Clarence Clarity - Meadow Hopping, Traffic Stopping, Death Splash
It might be hard to believe, but Clarence Clarity's new song is actually less than three minutes long.
There's so much stuff that happens in it. Verses and choruses, obviously, but also dirty basslines, helium-shifted vocal cut-ups, discordant piano breakdowns, a bit of horrible broken brass band. We're amazed that he crammed it all into a neat three-minute pop structure.
Meadow Hopping, Traffic Stopping, Death Splash never properly settles, and appropriately its new video – directed by Weirdcore (Aphex Twin, M.I.A., etc.) – means that the song remains as much a visual assault as an aural one.
Chaotic as it might seem, you can't write hooks like this or produce anything so intricate without some serious talent and discipline – you suspect that "Clarence" might be a bit of a genius beneath all the noise. Look out for his debut album on Bella Union next month.
Clarence Clarity will be touring from now until April, supporting Jungle on their UK tour and doing a few headline dates of his own in April. Tickets can be picked up here.
Clarence Clarity ‘NO NOW’ tracklisting:
01. Become Death
02. Will To Believe
03. Alive In The Septic Tank
04. Buck-Toothed Particle Smashers (feat. Kill J)
05. Hit Factory Of Sadness
06. Off My Grid
07. Those Who Can’t, Cheat
08. Let’s Shoot Up
09. Bloodbarf
10. Tathāgatagarbha
11. Meadow Hopping, Traffic Stopping, Death Splash
12. Porn Mountain
13. One Hand Washes The Other
14. The Cute
15. 1-800-WORSHIP
16. The Gospel Truth
17. No Now
18. Cancer™ In The Water
19. With No Fear
20. Now I Am
Clarence Clarity live dates:
February 17th: Pyramid Centre (with Jungle), Portsmouth
February 18th: O2 Academy (with Jungle), Bristol
February 20th: O2 Academy (with Jungle), Oxford
February 22nd: O2 Academy (with Jungle), Liverpool
February 25th: The Liquid Room (with Jungle), Liverpool
February 26th: Albert Hall (with Jungle), Manchester
February 27th: Leadmill (with Jungle), Sheffield
February 28th: Rock City (with Jungle), Nottingham
March 2nd: Corn Exchange (with Jungle), Brighton
March 3rd: Roundhouse (with Jungle), London
March 5th: The Assembly (with Jungle), Leamington Spa
March 6th: UEA (with Jungle), Norwich
April 7th: Oporto, Leeds
April 8th: Hare and Hounds, Birmingham
April 9th: Hoxton Bar and Grill, London
April 11th: Louisiana, Bristol
Bella Union release 'No Now' on March 2nd 2015 (pre-order).