ALBUM REVIEW: I Am Not There Anymore – The Clientele

London-based indie-pop band THE CLIENTELE have waited almost seven years to release another album, and while this can be attributed to different factors, the main reason for such a long hiatus is the band’s need to experiment. Their newest release I Am Not There Anymore is a 19-track collection of everything they have recently discovered, and is a bizarre mixture of many genres, incorporating elements from post-bop jazz, contemporary classical and electronic music, which have always been present in their sound but never fully explored until now. Many of the themes and lyrics throughout are inspired by the passing of vocalist and songwriter Alasdair MacLean’s mother in 1997, and everything that has stayed with him since then. Using imagery to symbolise feelings that can’t be described, and instrumentals to capture emotions and create gaps to absorb it all, I Am Not There Anymore is likely the band’s most ambitious album yet.

Opening the album is Fables Of The Silverlink, a baffling eight-minute long mixture of classical strings and electronic beats, something that is equally confusing and intriguing. While the beats can feel a little jarring at times, they create an interesting juxtaposition with the smooth, elegant vocals. For such a long song, it mostly stays interesting, and the tone is set for the rest of the album. Next is Radial B, the first instrumental of many, portraying definite feelings of discomfort.

Garden Eye Mantra is one of the more melodic tracks, with a more urgent, gothic soundscape. The vocals are immediately more appealing, with a lower register that works really well. Dying In May has a more whimsical sound, in contrast to the drum and bass beats, which is something that is undoubtedly odd but undeniably original. This continues in Conjuring Summer In, but possibly works a bit better. The gentle piano and tragic spoken word lyrics are bound to make any listener emotional, and the urgency of the strings is addictive.

The ‘Radial’ instrumentals seem to serve two purposes: leaving a break to understand everything that has happened so far, and to force you to feel it all. For Radial C (Nocturne For Three Trees), this is a continuation of that uncomfortable, disjointed sound, and by Radial E, this has subsided to a more relaxed but sad emotion, resembling a nursery rhyme. The lyrics are vital throughout this album, and most noticeably in tracks such as Claire’s Not Real and Chalk Flowers. With a talent for reminding listeners they aren’t alone in what they feel, THE CLIENTELE have mastered gentle but honest writing. Chalk Flowers in particular is a real stand out, a painfully heart-wrenching song with incredible vocals and guitars.

The continuity and cross-references in this album are works of art, especially in My Childhood and The Village Is Always On Fire. Both are spoken word tracks, with the first being extremely disjointed and painful to listen to, pinpointing a specific difficult experience, while the latter is its more upbeat counterpart, feeling very much like growth and acceptance.

It’s very likely that I Am Not There Anymore is a love or hate kind of album, with some questionable choices, but if it’s something that hits home, it’s impossible to not be charmed by it. While extremely long, it’s almost worth it, with most songs being vital to the overall experience. Balancing an epic sound with down to earth lyrics, THE CLIENTELE have managed to create an extremely original, organic and heartfelt album.

Rating: 7/10

I Am Not There Anymore is out now via Merge Records.

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