The Clientele - I am not There Anymore

 

Writing something every day now for almost ten years on this blog about some record and why I like it, (can't be bothered much to write if I don't), sets me certain challenges I try to rise to. I'm sure I repeat myself all the time and this must be irritating for anybody who reads my stuff much.

But I try my best, and one thing you have to do is avoid cliche. You have to find different ways of saying that something is great and you like it and will play it again. You have to try to avoid calling anyone a genius at all costs. You cannot call things overrated or underrated they have to be overpraised or overhyped or neglected or underappreciated instead.

So to English Baroque group The Clientele and their very long new album  I am not There Anymore. It's their ninth in all since they started off as a fairly conventional Sixties throwback exercise in 1991. Crucially it's their first since 2017 and given its length it's not entirely unfair to call it their lockdown album, because that is what it clearly is,

The Clientele are the definition of neglected and under-appreciated. Those who appreciate them are generally music critics, discerning DJs like Gideon Cope and people with large record collections. That doesn't make their records less lovely. When they hit the groove you feel like you're turning a hedged lane in a picturesque country village and you might find yourself making a deep intake of breath and finding yourself muttering, 'Ah how lovely...'

The one criticism that you can fairly level at this lot is that they never stop reminding you of other people and entirely become themselves, This is just as true of  I am not There Anymore as it was of their previous records. During the hour I spent with  I am not There Anymore, (and it was never a chore)., they reminded me of The Beatles, Genesis, Floyd, (mostly the Waters/ Gilmour version), Love, The Zombies, Nick Drake, XTC, Talk Talk, Robyn Hitchcock and any number of other things. It was never irritating but this sensation was absolutely constant.

It also reminded me of being in England and being English, though I wasn't born here and have spent much of my life away from here. I find England and The English irritating beyond description in many ways but The Clientele taps in to everything that is great about both the place and the people.

I tired of listening to this halfway through and wanted to put on something else. There are moments when it becomes precious, just as its influences can be. Despite its obvious qualities, it is rather samey. There are only so many ticking clocks, minor chords and poignant poetic moments you can take, (or I could), before you yearn for something a bit livelier. It becomes a bit like watching an entire Inspector Morse boxset at one sitting or stuffing yourself with cream and jam scones. Or else listening to Pink Floyd all day and I can only stomach so much Floyd if Syd isn't around.

So this is great but I think it would have been greater if they'd pruned fifteen minutes from it and released the rest elsewhere for completists, of whom I'm sure there are quite a few. Still, there's much here to appreciate and admire and plenty will feast on it.