I started this site because of my love for music, both playing it and listening to it. This site is meant to be a music review site, but in the future, it may expand beyond that. We'll see how it goes.

I'd really appreciate feedback. Is there something you especially liked? Something you disagreed with? Suggestions for the site or for a review? Let me know. Either leave a comment, or email me. Thanks, and enjoy.

Sunday, July 01, 2007

Album Review: The Clientele - Strange Geometry



Genre: Indie
Released: October 2005

1. Since K Got Over Me: This is the most "intense" (loudest and fastest) song on the album. It has sort of a vintage rock feel, and is very melodic, like the rest of the album. It is fairly direct, with the lyrics speaking right to the listener, while the rest of the songs appear to be sort of the singer in a dream.

2.(I Can't Seem to) Make You Mine: Here the dreamy tone is set. This is much slower and softer, with a sad but very pretty sound. Here also the breathy, "ghostly" vocals are introduced. This song was played in the opening credits of The Lake House.

3.My Face Inside the Trees: Immediately, the album picks up! This is a fairly fast-paced, light song. In my opinion, it is the happiest song on the album.

4.K: The beginning of this song clears up any doubts you might have had that this is a dreamy, indie album. It sounds like they recorded the echos and noise of a church. But then it has a funky, electronically modified swirl into calm, melodic acoustic guitar and some more lovely breathy singing. Maybe he met "K" in a church? In any case, after the unique intro, it is a very lovely, light acoustic song. Melodic and dreamy as the album is.

5.E.M.P.T.Y. Who writes this stuff? It's amazing. "K" flows beautifully into this song., which picks up the pace a little again. I love the way this album, though maintaining the dreamy tone set by song number 2, alternates between slow and very light to a little faster and then back again... It's genius. "When the night it comes to me, I wonder if the days I've lived through count," Alasdair MacLean sings ponderously, and then "what is the color of the number when happiness begins?" I think the poetry of the lyrics really stand out in this song, though it flows through all of them. All are very pondrous and dreamy.. But there's a fun little guitar and crashing drums part breaking through the middle. Don't be fooled - just when you think this is an album for your granny, it surprises you by breaking into something a little crazy!

6.When I Came Home From the Party: Here we go again with the slow song. But this too picks up a little, beautiful and melodic. Basically an extension of everything previously set and mentioned. This song to me sounds a little sad, a little bored... Sometimes I think this album is just going through a man's thoughts and feelings. I love how most of us have no idea what MacLean is singing about. It almost makes the lyrics more universally applicable.

...Continuing dreams and melodies and breath...

11.Losing Haringey: I love this song. It's a dreamy melodic backdrop to a poetic recollection Alasdair MacLean makes.

12.Six of Spades: You can tell that the album is coming to a close with this very dreamy finish, very slow and subtle in the first half, ending with more church organ sounds, and finally, the last few seconds are silence.

Overall: Who doesn't like Bri'ish accents? I think they're lovely, especially when sung. This is a beautiful listen for a warm summer afternoon or evening. It takes me away from today's world, from today's crappy, too loud, to boisterous music into something that sounds classier, a little vintage, and doesn't stampede over my thoughts like a thorned elephant. I love it. 10/10

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