Sunday 11.08.2009 | 6:40 PM UTC

The Clientele Finally Mans Up (sort of)

After two decades of grungy bombast (Screaming Trees, Bob Mould, The Pixies), fey Brit-pop (The Smiths, Felt, The Beautiful South) and math-y indie rock (Built to Spill, Pavement, Sunny Day Real Estate), all of which helped define my rocker-cum sensitive pony tail boy of my 20‘s, whispery easly listening has crept back into the canon of pop music.

From the spooky americana of Bon Iver and Iron & Wine to the slightly precious conservatory approach of José Gonzales, M. Ward and Andrew Byrd, the trend addresses “grown-up” (i.e. late 30-40-somethings) listeners that in their younger years mellowed out to Neil Young’s Comes a Time, Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water, and David Gilmour’s velvet-voiced delivery on Pink Floyd’s Dark SIde of the Moon once again have something to chill out to without necessarily resorting to old familiar tunes laden with the baggage of 60’s idealism and the angry revolt against it. More on this trend in later posts, but onto the subject at hand:

Over the last 10 years, London’s The Clientele have borrowed heavily from Epic Soundtracks, Pink Floyd and Sea and the Cake to produce three heavenly records that satisfy Sunday morning leisure and dinner-party sophistication. Unfortunately, these early records suffer a bit from the limits of a one-trick pony. Wimpy drum tracks, single-octave vocals and gauzy production can at times leave one limp as over-cooked pasta and listless as a Sunday morning hang-over.

Not so much on their latest effort, Bonfires of the Heath. The new record finally adds new texture and rythmic variety with tracks that flirt with Funk/R&B (“Share the Night”), 70’s Yacht Rock (“Never Anyone But You”), and Velvet Underground’s quietly dark “Jesus,” or “Candy Says.” Guitar rythms are tighter, drum tracks finally sparkle in the mix, and previously gauzy vocals are given a shimmering new palette. For the first time, The Cliente has made a record that has, for me, stood up to repeated listening (64 times in the last 7 days, according to LastFM).

Sorry Scott D., I know you’re sitting there bristling at this review as I challenge your impeccable taste – but, after all, that’s what friends are for… over-wrought taste bashing over Cote Du Rhone and funny cigarettes…