With that song title, you immediately think of the Beatles (or, okay, this accompanying promo photo). The fact that it's the Clean makes me think of all the Flying Nun and the more consistently noisy Xpressway-related New Zealand music I obsessed over in the later days of high school and onward. The song comes from Mister Pop, the longstanding (est. 1978) band's first studio album since 2001's Getaway, though you might remember Anthology, the two-disc compilation Merge did in 2003. Cheesy as it sounds, listening to these 10 new tracks (from the gorgeous, synth-smeared opener "Loog" onward) on a rainy Friday feels like welcoming an old friend back into you life. One with really great lyrical turns and a particularly dreamy, dusky sense of melody.
The Clean - "In The Dreamlife You Need A Rubber Soul" (MP3)
Mr. Pop:
Mister Pop is out 9/8 via Merge.
[Band photo by Tim Soter]
UPDATE: Here's another...
The Clean - "Tensile" (MP3)
