Performer Notes

The Clientele: Alasdair Maclean (vocals, guitar); James Hornsey (bass); Mark Keen (drums).
Additional personnel: Daniel Evans, Howard Monk (drums).
The Clientele's first album, 2000's SUBURBAN LIGHT, was in fact a collection of the singles they'd released up to that point. While the tracks are slightly more lo-fi and rough-edged than what was to come, these British '60s psych-pop obsessives obviously had their template set right from the start; imagine a whispering Robin Hitchcock covering Zombies tunes in the library after hours, and you'll be on the right track.

Professional Reviews

Spin (6/01, p.146) - 7 out of 10 - "...Their classicist songcraft elevates SUBURBAN LIGHT above the rest of the twee-pop anorak crowd and closer to the heights of their imperious ancestors..."

Entertainment Weekly (5/25/01, p.80) - "...Their echoey retro-pop is quite cheery....This lovely compilation...collects the hard-to-find singles they have quietly put out since 1997..." - Rating: A-

Magnet (6-7/01, p.83) - "...Irresistible pop gems...in quiet Drake-ian, tender folk-rock..."

CMJ (4/23/01, p.10) - "...jazz-meets-jangle retro pop....One wonders if teh Clientele have invented a Random Sunny Post-British Invasion Song Generator..."

Pitchfork (Website) - "SUBURBAN LIGHT is a very unusual record in its way, a perfectly realized amalgam of time, place, sound, and subject matter."