The Clientele - ‘I Am Not There Anymore’ review
The Clientele by Andy Willsher
The Clientele have returned with a nineteen-track album, I Am Not There Anymore, released 28 July by Merge Records. Their first full-length album in fourteen years, this new collection does not disappoint.
To quote frontman Alasdair MacLean, this album discusses “the feeling of not being real.” I Am Not There Anymore dives into some of MacLean’s more personal experiences, such as memories of his mother’s death from over twenty-five years ago to being in Spain when the country was on fire a few years ago as seen in the last track, “The Village Is Always On Fire.”
Every song in I Am Not There Anymore is a great example of The Clientele’s creativity and originality; their eclecticism. “Claire’s Not Real” and “I Dreamed of You, Maria” dip into recreations of late ‘60s psychedelic rock reminiscent of bands like The Yardbirds and The Kinks – of particular mention are the vocals and guitar.
The sweet and cheerful “Blue Over Blue,” originally released as a single, is a story about when MacLean got lost with his two-year-old son at Hampstead Heath one day. This has been effectively captured with the childlike playfulness and lightness of this song. Then, their instrumental pieces “Radial B,” “Radial C (Nocturne for Three Trees),” “Radial E,” and “Radial H” provide an interesting pause in the album, including their short operatic-nature piece “Segue 4 (iv).”
The album grows more curious with a character named Maria who prominently features in tracks “Dying in May,” “I Dreamed of You, Maria,” and “Stems of Anise,” adding something personal to the album from MacLean’s side. Who is this Maria? Is she someone MacLean knows or is she a part of his imagination – or even greater – maybe our imagination as a listening collective? I personally think she is a symbol of a certain ideal that MacLean has in his mind. By adding this character in, one is hooked into the story The Clientele are sharing with the listeners.
The Clientele’s lyrics never seem to fit in one particular time or place; they’re always time-hopping and changing their destination. There’s a strange yet beautiful etherealness to their sound that can’t be matched by any other artists. Simplicity and subtleness combined with random experimental instrument plucks and various voices and chords create an exciting musical background for the lyrics to fall back on. For example; the song “My Childhood” is a jarring
musical reflection on the speaker’s childhood; there’s a strange robotic tone in their voice, matching the uneasy strings that build up endless momentum.
There’s something very unique to this new release as The Clientele takes material from all types of different sources. The picture they paint with their music is often pleasant and light – I can see myself sitting in the back garden with the sun out beaming down upon me in some of them – and in others, there’s a dark eeriness and moodiness that portrays a darker landscape. It’s very apparent that they’ve taken many chances with I Am Not There Anymore and have successfully delivered a diverse album that you should definitely be getting your hands on!
I Am Not There Anymore is out now.