Ariadne

The Clientele, the London trio who show such class and emotion through mixing psychedelic, pop and folk music, return with a new EP, "Ariadne." Since their beginning in 1997, each of the group's releases has kept to a basic set of guidelines: fragility, stories of twilight, and a tendency to bittersweet choruses.

"Ariadne" is music inspired by the Ariadne series of paintings by Giorgio De Chirico. These paintings depict the Princess of Greek mythology in an empty, sun-drenched piazza. According to the legend, she was abandoned by her lover, Theseus, on the desert island of Naxos, after he had killed the Minotaur with the aid of her thread. Focusing on these themes of exile and loss, The Clientele have echoed the unique mood of disquietude and austerity, with haunting, Satie-influenced piano instrumentals giving way to long organ drones, whining static, and John Barry-through-the-looking-glass guitar themes.