God Save the Clientele

Clientele

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 8, 2007)
• Original Release Date: May 8, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Merge Records
• ASIN: B000OMD4GG
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #115,925 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

God Save the Clientele has better manners than the London quartet's previous release Strange Geometry, with a little less reverb and tighter production. But it's a very similar record. The band continues to mine '60s-era British pop, drawing heavily on the traditions of Fairport Convention and the invasion rush of bands like the Zombies. It's a hard thing to do without sounding twee a la Belle & Sebastian or overtly literate like Pulp. The Clientele's secret is they don't try and reinvent or fetishize their influences, ending up with music that sounds free and forward-thinking. A love letter to London from the vantage point of a wide-eyed boy taking a stroll, the songs here are simple delights, hopping in puddles and gazing at the blue Hyde Park sky. Hints of autumn play around the edges of smiley songs like "Here Comes the Phantom" and "The Dance of the Hours," but the optimism competes with wistful melancholies. "Isn't Life Strange" and "No Dreams Last Night" prick the good vibes with a sense that heartache is never far off. Of course, that only spikes the hopeless romance the band excels at. You could do a lot worse than to waste a day listening to the Clientele and wandering aimlessly, letting the vapor of time slip through your fingers. --Matthew Cooke

Product Description

On their third full-length, The Clientele are setting free their inner Monkees with a lovely blend of Big Star twisted powerpop, Byrdsian country achin', and flashes of The Beatles at their most joyful and upbeat. The ghosts, half-light, and uncertainties remain, but included in this music is a newfound optimism. With the addition of piano and violin, the band paints from a broader palette, adding splashes of pedal steel and slide guitar to their already lush songs. Their most accomplished and triumphant record. Recorded in Nashville with Mark Nevers (Lambchop, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Calexico, Silver Jews).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ...and the hits keep coming, May 9, 2007

By	M. Lohrke "spitcake.blogspot.com" (Provo, UT) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

it's always a happy day when a new clientele album drops. 'god save the clientele' (is the title a plea for a deservedly bigger fanbase or the band's recognition of its own greatness and a preliminary application for sainthood?) continues a string of great albums.

the clientele formula is pretty simple: lots of atmosphere, plenty of reverb, alisdair's aching vocals, pristine melodies and harmonies, and heavily imagistic lyrics. most bands would be accused of recycling their sound, but the clientele, fortunately, has such great songs that the formula works over and over again. the songs are simply wonderful and wonderfully simple. 'here comes the phantom,' 'somebody changed,' 'i hope you know,' and 'winter on victoria street' are more than worthy additions to the clientele canon. ballads like 'from brighton beach to santa monica,' 'these days nothing but sunshine,' and 'no dreams last night' are essential tracks on that mix cd you make your secret love. the first single, and best track (imo) is 'bookshop casanova.' it's the most unclientele clientele song to date. quicken the pace, toss in some quasi-funky guitar riffs, and a spine-tingling violin lick and you've got on of their best songs since 'i had to say this.' the addition of mel draisey on keys and violin is welcome, too. she gives the band a fuller, richer sound and even lends a vocal here and there, a nice counterpoint to alisdair's. it's no small feat these days for a band to release an album with 14 tracks and a dud nowhere in sight.

here's hoping the clientele's winning streak continues for years to come and results in a least one gig in the mountain time zone. please?

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm not over them yet, May 9, 2007

By	Mark Madison-kennedy (MN, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As proof the the world isn't a fair and just place in microcosm but only macrocosm, for every undeserving, over-hyped, vapid celebrity entity that occupies the public consciousness at every turn, there surely must be a counter-balancing yang. For every Britney, Tiffany, Little Jimmy Osmond and Davy Jones, there is a Alasdair MacLean, Graham Day, Nick Drake... you get the picture.

And this album only serves to rubber-stamp that theory towards becoming unassailable fact. The smart irony is, it cheekily and almost knowingly lifts a Monkees-esque upbeat feel in it's opening track, only to unfold into a piece of music of the stature that the prefab four never actually achieved (or in fact, their army of ghostwriters and performers to whom it should actually be credited).

The feel of the album has considerably shifted gears from 'Strange Geometry', but thankfully the lush string arrangements are still in place, albiet to much more soothing and laid back effect. This is the morning after the trip that produced tracks like 'Since K Got Over Me' and 'Impossible', with tracks like 'No Dreams Last Night' and 'Brighton Beach to Santa Monica', incorporating steel guitar that effortlessly weaves between the trademark reverb Telecaster and the dreamy vocal.

Still, the album has surprises up it's sleeve and shifts gear on the listener unto jolting aplomb - 'The Gardner At Night' takes the group into a new brand of dark, indie-stomp guitar intrigue, whilst the album's most commercial offering 'Bookshop Casanova' is a potent shoe shuffler. However, for those on comedown from their recent hypnotic offering, 'Isn't Life Strange' finds the band in more familiar territory.

In fact, overall the album is a friendly offering to invite old fans to develop their tastes and expectations rather than a brash and unrepentant change of gears; but you sense that this is a reflection of that fact that MacLean couldn't possibly sound any other way, and this sincerity is the key to the album's appeal, and most probably why followers of The Clientele are unswerving in their loyalty.

A quick flick through early reviews of the album pull out the Monkees comparison, but as far as I can see, don't understand the obvious point. Even though a diminutive squeaky child actor of limited musical ability might have occupied the headlines that The Clientele surely deserve more, artistry isn't measured in column inches. And they're taking back their yang.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of 2007: I hadn't been properly introduced..., May 21, 2007

By	Manny Hernandez "Author of Ning For Dummies" (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Back in 2005, when The Clientele released Strange Geometry, I was mildly introduced to their music, but it wan't quite the appropriate time for me to listen to them or something... because this album is much like that one, yet it resonates with me much more. The Clientele is one of those bands, like The Postmarks, that will make you feel good every time you listen to them. Their nostalgic sound feels as it has escaped from the sixties pop scene in Britain (where they come from).

When you are done with "God Save the Clientele" you will probably agree it's one of the best and most refreshing albums released in 2007.