The Clientele, Hacia Dos Veranos, the Forgotten Works [monday Threesome]

Welcome to Monday Threesome! This week, The Clientele’s (@theclientele) classic pop/folk with psychedelic influences is the basis for our theme. While the three bands below each create their own unique sound within that realm, they clearly work with similar muses, and their music is perfect for either autumn’s rain slicked streets or winter’s  snow covered landscapes.

House on Fire – The Clientele // Buy

English psych-poppers The Clientele have been a wonderful band to watch develop. Beginning with their brilliant debut album, Suburban Light, which trafficked in reverb heavy, 80’s pop influence, to their current releases, the production and complexity of their songs have grown dramatically. This resulted in the baroque, classical pop works of art God Save the Clientele and Bonfires of the Heath. Though it’s technically winter, the current unseasonably warm weather is perfect for the fall tones of The Clientele, and they have some fantastic footage on YouTube to show that: a studio performance, a live rendition of “Here Comes the Phantom”, and, easily the trippiest thing the band has ever done, a video made for Yo Gabba Gabba. Also, the band’s NPR page features two live performances, one from last year and one from 2007.

The swirling psychedelia of Argentina’s instrumental quintet, Hacia Dos Veranos (@haciadosveranos), is the perfect companion to The Clientele. In fact, they even share members on certain tracks — Alasdair MacLean plays guitar on one song and sings the band’s only vocals on another.  Complex drum patterns, flute, keyboards and guitar are what drive most of these arrangements, giving the band terrific instrumental interplay. Thus far, they have released two records, both of which are available for free to download or stream on their Bandcamp. Hacia claims that their newest, self-titled, album is sunnier and more influenced by the city, but heir debut record De los Valles y Volcanes has the autumnal mood that we’re seeking this week. Both are beautiful works and well worth the download.

This Glasgow band deals in British folk with a more strict definition of that term. Describing themselves as “Moondog, Nick Drake and Will Oldham jamming at the back of an antiques shop,” their ethereal sound is a wonderful throwback to artists like the Incredible String Band, Bert Jansch, and Fairport Convention. The beautiful, harmonized male and female vocals on their record are truly something to behold, and the instrumental backing is very complex and well composed: intricate finger-picked guitar and plucked and bowed Cello that goes from booming to soaring on a dime. The Forgotten Works is the kind of music that is perfect for autumn and winter, bringing to mind a snowy landscape or a long train ride through the countryside.