The Cientele own a time portal to the 60s and their radio is stuck on AM. "Strange Geometry" is a record i have trouble stopping listening to, it's charming like how late summer days and cold winter evenings by the fireplace should be. They play the kind of songs couples in old movies dance to, songs that seem to embody the spirit of old-fashioned romance, in times when dancing actually met something -the only way to hold someone tight. "(I Can't Seem To) Make You Mine" is one of the 10 best songs I've heard this year, a warm and slow pop song to reminisce teenage fantasies to. "My Own Face Inside the Trees" is another great song, drenched in reverb like the rest of the album, filling space and chasing dreadful silence away, creating a foggy atmosphere perfect for daydreaming. Strings collide with arpeggios, and Alasdair MacLean softly whispers and croons about girls, music, parties and architecture. Innocent but never silly, desperately romantic but never over-emotional, The Clientele's wonderful songs make "Strange Geometry" one of this year's very best records.

-Barbara H

/december 2005/