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/

K
The Clientele Lyrics

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Back into that falling night
The birches and the silhouettes
The haunted plain
Sweet Lord, here I am again

You flower through my nails and skin
Moving like the sunlight in the alleyways
But in this life

We won't meet again

You flower through my nails and skin
Moving like the sunlight in the alleyways

But in this life
We won't meet again

Overall Meaning

The Clientele's song K is a melancholic yet beautiful reflection on lost love and the passing of time. The opening line, "Back into that falling night," conjures an image of nostalgia and longing as the singer recalls a past memory. The mention of "birches and silhouettes" and a "haunted plain" adds to the dreamlike quality of the lyrics - as if the memory is hazy and not quite tangible. However, the repetition of "You flower through my nails and skin, moving like the sunlight in the alleyways" anchors the memory and suggests that the singer has never forgotten the one they loved.

Despite this, the lyrics are tinged with sadness and a sense of finality. The line "But in this life, we won't meet again" is particularly poignant, suggesting that the memory of the lost love is all that remains. The repetition of the earlier mentioned line also seems to suggest that the memory is all-consuming and inescapable, with the lover "flowering" through the singer's "nails and skin." Finally, the inclusion of the line "Sweet Lord, here I am again" adds a layer of spirituality to the song, suggesting that the singer may have turned to a higher power in their grief.

Overall, The Clientele's K is a beautifully written ode to lost love and the power of memory. The dreamlike quality of the lyrics, combined with the longing and sadness in the singer's words, makes for a haunting and emotional experience.

Line by Line Meaning

Back into that falling night
Returning to a dark and melancholic time

The birches and the silhouettes
The trees and shadows that surround us

The haunted plain
The eerie and unsettling landscape

Sweet Lord, here I am again
Expressing a sense of resignation or acceptance of the situation

You flower through my nails and skin
Experiencing an intense physical and emotional connection with someone

Moving like the sunlight in the alleyways
Feeling the warmth and energy of a moment or experience

But in this life
Acknowledging the limitations of our mortal existence

We won't meet again
Accepting the impermanence and finality of relationships

Contributed by Kaitlyn T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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