REVIEWSThe Clientele, ‘God Save The Clientele’

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• SPIN Rating:6 of 10

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Label: Merge

These Londoners specialize in melancholic, Beatles-esque melodies threaded through phrases like "The world is dark" ("No Dreams Last Night"), "You end up alone" ("Isn't Life Strange?"), and "It's gonna be a lonely, lonely day" ("The Queen of Seville"). That's not necessarily a problem, as the luscious pedal steel that gooses the latter two tracks proves. Still, ringleader Alasdair MacLean can be a sad sack, and his band succeeds best when it shakes off the doldrums: "Here Comes the Phantom" -- a sweet-and-sunny "Daydream Believer" pop rocker -- and the disco-inflected "Bookshop Casanova" are the album's best moments.

Now Hear This: The Clientele - "Bookshop Cassanova" DOWNLOAD MP3

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