Sixties pop revivalists the Clientele have always channeled the era's most whimsical and languid numbers, drenching George Harrison-style guitar phrases in plenty of tremolo and reverb. On "Your Song," the wobbly, bubbling effects are in full tilt as the six-string drips with echo and the bass does a soft dance. A violin kisses the song's water-like surface, the gentle ripples creating a welcomed melodic effect. A piano trickles in the distance as Clientele vocalist Alasdair MacLean washes in, his calm coo only adding to the song's fluidity.

Clocking in at only a minute-and-a-half, the chorus-less piece is structured like a docile Bee Thousand track, if Guided By Voices cleaned up and took a Vicodin. Ideal for an underwater dream sequence, the song's succinctness raises its cinematic value for any scene, tightly packed for maximum sentimentality. And although "Your Song" is a re-interpretation, Sir Elton John fans shouldn't get too excited -- The Bigtop director Devon Reed penned the songs for the movie-musical and then commissioned each to a hand-picked musician for the film's soundtrack. Songs from The Bigtop is available now through iTunes -- featuring cuts from Built to Spill's Doug Martsch, Damien Jurado, Matthew Sweet, and more -- and the soundtrack trapeze-swings into stores Feb. 5 via the filmmaker's own Devon Records. 

Now Hear This:
The Clientele- "Your Song" DOWNLOAD MP3

On the Web:
The Clientele at MySpace
theclientele.co.uk

Talk: If you were Devon Reed, would you let the Clientele play 'your song'?