q</a></p>— The Clientele (@theclientele) <a href="

On Friday July 3, the crimes we committed in our teens (between 1991-1996) will be available for you to condemn and/or purchase on bandcamp #soundofyoungbasingstoke #clienteleism pic.twitter.com/McLO25ze4Q

— The Clientele (@theclientele) June 30, 2020

...well maybe not. It's Art Dad will be available on bandcamp.

nice, wonder if it will be It's Art Dad alone, or they'll tack on the additional Sounds of Young Basingstoke tracks that came with the (I think?) the Alone and Unreal best-of?

it will be released on july 3. the announcement tags sounds of young basingstoke so i would guess those tracks are included.

I wish I had sophisticated taste like that when I was a teen.

looks like those Young Basingstoke tracks are still available from Merge, so probably just the It's Art Dad ones... which is good, because those are awesome!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUHB-bVUD4s&list=RDHUHB-bVUD4s&index=1

FFS. Anyway, it's a beautiful version of the Age of Miracles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUHB-bVUD4s&list=RDHUHB-bVUD4s&index=1

Here you go:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUHB-bVUD4s

Thank you! Sausage fingers + drunken posting = not a good mix.

YT seems to have changed the way URLs of videos are displayed with that "channel" bit added in - think you need to delete everything from the first ampersand onwards in the URL to get them to embed here.

Great version anyway and thanks for sharing

With some years now since Music for the Age of Miracles... does anyone still rank it as their best? I maintain more decisively that for me it is their worst (which doesn't mean it is bad at all!). To me overall it is full of very busy arrangements garnishing and overcompensating for their least inspired collection of melodies, relatively. As harsh as that sounds I don't mean it to be; I think the album is wonderful, it is just far away from being better than the effortless and dreamy Strange Geometry or Suburban Light era material. Asking because I do believe that all the showy orchestrations and extra dressings are the exact kind of thing that can seduce and excite initially but lose impact with time. Like chips doused with truffle oil.

Having felt various degrees of obsessiveness with their output over the last ~20 years, it certainly was a timely arrival 4 years ago ("this is the year that the monster will come") and was an essential companion through that time.

Since the fog has lifted? I have not spent enough time on Holloway or Vincent St to say for sure.

But I think it still rates for me.

Rates for me but omg how have 20 years passed.

I can't remember, but I may have discovered The Clientele on ILX.

I think it's stronger than God Save the Clientele... Falling Asleep, Lunar Days, Everyone You Meet, and the Age of Miracles are some of their best songs

My trajectory with Age of Miracles is intense anticipation (new music!), a bit of disappointment in the actual album over first few spins (no way to live up to the anticipation), and now I'd put in the middle of the list. Minotaur would be at the low point for me. But, f. hazel otm, Age of Miracles does have some songs that rank among their best - Lunar Days, Everyone You Meet and Constellations Echo Lanes in particular.

Some of the arrangements are a little over upholstered and i could live without the yodelling man, but it is wonderful and has the edge on bonfires on the heath for me, so somewhere in the middle? Suburban Daylight gets the Tims listening party treatment on April the 1st, for fans of that kind of thing.

i listened to Age of Miracles last night and I think it's a damn masterpiece! totally beautiful from start to finish.

"Some of the arrangements are a little over upholstered and i could live without the yodelling man"

Yes exactly, those two elements indicated to me that they were overthinking things! Personally I look to to them for their effortlessness and those attributes seemed to be at odds with that quality. Also a bit unexpected given they'd reformed as the original trio and were playing shows celebrating the early material in years leading up to it, and the album is the opposite of that hazy-memory sounding minimal ingredients approach of their first couple of albums.

Appreciate everyone's thoughts. At the time I was fantasizing about hearing a "naked" version of the album. Clearly I'd still be very interested in that sort of thing.