Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Product Description
Review
The select few already in on the secret will know what to expect from fourth album proper Bonfires on the Heath, but for the uninitiated, imagine if you will a soundtrack for being sat alone in a room at night savouring a glass of fine wine, with the soft light of the moon glowing over the empty street outside, feeling mellow but not melancholy, nostalgic but not neurotic. Think of Belle and Sebastian without the bouts of twee smugness, the sublimely orchestrated pastoral Englishness of Nick Drake and the dreamlike haziness of Felt and Mazzy Star, with a dash of Love-style mariachi horns thrown in for good measure, and you will have some idea of the ingredients that make The Clientele so special.
Bonfires... retains all the essential elements of their previous work, although they seem to be slowly introducing more up-tempo tracks to vary their mood a little, notably jaunty opener I Wonder Who We Are and the driving Sketch, which is as close as Alasdair MacLean and his band mates get to rocking out. But it’s tracks three to five which really showcase The Clientele at their mesmerising best. Harvest Time has the kind of soaring harmonies that made Fleet Foxes the darlings of the music press, Never Anyone But You melds jangling guitars, organ and sweeping strings so beautifully it almost hurts, and Jennifer and Jane’s hushed vocals, hypnotic riff and swooning brass slowly cocoon the listener in an irresistibly gorgeous blanket of warmth.
At moments like these, The Clientele transport the listener into their own lovingly constructed private world with an effortless grace few artists can match. By buying this album, you will be doing your bit to help maintain one of Britain’s most unheralded but genuine musical treasures. --Chris White
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Customer Reviews
The songs ,all sung by Alasdair MacLean in a high slightly tremulous voice ,are impeccably arranged slightly genteel and yet for the most part have an assiduous melodic knack and wistful regretful character. Glistening guitars are augmented by mannered piano , gracious bass and whispery percussion .There are occasional interludes of trumpet and cadenced strings. Its all impeccably tasteful but quite superb.
The title track has a line about "Late October sunlight in the wood " and beautifully encinves this with gleaming rays of slide guitar and twinkling notes like dust caught in the bright rays . "Never Anyone But You " is the sort of affecting eloquent love song -"There's a phantom in my breath / There's a phantom in the gaps between my bones / I can only see you "- dullards like Coldplay & Snow Patrol would love to be able to write but can't you see because.....well... they are dullards.
Opening track "I Wonder Who We Are " is a joyous traipse through pops effervescing possibilities. There is more effulgent misfortune on "Jennifer and Julia " while the horns get an enjoyable breezy workout on "Share The Night " and I Know I Will See Your Face " . "Sketch " ups the ante for 91 seconds of rousing six stringed escapism. " Graven Wood " is a wonderful miasmic pall of studied notes and drones while "Harvest Time " is just marvellously evocative of a better purer time , at one with the season as the "Scarecrow watches the verges of light " and "Bats from the eaves go shivering by " .
Every year an album comes along late in the year that blows me away .This year it,s Bonfires On The Heath .An album that reminds me of bands like The Orchids and Television Personalities but slyly brings to mind the evocative Englishness of XTC at their more pastoral . It, quite fantastic it really is. Like the line on "Harvest Time" goes- "Everything here has a time and a place " .
This was the US release which came out in early October 09 (presumably cos the Americans rate this band more highly than we do here) but the UK release is out on Pointy this week. And, if you like, seek out Alasdair's solo set on WMFU from Oct 28th.
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
