Track Listing

1. Since K Got Over Me
2. (I Can't Seem) To Make You Mine
3. My Own Face Inside The Trees
4. K
5. E.M.P.T.Y.
6. When I Came Home from The Party
7. Geometry Of Lawns
8. Spirit
9. Impossible
10. Step Into The Light
11. Losing Haringey
12. Six Of Spades

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18785 in Music
• Released on: 2008-06-02
• Number of discs: 1

CD Description
The Clientele are not the kind of band that changes horses in midstream, and 2007's STRANGE GEOMETRY finds them following the same sonic path on which they began their journey in the '90s. Fortunately for all concerned, they just keep getting better at it. If anything, the hushed, fragile tones of the band's low-key, psych-pop-influenced sound are more melancholy and autumnal-sounding than ever ("Since K Got Over Me" and other tunes suggest that a broken heart may have offered some inspiration). STRANGE GEOMETRY is as winningly melodic as anything in the band's shimmering discography.

Customer Reviews

Their finest hour
I couldn't disagree more with the as yet only other review of this wonderful record: far from being not up to the band's earlier efforts, I actually think that STRANGE GEOMETRY is their finest hour. The songs are as beautiful, diffuse and ethereal as ever, but the production on this album is what makes it stand apart from SUBURBAN LIGHT and THE VIOLET HOUR - it's so fresh and rich and it adds to their sound a real muscularity - not a word you'd normally associate with The Clientele.

I have loved this band and their sixties-drenched London lovelorn tales for some time, but I've always felt they were a kind of distant love - something that you couldn't quite penetrate or get close to. With the strength of STRANGE GEOMETRY, that has changed. It's their finest hour and if you haven't yet discovered this band, you would be a feel to resist their charms any longer.

has a special place in my heart
This is a wonderful record and a vast leap on from their previous "The Violet Hour" especially in terms of the sound which is far superior but also the songs, while on the surface quite similar to the last record seem to have more depth and beauty to them and the quality never really falls down at any stage. Fans of folk rock especially Simon & Garfunkel, I urge you to buy this record as it will give you a warm glow on a Winters Afternoon or could accompany any hot summer night. Fabulous

Great band, slightly disappointing album
If you have never heard of The Clientele then I think you would find yourself pleasantly surprised by this slice of blissed out indie guitar pop. A relatively obscure band in the UK, reasons for which continue to baffle me as they are a great band with a catalogue of killer songs.

The Clientele's sound acknowledges its late 60's West Coast US influences yet manages to bring this up to date. An almost ethereal sound in places with shimmering guitars and breathy vocals overlaying the sort of tunes that many of the currently hyped NME bands would die for.

The reason for only 3 stars? It's simply not quite as good as their previous two albums and the songs haven't got stronger; for example Six of Spades covers very similar ground musically to Policeman Getting Lost but doesn't surpass it. I would say tracks like EMPTY, My Own Face in the Trees and Since K got Over Me would be on my iPod best of playlist but the rest would be nudged out by earlier work.

I have had this album a while now and it has grown on me, don't get me wrong there are some very fine songs on here. I found the addition of the string section a let down too; it could have been so much better and an enhancement to the songs - I would suggest the band seek guidance from Belle & Sebastian on the incorporation of strings into their sound as it misfires here, I'm not sure the hand of Louis Philippe added anything at all.

Overall, check out the band and try this album out; the previous two are better and I do hope there is a great deal more to come from The Clientele as I really do like them. They do need to up their game to make a breakthrough through to reach into a wider audience though. And, I would suggest they exercise greater quality control over some of the songs and production to allow this to happen.