The Clientele continue their quiet drive of mining the prettier side of Brit-pop. Their sound looks farther backwards than most, finding inspiration more with groups from the sixties — where flower power and folk music still fused with the greater rock landscape — than with the more effects-laden scenes that came after. They have a far gentler sound, offering beautiful summer gems for slightly mopey hipsters.
Although you can still count their proper albums on one hand, they consistently supplement them with EP-length releases that offer the excuse to experiment with ideas that might not otherwise fit the mood established on a full-length album. Their latest, Minotaur, is somewhere in the middle. Dubbed a “mini album,” that’s actually a rather accurate description. Most of the tracks are destination material with only slight indulgences; it just happens to be kept on the short side for a more traditional album.
The title track starts things off and feels like one of their more polished pop gems. The minimal, arpeggiated guitar accompaniment gets bolstered by strings and a hint of extra excitement from the rhythm section. It still captures the group’s trademark dreaminess, but offers something beyond just “that sound.”
“Jerry” begins with an almost spaghetti-western guitar solo, but quickly shifts back into normal Clientele mode for the bulk of the song. It picks up more rock steam towards the end, though, and offers a good hit of energy to the set. “As the World Rises and Falls” is what the group does best; a light shuffle of a hazy and floating pop track, with music that’s a bit more pretty than the lyrics. “Paul Verlaine” is a bouncy, immediately catchy track where you half-expect to hear some “doot doot” vocals in the background, and offers some upbeat support to “Jerry.”
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