Saturday MP3 #5

My copy of Suburban Light is just slightly subpar, since apparently it had seen a bit of wear and tear before I ripped it from the record library. Then again, it's not egregious, so the pops kind of sound like vinyl, especially given The Clientele's retro sound.

I think the first time or two I listened to The Clientele, I wasn't paying attention and thus didn't hear the music right. This is particularly a problem for a band that makes use of either brushed drumming or the softest sticks you've ever heard, understated bass, barely-there guitar and near-whispered vocals. I could've probably picked just about any song from the record, but you get "Reflections After Jane" because of the "guitar solo" at the end, especially right when it comes. Though it might be inaudible on another song by almost any other band, it's a veritable explosion here.

"A richly nuanced intricacy as intoxicating as it is elusive." - All Music Guide

"It doesn't matter what happens with that girl or guy, as long as it's sharply observed and you can wallow in the result with a heavily reverbed and catchy melody." - Mark Richardson on #92 in Pitchfork's Top 100 of 2000-2004.

The Clientele "Reflections After Jane"