English band The Clientele have shared “Dying in May,” the second track we know from their seventh album, I Am Not There Anymore, out July 28 via Merge Records. In April, the group led by Alasdair MacLean shared the song “Blue Over Blue”.
MacLean wrote about “Dying in May”:
I think ‘Dying in May’ is the first Clientele song with no guitar. It also has no chords, as such—it’s a drone, with French horn, cello, and Mellotron. So the rhythm does a lot of the work—the drums and percussion are in 9/8, but the singing and instruments are in 4/4, so as each bar goes past, there’s a slightly different rhythmic emphasis. This was a complete accident, but I loved it when I heard it—the patterns are a bit disorientating, but there’s a pulse that goes through it. I almost feel I could dance to this, but not quite. It’s based on an Arabic flamenco rhythm.
Listen to “Dying in May”.
Watch the video for the aforementioned “Blue Over Blue”.
