Customer Reviews

Fading Summer

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A Fading Summer is the perfect title for The Clientele's debut American EP. The Clientele's shimmering 1960's-style pop has a dark undercurrent, but it's so restrained that you just sit mesmerized by the reverb-drenched melodies. The vocals are heavily accented, enveloping each syllable with a fey English sigh. The music is so quiet and elegantly strummed that it floats by like a lazy afternoon. You'd almost swear you've heard each song somewhere before, but, of course, you haven't. Alasdair Maclean sings as though he doesn't want to wake the neighbors while the guitar chimes lightly in the background.

"An Hour Before The Light" is another title that captures the mood of the song so well that it seems like the music was written with the title in mind. Listening to this EP makes you feel like you've discovered something big. The vocals are clearly the centerpiece, but the music is equally sublime, recalling New Zealand pop and The Byrds all at once. The effect is very subtle, but these strangely alluring lullabies will hit you hard- I just keep starting them over. The Clientele effortlessly evokes the psychedelic side of the 1960's the way Robert Pollard only wishes he could.

"Driving South" is music to lose yourself by. The guitar, bass, and drums build quietly into a slow, swaying pop gem. When Maclean hits those falsetto-notes you have to fight off the chill bumps. The music is so soft and distant that it feels like it could wash away at any moment. The band captures that vintage 60's vinyl sound without seeming too calculating or contrived. This is dreary melancholia for sure, but it tugs at your pop sensibilities and drags you into its misty lair.

Somewhere between "Suburban Light" and the recent "Violet Hour" was Clientele's "Fading Summer," a brief EP full of drowsy, hazy pop melodies that will either soothe you or have you snoring. It's a pretty little EP, but somehow it feels a bit bland beside their full-length albums.

It opens with the quietly catchy "An Hour Before the Light," a shimmery little song that sounds like a lullaby. It's followed up by the lackluster, stripped-down "Driving South," and the muted ballad "Bicycles," before finishing up with the bouncier "Saturday."

Imagine the Sea and Cake on a summery night, beside a lake covered in fog -- that's the feeling that "Fading Summer" offers listeners. It's a pretty listen, but it's way too short -- as soon as you're sinking into it, bam, you're done. And "Driving South" is a bit too smug-sounding for its own good.

The echoing guitars give the instrumentation an eerie, dreamy effect, and it definitely pegs as the most atmospheric guitarwork done in a long time. Alasdair MacLean's vocals are muted and distant, and his songs have little recognizable end or beginning. But don't worry -- you won't actually be listening to the words. He could be reading his grocery receipt, and would sound hypnotic and unintelligible.

While "Fading Summer" is a fairly good EP, a lackluster long and too-short length drag it down a bit. Even so, it's a charming listen.

Released between their singles collection and their first full length LP, this EP falls right in line with those great records. Four songs, two new to North America and two new to everyone I believe?

If you are into the Clientele, this is essential. If you are new to them, get any of the full lengths NOW.

If you like classic, well-crafted pop music(i.e. Pet Sounds & Forever Changes instead of Britney & Cristina), I insist that you buy this EP. If none of your local record stores have it(which is likely), order it. Only four songs, but four absolutely haunting, almost sinfully gorgeous songs. The Clientele are a British three-piece who play songs that fall somewhere between the Velvet Underground and the Beatles, with reverb-y guitar lines snaking around perfect pop melodies, as singer Alasdair MacLean's voice slips in and out of falsetto mode. All four songs are terrific, with "Driving South" being the standout, I think, with it's shifting tempo and MacLean's beautiful vocal. MacLean is also the lyricist, and his words do an excellent job of placing us in his rainy, melancholy English world with specific details(there is much about rain and a gal named "Jane"). Buy this EP immediately, and if you like it, proceed to the full-length album, 'Suburban Light', which is also exquisite. Go, go now!!

...a little too much to pay for only four songs, nonetheless you will be treated to the ghost of John Lennon filtered through a magical tunnel of reverb...a sweet, lilting lullaby of sadness...dancing motes of light and gently falling ashes...

a nice spot to while away a quarter of an hour or so. if you like nick drake, belle and sebastian, donovan, mr. lennon, low, or this mortal coil you might like the clientele, too.

One listen to this EP and you will become a fan of the Clientele. A Fading Summer rivals genius not heard since the Smiths first singles. Through the EP, Alasdair Maclean and company submerse you into a pool of reverb and beautiful melody that echos memories of your past so well you can almost smell it. All you have to do is close your eyes. "Driving South" is in my opinion, the best track on the EP. Somehow lo-fi and brilliant at the same time, it is a perfect pop song. Give it a whirl.

The incredible thing is, most of the Clientele's best recordings to date have yet to be released on their debut album "Suburban Light" (November 17th 2000 release).

Keep an eye on this band.