Tracks
The Clientele: "Bookshop Casanova"
(2007)
By Joel Elliott | 31 January 2008
I'm willing to admit that I’ll take the slightest change in lyrical nuance, vocal delivery, or instrumentation from this band as a sign of artistic development. My guess is I’m not alone on this one -- we’re talking about a group whose initial collection of singles (Suburban Light [2000]) found them essentially replaying the same melancholy walk through London parks. In the rain. Alasdair MacLean presents this exact scenario at least four times on the album. And that’s okay: there’s something beautifully static about their muse, and within their hazy recollections of ‘60s pop and the Paisley Underground of the ‘80s they always manage to endlessly capture a single, emotionally pivotal moment in time.
But, as one of my colleagues perceptively noticed, God Save the Clientele finds the band beginning to break out of the sad bastard shtick that MacLean has honed so well. “Bookshop Casanova” is probably the most evident shift in this direction -- though opener “Here Comes the Phantom” is still the shining moment on the album for me -- where the band explores the underexposed corners of ‘60s psychedelia once occupied by Love and the Zombies. MacLean has always been hopelessly romantic but here he sounds almost seductive when he sings: “You’ve got my name / Look up my number / Come undone / Let’s be lovers.” The lyrics are as silly and insubstantial as those of most pop songs; however, like his heroes, MacLean possesses a voice of wispy silver that can add great dimensions of joy, hope, and sadness to even the most mundane lyrics. What’s great here is the conflict: sadness seems like it might overwhelm (as it usually does with this band) and the song slows down for the bridge. Our protagonist sees the “dying summer moon” and knows “the night is over.” Ultimately, however, a surge of giddy romance wins out. This means the song sacrifices some of the haunted imagery of the band’s slower tracks but, hell, in the hands of another band the material here would seem crass and shallow. MacLean is just a tortured poet overcome by a sudden glimpse of sunlight through the clouds; if this track is the result, let’s hope some of that gloomy English weather clears up more often.
But, as one of my colleagues perceptively noticed, God Save the Clientele finds the band beginning to break out of the sad bastard shtick that MacLean has honed so well. “Bookshop Casanova” is probably the most evident shift in this direction -- though opener “Here Comes the Phantom” is still the shining moment on the album for me -- where the band explores the underexposed corners of ‘60s psychedelia once occupied by Love and the Zombies. MacLean has always been hopelessly romantic but here he sounds almost seductive when he sings: “You’ve got my name / Look up my number / Come undone / Let’s be lovers.” The lyrics are as silly and insubstantial as those of most pop songs; however, like his heroes, MacLean possesses a voice of wispy silver that can add great dimensions of joy, hope, and sadness to even the most mundane lyrics. What’s great here is the conflict: sadness seems like it might overwhelm (as it usually does with this band) and the song slows down for the bridge. Our protagonist sees the “dying summer moon” and knows “the night is over.” Ultimately, however, a surge of giddy romance wins out. This means the song sacrifices some of the haunted imagery of the band’s slower tracks but, hell, in the hands of another band the material here would seem crass and shallow. MacLean is just a tortured poet overcome by a sudden glimpse of sunlight through the clouds; if this track is the result, let’s hope some of that gloomy English weather clears up more often.