The Clientele - ‘God Save The Clientele’

On their third full-length God Save The Clientele, 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.

Their last album, Strange Geometry was widely praised, but The Clientele always manages to out-do themselves with every release. 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) with string arrangements from Louis Philippe, and violin/keyboard contributions from The Clientele's latest addition Mel Draisey.

Known for their truly stunning live show the band have just announced their first ever NZ tour. Someone once said listening to The Clientele was like waking up stoned inside a blue Van Gogh painting. We’re kind of getting the same vibe here.

Galesburg Presents:
The Clientele
Kings Arms – Monday 30th July – Auckland
Tickets just $25 available from Real Groovy Auckland
With special guest ROBERT SCOTT ( The Clean/The Bats)

SFBH – Tuesday 31st July – Wellington
Tickets just $25 available from Slowboat – only $20 with a Radio Active Card!
With special guest ROBERT SCOTT ( The Clean/The Bats)

Here’s here’s a wee bit of history for you ……
The Clientele are a London-based British band with Alasdair MacLean on vocals and guitar, Mark Keen on drums, James Hornsey on bass and Mel Draisey on violin, keyboards, backing vocals and percussion.

MacLean and Hornsey both grew up in Hampshire, England, and began collaborating musically while still in school, after MacLean saw that Hornsey had written the name of the band Felt on his pencil case. The band formed in 1991, with the current lineup along with Innes Phillips, who shared singing and songwriting duties with MacLean; their original name was "The Butterfly Collectors". The band recorded an album's worth of material but failed to get any label interest. Innes left the band (and would go on to found The Relict); the rest of the group re-formed in 1997, after which they moved to London and released a number of singles that were eventually collected on Suburban Light (2000). That compilation won the band glowing reviews; SF Weekly said the band "offers a brand of appealingly melancholy pop that might just surpass that of its forebears." The Violet Hour (2003) was their first album proper, which again saw great acclaim, but, as yet, little commercial success.

August 2005 saw the release of their second full album, Strange Geometry, the first the band recorded with a producer, Brian O’Shaughnessy, who had previously produced Primal Scream. It was notable for a much cleaner production sound than the reverb heavy sound that had previously been their defining characteristic; it was also the first time the band had used a strings section on one of their records. The task of writing these arrangements was given to Louis Philippe. Only one single, "Since K Got Over Me", was released from the album, which failed to reach the Top 75 in the UK. Another song from the album, "(I Can't Seem) To Make You Mine", was featured on the soundtrack of the film The Lake House.
Strange Geometry was quickly followed by a collection of recordings from 1991 to 1996, featuring Innes Phillips, called It's Art, Dad. A new album was recorded at the end of a US tour in August 2006, produced by Mark Nevers, known for his work with Merge labelmates Lambchop, and mixed by Brian O’Shaughnessy. Its title is God Save The Clientele! (released in June 2007). The band had by then become a four-piece, after welcoming in Mel Draisey on violin, keys and percussion.

Due for release in NZ 9th July 2007.

ENDS

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