The Face Of God Is Smiling

The Clientele “The Neighbour”

Alasdair MacLean’s voice is dry and understated, but in a way that never betrays the romance in his music. The best songs by The Clientele have a way of making urban life seem both incredibly magical and crushingly sad, and make true human connection and intimacy seem glorious, but against all odds. That’s pretty much what’s going on in “The Neighbour” – no one’s talking to each other, nobody is touching, but everyone is feeling. A guy dreams of following someone home on the chance they might speak to each other, but it doesn’t happen. Someone plays violin in his home at night, and the music is felt strongly by another on the other side of the wall, but they do not speak. The music makes it all sound so lovely and full of possibility, even as MacLean’s words make it clear that these people aren’t seizing the opportunities.

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