Review: The Clientele Create Classic Rock in the Present Tense

The Clientele/I Am Not There Anymore/Merge Records
Four Out of Five Stars

The Clientele have always been known as an imaginative ensemble, and with their new album, I Am Not There Anymore, they take that otherworldly ambiance to an even higher plateau. Singer, guitarist, and lyricist Alasdair MacLean adopts a surreal sensibility, describing it as the feeling of not being real.” A set of songs inspired by MacLean’s memories of the early summer in 1997, when his mother died, the music was first delayed by the pandemic but finally furthered by the band’s experimental ambitions. It then incorporated elements of post-bop jazz, contemporary classical, and electronic music, with MacLean then enhancing the results of the band’s studio recordings. 

MacLean further describes I Am Not There Anymore as the memory of childhood but at the same time the impossibility of truly remembering childhood… or even knowing who or what you are, and while that certainly sounds somewhat oblique, the music is often catchy and compelling, as opposed to surreal and circumspect. That’s not to say there aren’t certain psychedelic elements swirling around in the mix. Songs such as the extended opener “Fables of the Silverlink,” “Dying In May,” “Blue Over Blue,” “The Village Is Always On Fire,” “Chalk Flowers,” and “Garden Eye Mantra” manage to be both affecting and elusive all at the same time, especially given the dense instrumental arrangements and the cerebral suggestion that creates an intriguing aural melange. A series of sweeping and swirling soundscapes enhanced by brass and strings, it could be considered the band’s most adventurous effort yet, a suite of sorts that fully reflects MacLean’s ambitious intents. 

In certain ways, I Am Not There Anymore is a throwback to the prog precepts of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s — a bit of Soft Machine, The Soft Boys, and Kevin Ayers all rolled into one. “Lady Grey,” “Stems of Anise,” “I Dreamed of You, Maria,” and “Claire’s Not Real” come across with poppier precepts, a sound that’s indicative of classic British rock at its most precious and postured. It’s all sweet and surreal, a continuation of the approach the band has taken since their initial inception just over 20 years ago. So too, it’s odd at times, but that’s all part of the charm and challenge inherent in each of the Clientele’s offerings. Consider this an ideal example of exacting pop positioning that’s as strikingly sophisticated as it is uncommonly inventive.

Courtesy Pitch Perfect PR