Bonfires on the Heath

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Bonfires on the Heath
Clientele-bonfires-on-heath.jpg
Studio album by The Clientele
Released 6 October 2009 (2009-10-06)
Recorded December 2008 – April 2009
Studio Bart Studios (London, England)
Genre Indie pop
Length41:43
Label
Producer Brian O'Shaughnessy
The Clientele chronology
That Night a Forest Grew
(2008)
Bonfires on the Heath
(2009)
Minotaur
(2010)

Bonfires on the Heath is the fifth studio album by English indie pop group The Clientele. The album was released on 6 October 2009 by Merge Records in the United States and on 16 November 2009 by Pointy Records in the United Kingdom.

Indie pop is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and subsequently generated a thriving fanzine, label, and club and gig circuit. Compared to its counterpart, indie rock, the genre is more melodic, less abrasive, and relatively angst-free. In later years, the definition of indie pop has bifurcated to also mean bands from unrelated DIY scenes/movements with pop leanings. Subgenres include chamber pop and twee pop.

The Clientele is a London-based indie pop band, currently composed of lead singer/guitarist Alasdair MacLean, drummer Mark Keen and bassist James Hornsey.

Merge Records independent record label

Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as a way to release music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expanded to include artists from around the world and records reaching the top of the Billboard music charts.

Contents

A detail from Flora by the 16th century surrealistic painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo is used as the album's cover art.

Giuseppe Arcimboldo 16th-century Italian painter of the late Renaissance

Giuseppe Arcimboldo was an Italian painter best known for creating imaginative portrait heads made entirely of objects such as fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish, and books.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 81/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The A.V. Club A− [3]
Drowned in Sound 8/10 [4]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Pitchfork 7.4/10 [7]
PopMatters 9/10 [8]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Spin 6/10 [10]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]

In a review of Bonfires on the Heath, AllMusic referred to the album as "the most perfect, autumnal, English pop record imaginable." [2]

AllMusic online music database

AllMusic is an online music database. It catalogs more than 3 million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musical artists and bands. It launched in 1991, predating the World Wide Web.

Track listing

All tracks written by The Clientele (Alasdair MacLean, James Hornsey, Mark Keen and Mel Draisey), except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Wonder Who We Are" 4:25
2."Bonfires on the Heath" 5:11
3."Harvest Time"
  • The Clientele
  • Lupe Núñez-Fernández
3:50
4."Never Anyone but You" 5:31
5."Jennifer and Julia" 3:01
6."Sketch" 1:31
7."Tonight"
  • The Clientele
  • Emelie Berg
3:54
8."Share the Night" 3:19
9."I Know I Will See Your Face" 3:37
10."Three Month Summers" 2:44
11."Graven Wood"
  • The Clientele
  • Innes Phillips
3:02
12."Walking in the Park" 1:38
Total length:41:43

Personnel

Credits for Bonfires on the Heath adapted from album liner notes. [12]

Charts

Chart (2009)Peak
position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [13] 26

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References

  1. "Bonfires On The Heath by The Clientele". Metacritic . Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  2. 1 2 Sendra, Tim. "Bonfires on the Heath – The Clientele". AllMusic . Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  3. Murray, Noel (13 October 2009). "The Clientele: Bonfires On The Heath". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  4. Ashman, Neil (4 December 2009). "Album Review: The Clientele – Bonfires On the Heath". Drowned in Sound . Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  5. Costa, Maddy (27 November 2009). "The Clientele: Bonfires on the Heath". The Guardian . Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  6. "The Clientele: Bonfires on the Heath". Mojo (195): 100. February 2010.
  7. Harvell, Jess (7 October 2009). "The Clientele: Bonfires on the Heath". Pitchfork . Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  8. Fiander, Matthew (6 October 2009). "The Clientele: Bonfires on the Heath". PopMatters . Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  9. "The Clientele: Bonfires on the Heath". Q (282): 126. January 2010.
  10. Beta, Andy (November 2009). "The Clientele: Bonfires on the Heath". Spin . 25 (11): 74. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  11. "The Clientele: Bonfires on the Heath". Uncut (152): 105. January 2010.
  12. Bonfires on the Heath (liner notes). The Clientele. Merge Records. 2009. MRG347.
  13. "The Clientele Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 September 2018.