The Clientele are a London-based band with Alasdair MacLean on vocals and g… Read Full Bio ↴The Clientele are a London-based band with Alasdair MacLean on vocals and guitar, Mark Keen on drums, James Hornsey on bass and Mel Draisey on Keys and Violin.

MacLean and Hornsey began collaborating musically while still in school, after MacLean saw that Hornsey had written the name of the band Felt on his pencil case. The band formed in 1991, with the current lineup along with Innes Phillips, who shared singing and songwriting duties with MacLean. The band recorded an album's worth of material but failed to get any label interest. Innes left the band (and would go on to found The Relict); the rest of the group re-formed in 1997, and they released a number of singles that were eventually collected on Suburban Light (2000). The Violet Hour (2003) was their first album proper, which again saw great acclaim, but, as yet, little commercial success. August 2005 saw the release of their second full album, Strange Geometry. Draisey joined the band in 2006 just in time for band's second tour of the States.

The band is more successful in America, where they are signed to Merge Records, home of bands such as Lambchop and Spoon, than in their native Britain.

Their music is noted for its reverb-rich production and MacLean's distinctive breathy vocals and jangly guitar playing. Their lyrics take a strong inspiration from surrealist literature and art from the early 20th century. "We Could Walk Together" quotes a line ("like a silver ring thrown into the flood of my heart") from a 1928 poem by French surrealist Joe Bousquet; the song "What Goes Up" quotes the poem "Stupidity Street" by Ralph Hodgson in its entirety.

The song "I Can't Seem To Make You Mine" from their album "Strange Geometry" is used in the movie "The Lake House" (2006).

Their album 'God Save The Clientele' was released on May 8th 2007. 'Bonfires on the Heath' followed in 2009, and 'Minotaur' in 2010. Their last one, 'Music For The Age Of Miracles' was released on september 22th.

http://www.theclientele.co.uk/

Impossible
The Clientele Lyrics

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There's a place that we can go
At the end of a long slow day
Streetlamps fuse the rising night
I feel so far away

When you came back late, from the garden
I couldn't turn my eyes
And I was dead

Outside in the crowded pines
Ships are sailing though the wood
Impossible
Leaving in the space between
The Hovis homes, the railway heath
Impossible

I can see my freedom but I need a little time
Your hair wet and your arms full
You were dead, you were alive

Looking in the heart of light
Looking into the silence

From those nights so frigid
They seemed hardly real
Through the last light on the plain
Roland to the dark tower came
Weialala leia
Weialala leia
Impossible
Impossible
Impossible

Year: 2005

Overall Meaning

The Clientele's song "Impossible" is a dreamy and introspective piece of music that invites the listener to immerse themselves in the haunting and surreal landscape it paints. The singer seems to be in a state of emotional or psychological turmoil, seeking refuge in a mysterious place where he can escape from the demands of the world. This place is described as a haven at the end of a long slow day, where the streetlamps fuse into a rising night that takes him away from reality.

The lyrics then shift to the memory of a moment when the singer's partner returns late from the garden, and his gaze is locked into hers, feeling both dead and alive at the same time. The scenery around them transforms into an enchanted forest where ships sail through the pines, creating a surreal and impossible scenario. There's a sense of displacement and existential questioning as the song progresses, with phrases like "I can see my freedom but I need a little time" and "Looking into the silence" that suggest a longing for a deeper understanding of oneself and the world.

The song is full of symbolism and imagery that reinforces the idea of impossibility and uncertainty, culminating in the repetition of the phrase "Weialala leia, impossible" that serves as both a chant and a lament. Overall, "Impossible" is a poignant and mesmerizing representation of the human psyche and its endless search for meaning and transcendence.

Line by Line Meaning

There's a place that we can go
There is a certain place where we can escape to

At the end of a long slow day
After a tiring, sluggish day

Streetlamps fuse the rising night
The streetlights blend with the darkening sky

I feel so far away
I am disconnected from everything around me

When you came back late, from the garden
When you returned past your usual time, from the garden

I couldn't turn my eyes
I couldn't look away from you

And I was dead
I felt lifeless

Outside in the crowded pines
Amid the packed trees

Ships are sailing though the wood
Ships seem to be traveling through the forest

Impossible
Incredible or hard to believe

Leaving in the space between
Departing from the gap in the midst of