Stu Ruiz takes a look at The Clientele's newest album.

Lead singer of this British mellow-pop quartet, Alasdair MacLean, unfortunately has stated that the band’s fifth full-length album, Bonfires on the Heath (2009), might be their last. Their soft, dreamy tones in past LPs like Suburban Light (2000) and The Violet Hour (2003) displayed The Clientele’s brilliance at producing lo-fi, retro and washed-out indie music. Written after MacLean had an accidental acid trip in Spain, Bonfires on the Heath differs from previous albums with its incorporartion of brass horns, more optimistic melodies and the pep of new member Mel Draisey. Through their signature minimal sound, The Clientele has created a stellar and sleepy album that recalls the ingenious work of The Byrds, Donovan and The Beatles.

The perfect opener, “I Wonder Who We Are,” has a calm energy complete with delightful brass and a lingering Spanish guitar. The happiest and most upbeat track on Bonfires on the Heath, its lyrics feel hopeful and wistful: “Friday night and I don’t have a clue.” Following is the album’s title track with lilting piano melodies and MacLean’s devoted, soothing hushes.

Favorite track “Harvest Time” conveys the Lennon-McCartney hybrid of MacLean’s spellbinding voice. Drugged-out and oozing vocals along withthe tune’s stoned and unhurried pace comfortably disorients  listener while we hear: “Everything has a place and time/We’re only passing by.” Other songs like the romantic “Share the Night” and the pristine “I Know I’ll See Your Face” do a great job showing off MacLean’s voice, and the muted “Three Month Summer” feels relaxed as he whispers, “I lost myself; I vanished in/A brief, ecstatic rain.”

MacLean then aimlessly hums: “Time is far too precious to be wasted on this night with you” with another favorite, the delicate and meaningful ballad “Tonight,” and though MacLean stated “Never Anyone But You” as the most difficult to create, you could never tell. Its sound drifts around the listener under an atmospheric, hypnotic haze.

 “Jennifer & Julia” appears as Bonfires on the Heath’s most fragile track with weary lyrics like, “Night time’s gone and morning’s come/And everybody’s lost without a trace.” The tranquil and overwhelming sound does its best to captivate the listener, and precedes the ghostly and plaintive mood often heard from The Clientele in the haunting “Graven Wood,” where MacLean has “Fallen/In a dream where nothing stays the same.”

Though practically flawless, Bonfires on the Heath does have its faults. The displeasing “Sketch” has a forced and fast pace, with harsh guitar riffs and a generally jarring tone. It tensely feels out of place, as does the choice of “Walking in the Park” as the dissatisfying closer. This faded and too mellow tune ends the album with catatonic sound, and differs from the opener’s slightly heated energy.

While no song screams killer hit, the unpretentious Bonfire on the Heath has its own magnitude. Its overall disarming skill portrays a band with asort of clarity and focused craft that comes with years of experience.
4/5