Since the late 90s, The Clientele have been quietly building an impressive catalogue of sterling new-old music. I say new-old, because they mine a style of heavily reverbed, hushed classic pop which seems to have time-travelled directly from somewhere between early 1966 and mid-1967. Though they are from England, their sound seems to have more in common with West Coast groups: they recreate the languid, chiming guitar sound of mid-period Byrds better than anyone. And while their sound might not be wholly original, their songwriting trumps any grousing. Scanning their catalogue, I really can't find any duds, and their most recent full-length, Bonfires On The Heath (2009) was a masterpiece, a soundtrack for autumn leaves and wistful overcast Saturday mornings. In August they are releasing a mini-LP called Minotaur, which, according to the fine folks at Merge Records, will include a cover of "As The World Rises And Falls" by the little-known West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band. The WCPAEB, active in Los Angeles in the late 60s, have a terrible name and an erratic but enjoyable catalogue of jangly folk-rock which also sounds more or less like the Byrds. As a preview, you can download the Minotaur of version The Clientele's "Jerry" for free here). And here's another, earlier version of "Jerry" (apparently an outtake from 2005's Strange Geometry):
And from their 1968 album A Child's Guide to Good and Evil, here is The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band's original version of "As The World Rises And Falls":
you introduced me to the clientele and pinback back in 2003 and I still love them both -
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