Clientele, The - The Violet Hour (Vinyl)

The Clientele - The Violet Hour (Vinyl)

Following the breakthrough success of Suburban Light, the 2001 collection
of The Clientele’s initial singles and EPs, tastemakers and aficionados were eager to hear what the trio of Alasdair MacLean (guitars, vocals), Mark Keen (drums, piano), and James Hornsey (bass) could make if set loose inside a studio to record a full-length album. What they emerged with from London’s Medina Road Studios in the fall of 2002 was tantalising: Their already sharply realised motif of ’60s psychedelia and modern fuzz-pop took on inflections of jazz, particularly in how the space afforded by the LP format allowed for a keener articulation of atmosphere.

The Violet Hour has endured decades later as a signature album in The Clientele’s catalog, not only perfecting the sound that made the band a message-board phenomenon but revealing entirely new depth to it. In its wake, it was no longer possible to declare them one of the best-kept secrets in indie pop. The Clientele were, and remain, one of the genre’s most important figures, and The Violet Hour was, and remains, one of their most vital statements: a lush invitation to their underground.

Tracklisting:

1. The Violet Hour
   
2. Voices in the Mall
   
3. When You and I Were Young
   
4. Missing
   
5. Jamaican Born Rhumba
   
6. House On Fire
   
7. Everybody’s Gone
   
8. Porcelain
9. Haunted Melody
   
10. Prelude
    
11. Lamplight
    
12. The House Always Wins
    
13. Policeman Getting Lost