Lacewings: My Review of The Clientele's Reissue of "Suburban Light"

The Clientele circa 2007

Every now and then, I will come across a band that I have never heard of, a band that has made an impact on a lot of people, but for some reason escaped my notice.  And then I wonder what proverbial rock I was under all this time.  My Bloody Valentine was like this for me.  And so is The Clientele.

I had never heard of them until my good friend Paige specifically asked me to review their debut album, "Suburban Light", which was released in 2000.  I am reviewing their 2014 reissue, which includes a lot of fabulous bonus tracks,

How do I describe their music?

I'll be honest here.  It took a few listens before I "got" them.  Their music is soft and sleepy, and kind of Beatles-esque.  But after a few listens, you start to listen to the subtle nuances - a guitar chord here, the strain of a violin there, or a soft, nearly-whispered lyric by vocalist, Alastair MacLean there.  You start to see through the fabric to see a splendid tapestry of sound.  It is lightly effervescent, like light rain upon a dulcid pond.  This is sixties-tinged jangle pop at it;s best, and the more you listen to it, it is less like the Beatles, and more like '80s acts like Felt, like R.E.M. without the country twang, like Stone Roses without the bravado.

The collection starts out strongly with a light simmer, a pop jangle called "I Had to Say This", and other with jouncing favorites of mine, ephemeral sparkles like "Rain", "We Could Walk Together", and "Joseph Cornell".  It's hard to pick favorites.  There are autumn windfalls like "An Hour Before the Light", "Saturday", "Five Day Warning", and the album finishes off with the slide guitar of "Lacewings".

The bonus tracks are just as good certainly not throwaway songs.  I particularly like "6am Morningside", and my favorite track is "From A Window", which captures the best sense of this band.  There is an alternate version of "Monday's Rain".

The best compliment that I can pay to this band - when I review a band, I delete all of the songs off my phone save those that I really like.  I am keeping this whole album on my phone.  Plus there is a whole catalog to explore.  Thanks, Paige!