The Clientele are perfect for autumn, so it was with great fortune that I discovered this little gem in the used bins of Newbury Comics a few weeks ago. Released in 2000, just at the cusp of the Clientele’s golden era, A Fading Summer features four songs not seen on any subsequent LP. There’s nothing especially noteworthy here, but that’s kind of its charm – modest little pieces content to reside on a used EP. “Saturday” is marked by a characteristically irrelevant dark opening passage and gently tumbling verses, and “Driving South” employs a “Dear Prudence” rip-off that’s so shameless it can only be an homage.

Also of note are discovered links to the Clientele’s blog, vocalist Alasdair MacLean’s Flickr page, and an archived performance on KEXP, all c/o the Merge Records blog.