The Clientele - Best Band Since The Smiths

Today our first new music in a while is released. It's a cover of a beautiful song by Mick Head. Everything it makes will be donated to #BlackLivesMatter. Get it here: https://t.co/NcorJ3Ipuu pic.twitter.com/7hwphQPVuH

— The Clientele (@theclientele) June 5, 2020

ahhhh. their sound is so distinct I'd never have guessed it was a cover. very cool

Mick Head seems an obvious candidate for a Clientele cover version

Awesome! I know Alasdair MacLean has spoken of his love for Mick Head in the past, because it's why I bought that Strands album.

Not heard any Mick Head before - will check him out

Have a listen to the Magical World of the Strands

Ah thanks.

Had been searching Mick Head on Spotify and drawing a blank

His 80s work was the Pale Fountains, and in the 90s Shack and the aforementioned Strands album, and then recently he's Michael Head and the Red Elastic Band.

It's probably an obvious one but Comedy by Shack is just glorious.

xpost, many thanks for the Magical World of the Strands recommendation. Lovely indeed.

not to mention that a new Clientele tune can brighten the worst day

Never heard of Michael Head & The Strands before but it’s hitting the spot this morning.

hopefully this tweet will embed properly

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">On Friday July 3, the crimes we committed in our teens (between 1991-1996) will be available for you to condemn and/or purchase on bandcamp <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/soundofyoungbasingstoke?src=hash&;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#soundofyoungbasingstoke</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/clienteleism?src=hash&;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#clienteleism</a> <a href="https://t.co/McLO25ze4Q";>pic.twitter.com/McLO25ze4Q</a></p>— The Clientele (@theclientele) <a href="

On Friday July 3, the crimes we committed in our teens (between 1991-1996) will be available for you to condemn and/or purchase on bandcamp #soundofyoungbasingstoke #clienteleism pic.twitter.com/McLO25ze4Q

— The Clientele (@theclientele) June 30, 2020

...well maybe not. It's Art Dad will be available on bandcamp.

nice, wonder if it will be It's Art Dad alone, or they'll tack on the additional Sounds of Young Basingstoke tracks that came with the (I think?) the Alone and Unreal best-of?

it will be released on july 3. the announcement tags sounds of young basingstoke so i would guess those tracks are included.

I wish I had sophisticated taste like that when I was a teen.

looks like those Young Basingstoke tracks are still available from Merge, so probably just the It's Art Dad ones... which is good, because those are awesome!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUHB-bVUD4s&list=RDHUHB-bVUD4s&index=1

FFS. Anyway, it's a beautiful version of the Age of Miracles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUHB-bVUD4s&list=RDHUHB-bVUD4s&index=1

Here you go:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUHB-bVUD4s

Thank you! Sausage fingers + drunken posting = not a good mix.

YT seems to have changed the way URLs of videos are displayed with that "channel" bit added in - think you need to delete everything from the first ampersand onwards in the URL to get them to embed here.

Great version anyway and thanks for sharing

With some years now since Music for the Age of Miracles... does anyone still rank it as their best? I maintain more decisively that for me it is their worst (which doesn't mean it is bad at all!). To me overall it is full of very busy arrangements garnishing and overcompensating for their least inspired collection of melodies, relatively. As harsh as that sounds I don't mean it to be; I think the album is wonderful, it is just far away from being better than the effortless and dreamy Strange Geometry or Suburban Light era material. Asking because I do believe that all the showy orchestrations and extra dressings are the exact kind of thing that can seduce and excite initially but lose impact with time. Like chips doused with truffle oil.

Having felt various degrees of obsessiveness with their output over the last ~20 years, it certainly was a timely arrival 4 years ago ("this is the year that the monster will come") and was an essential companion through that time.

Since the fog has lifted? I have not spent enough time on Holloway or Vincent St to say for sure.

But I think it still rates for me.

Rates for me but omg how have 20 years passed.

I can't remember, but I may have discovered The Clientele on ILX.

I think it's stronger than God Save the Clientele... Falling Asleep, Lunar Days, Everyone You Meet, and the Age of Miracles are some of their best songs

My trajectory with Age of Miracles is intense anticipation (new music!), a bit of disappointment in the actual album over first few spins (no way to live up to the anticipation), and now I'd put in the middle of the list. Minotaur would be at the low point for me. But, f. hazel otm, Age of Miracles does have some songs that rank among their best - Lunar Days, Everyone You Meet and Constellations Echo Lanes in particular.

Some of the arrangements are a little over upholstered and i could live without the yodelling man, but it is wonderful and has the edge on bonfires on the heath for me, so somewhere in the middle? Suburban Daylight gets the Tims listening party treatment on April the 1st, for fans of that kind of thing.

i listened to Age of Miracles last night and I think it's a damn masterpiece! totally beautiful from start to finish.

"Some of the arrangements are a little over upholstered and i could live without the yodelling man"

Yes exactly, those two elements indicated to me that they were overthinking things! Personally I look to to them for their effortlessness and those attributes seemed to be at odds with that quality. Also a bit unexpected given they'd reformed as the original trio and were playing shows celebrating the early material in years leading up to it, and the album is the opposite of that hazy-memory sounding minimal ingredients approach of their first couple of albums.

Appreciate everyone's thoughts. At the time I was fantasizing about hearing a "naked" version of the album. Clearly I'd still be very interested in that sort of thing.

Great conversation with Alasdair

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alasdair-macleans-personal-beatles/id1523996711?i=1000538335472

(think it's available on other podcast providers as well)

There is a new book of Alasdair’s lyrics out - ordering info on the Clientele insta if that happens to be anyone’s bag

had a look at it, tempted

So, are they?

Best band since the Smiths? Surely

does the book have the lyrics to Honkin' on Victoria Street?

there's a london gig in september :O
https://www.facebook.com/theclienteleofficial/posts/509081890733954

The book arrived. It's handsome and contains quite a lot more than lyrics I already know.

awesome... very excited to see it!

I ordered one as well. Still waiting on the lavish career retrospective box set.

I'd prefer just a new album, which seems to be in the works

well, a new album would be very welcome surprise

Alasdair posted a picture of him with his black telecaster and something abt learning to play again

They played! They were good. And Alasdair said there’s a new LP on the way.

I had never heard of these guys before this thread. On first listen, the singer sounds like David J.

wait, they said there's a new LP on the way?? insert happy face gif

They did - said (from the stage) that they’d signed a contract with Merge for a new one.

jimbeaux listen to Strange Geometry

fantastic news!