Bonfires on the Heath

Bonfires on the Heath
Studio album by The Clientele
Released	6 October 2009
Recorded	December 2008 – April 2009
Studio	Bart Studios (London, England)
Genre	Indie pop
Length	41:43
Label	Merge ; Pointy ;
Producer	Brian O'Shaughnessy
The Clientele chronology

Last updated March 15, 2019

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 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.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	81/100^[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
The A.V. Club	A−^[3]
Drowned in Sound	8/10^[4]
The Guardian	^[5]
Mojo	^[6]
Pitchfork	7.4/10^[7]
PopMatters	9/10^[8]
Q	^[9]
Spin	6/10^[10]
Uncut	^[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 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.	Title	Writer(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]

The Clientele

Alasdair MacLean – vocals, whispering, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, Spanish guitar, Jazzmaster and Telecaster guitars
James Hornsey – bass, backing vocals
Mark Keen – drums, percussion, piano, backing vocals, trumpet arrangements
Mel Draisey – violin, piano, Hammond organ, Rhodes piano, glockenspiel, backing vocals, string arrangements

The Fender Jazzmaster is an electric guitar designed as a more expensive sibling to the Fender Stratocaster. First introduced at the 1958 NAMM Show, it was initially marketed to jazz guitarists, but found favor among surf rock guitarists in the early 1960s. Its appearance is similar to the Jaguar, though it is tonally and physically different in many technical ways.

The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele, is the world's first commercially successful solid-body electric guitar. Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music. Introduced for national distribution as the Broadcaster in the autumn of 1950, it was the first guitar of its kind manufactured on a substantial scale and has been in continuous production in one form or another since its first incarnation.

The Hammond organ is an electric organ, invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Various models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to specify a variety of sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated sound by creating an electric current from rotating a metal tonewheel near an electromagnetic pickup, and then strengthening the signal with an amplifier so it can drive a speaker cabinet. Around two million Hammond organs have been manufactured. The organ is commonly used with, and associated with, the Leslie speaker.

Additional musicians

Nikki Gleed – violin (1st)
John Hoare – trumpet
Brian O'Shaughnessy – electronic tambura
Sarah Squires – violin (2nd)
Hannah Stewart – cello
Charlie Stock – viola

Production

Jeff Lipton – mastering
Brian O'Shaughnessy – production
Maria Rice – mastering (assistant)

Artwork and design

Maggie Fost – design
Giuseppe Arcimboldo – artwork
Federico Vinciolo – artwork

Charts

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

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References

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

External links

Bonfires on the Heath at Discogs (list of releases)
Bonfires on the Heath at MusicBrainz (list of releases)

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[1] "Bonfires On The Heath by The Clientele". Metacritic . Retrieved 10 September 2018.

[allmusic-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.

[notes-12] Bonfires on the Heath (liner notes). The Clientele. Merge Records. 2009. MRG347.

[ac_BillboardHeatseekers_The_Clientele-13] "The Clientele Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 September 2018.

v t e The Clientele
Alasdair MacLean Mark Keen James Hornsey Mel Draisey Innes Phillips Daniel Evans Howard Monk
Studio albums	Suburban Light The Violet Hour Strange Geometry God Save The Clientele Bonfires on the Heath Music for the Age of Miracles
Compilation albums	It's Art, Dad
Extended plays	A Fading Summer Lost Weekend Ariadne That Night a Forest Grew Minotaur