The Clientele / Beach House
By Tim Bugbee
Monday. Jul 30, 1:15 AM
live at Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, MA) June 9th, 2007.

Bands are always a bit looser when they are wrapping up a tour; the hard work's done, just one more gig and then have a few beers, think about the good times, and head home for a long deserved break. The Clientele had the good fortune to play at one of Boston's better venues (which was not lost on Alasdair MacLean, as he remarked on the wonderful acoustics), and brought their lovely version of ‘60s-flecked Britpop to the Bostonians. Leading off with "Since K Got Over Me," the opener of their sophomore record Strange Geometry, it set the stage for the wonderfully fluid, slightly gauzy, always beautiful sounds that this band can deliver six ways from Sunday. I think the “coffee” in their Starbucks paper cups also helped to contribute to the loose feel, but they weren't sloppy; as usual, James Hornsey's bass helped to anchor the melody of the songs, gently guided by the sparse but direct drumming of Mark Keen, and filled in by the dulcet tones of Mel Draisey on violin, keyboards, and even glockenspiel for the excellent Felt-ish "Reflections After Jane." The sold out room was also treated to the guest appearance of Louis Phillipe on keyboards and vocals for a couple songs: he was responsible for all the string arrangements from the last record.

For my ears, though, the signature sound of the band lies with songwriter and leader Alasdair: besides the velvety tone of his voice, the most distinct sound of the band resides in his guitar tone, a brilliantly ringing sound clear as a crisp autumn day. He gets this by an unusual method of playing without a plectrum and using his third and fourth fingernails to pluck strings. His hollow-bodied Telecaster just adds to the resonating sound. Gorgeous, and the resplendent "We Could Walk Together" is a prime example.

It wasn't a surprise that the new record (the excellent God Save) featured somewhat prominently: "Here Comes the Phantom," "Bookshop Casanova" (the rockingest song of the evening), and the lush, lazy "From Brighton Beach to Santa Monica" were just some of the gems mined. Now to the loose part... after the regular set closer of "Saturday," a short break found them back on stage and throwing two curve balls at us: a cover of a Television song, and a cracking version of Television Personalities' "A Picture of Dorian Gray."

Openers Beach House were a big surprise for me. I'd never heard of them, but was immediately won over by the duo's mix of humid-to-the-point-of-condensation slide guitar, church-like keyboards (in fact, this duct-taped instrument looked like one of those vintage electronic organs your grandparents might have bought at a mall three-plus decades ago), angelic vocals (perfectly matched to the keening guitar), and looped percussion. It would not be a shock to find Mojave 3 or Opal records in their collection, but their sound is also clearly differentiated. Post-clambake torch songs, embers still smoldering in the sand.
www.theclientele.co.uk
www.beachhousemusic.net

Tim Bugbee

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