Graham Reid | | <1 min read
The Clientele: Winter on Victoria Street
Whispery pop of the old style (verse, chorus, verse, chorus etc) always gets a good hearing at Elsewhere. There is something magical and dreamy about the best of it -- and this is one of the best.
And both magical and dreamy.
This London-based band have now added violin and string arrrangements to their breathy songs, and recorded this sweet and soft collection in Nashville with producer Mark Nevers (who has done knob-turning for Calexico, Lambchop, Bonnie Prince Billy and others).
The opener peels off a slice of the Monkees, but after that they weave their way through almost ambient pop with nods to Lemon Jelly, the Beatles/Beach Boys at their most reserved and intimate, and even a little alt.country when the pedal steel guitar floats by.
Nothing here will set your pulse racing, it is all delightfully gentle. Titles are the clue: From Brighton Beach to Santa Monica; Winter on Victoria Street; These Days Nothing But Sunshine; The Garden at Night . . . .
On the same label as the wonderful Camera Obscura whose Let's Get Out of This Country album of last year was so charming I just kept bringing it back and back.
This possesses a similar good vibe -- with some shadows in the lyrics.
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