Client A: Sarah Blackwood (2002 - 2010)
Client B: Kate Holmes
Client E: Emilie Mann (2005 - 2007)
"... the duo Client (known only as Client:A and Client:B, launched onto a stagnant music scene in mid-2002 with the help of their associate Client:F [Andy Fletcher], they received acclaim for combining cutting-edge digital media with good old-fashioned songwriting to create a unique sound which was simultaneously dirty and pristine, cynical but touched with innocence. They quickly attracted music fans bored with production-line pop, superficial dance and tired rock, and later spawned many imitators who only served to show the uniqueness of their work.
-- Global Music Companion (2132 edition)
"The female UK synth pop duo of Client A and Client B (we presume those are pseudonyms, but one never knows) make their debut with this self-titled effort, the first release for the new record label from Depeche Mode's Andy Fletcher. "
-- metacritic.com
| Client Discography - Album / CD Reviews |
2003:
Client
"Some out there know the true identities of Client, but it seems that the girls want to hide in the shadows for just a little bit longer obscured by cool vinyl pressings of ‘Being Boiled’ (you can’t really pick a finer record than that). However, it has been revealed that Client are managed by Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode fame and the band represent the first signing to Andy’s new record label. Client have been seen out and about spinning tunes in London recently with Andy... "
-- Electronically Yours
"Think Human League, think a less polished Ladytron and then - think again. The two ladies of Client are totally in a league of their own. Maybe a bit sleazy, maybe a bit cheap, but still definitely one of the records on "best of"-list when I sum up the year. The seductive electro punkish synthpop of Sarah and Kate clings to the synapses of my brain like an electric current sending chills down my spine and makes my legs want to dance. If you liked Price of Love and - like me - adored the masterpiece Rock and Roll Machine, you’ll enjoy the rest of Client’s Toast Hawaii full length debut. Hell - the northern accent of Sarah is worth half the buy. Happy is one gem, Diary of an 18 Year Old Boy and Here and Now two others. The main drawback is that the album feels a little short. Maybe because we already have heard three of the songs - on the Price of Love single. Maybe because two songs out of eleven are instrumental pieces and more like bridges between the other tunes, not songs in their own right. And to be honest, all the songs aren’t great either. Just good. But if you program your player and select the six best songs on 'Client' you have one hell of a record, albeit a short one. So - why don’t do that? You have seen the pictures, now be seduced by the music."
-- Kalle Malmstedt, releasemagazine.net, 8/03
¼ 2004:
City
Tracklisting: 1.Radio .Come On 3.Overdrive (feat. Martin L. Gore) 4.One Day At A Time 5.Cracked 6.In It For The Money 7.Pornography (feat. Carl Barat) 8.Down To The Underground (feat. Peter Doherty) 9.The Chill Of October 10.Theme 11.Don't Call Me Baby 12.It's Rock And Roll 13.Everything Must End
"On their second longplayer, City, the pair follow up their debut s/t disc of the ought-three with a set doing less of the poker-faced electro revivalism and more of the palette-diversifying pop-song penning, their very-English voices mixed louder, the rhythms a little more playful, the piano preset sounding more romantic than ever, and, even, real strings and real guest vocalists brought on board. The special guest stars are incredibly notable for fans of English wank-rags and pop-cultural soap-opera, because, with a highly cultivated sense of humor, Client dial up, on back-to-back tracks, Carl Barât and Peter Doherty, estranged main-men of The Libertines. (...) Elsewhere, the girls show plenty more cheekiness. Their thematic thrust (so to speak) is still the same: making stark comment on consumer culture, ruthlessly satirizing the soulless wasteland of the corporate world, mocking the music-biz that they've bought into, and highlighting the innate sexism existent in all the above institutions.
-- Anthony Carew, neumu.net
2007:
Heartland
Tracklisting: 01. Heartland 02. Drive 03. Lights Go Out 04. It's Not Over 05. Zerox Machine 06. Someone To Hurt 07. 6 In The Morning 08. Where Is The Rock And Roll Gone 09. Köln 10. Monkey On My Back 11. Get Your Man 12. Heartland (Reprise)
"Client have always been one of those bands that are stocked in the local independent record store under 'bands that aren't as good as Ladytron and come nowhere near to touching the greatness that is Lali Puna'. Well, they're not. But they should be. On 'Heartland' they've tried to go a bit emotional with their electronica to mark themselves out from the crowd. And to some extent, a stab at 'emotronica' works. When they tone things down on the title track, with gentle piano keys under the buzzing synth, it's more successful than the attempted understated sex appeal of It's Not Over at least. They just miss the mark on Zerox Machine as well. What could have been a blasting pop anthem is blighted not only by a rubbish title, but also a disregard for the verse. While the chorus sprints off in a cloud of its own woo, the middle bits merely bloop and stall. Koln is a goodie, however. A menacing drone provides the background to the vocal-less track that's merely meant to be interlude filler. Yet, as a bit of the dark electronic stuff, it's a bit of a killer. Ladytron, you can breathe easy for now. A work of peaks ('Heartland') and troughs (Monkey On My Back), Client aren't sounding as if they are going to climb out of the comparisons bin any time soon.
-- Siân Rowe, thisisfakediy.co.uk, 4/07
½ 2009:
Command Tracklisting: 01. Petrol 02. Can you feel ? 03. Don’t run away 04. Make Me believe in you 05. Lullaby 06. Ghosts 07. Satisfaction 08. Son of a Gun 09. Blackheart 10. In my Mind (Half Life)
"The Queens of Electronic Cool are back! The stylish ladies with their skilful hands for electronic music are plunging us headlong into an addictive maelstrom of groovy Minimal Disco, mingled with the coolness of New Wave and an unerring Pop sensibility. Compared to the big scale cinemascope-sound of 'Heartland', Client have returned to their very essence: 'Command' is a raw and straightforward production dominated by analog synthesizers and Minimal Electro arrangements with full, club-friendly beats. Following the credo that less very often equals more, the trio has conjured up a highly versatile album from these basic ingredients. Bare bone dance tracks such as Believe In You or Satisfaction breathe the foggy air of trendy clubs, the sinister Don’t Run Away is a gripping little sonic angst scenario and songs like Can You Feelare perfect Pop tunes. No matter which musical realm the band enters – the result is always stylish and catchy as hell. Alternating between girlish innocence and femme fatale, Client skilfully play their cards, knowing full well that their new album is raising the bar for Minimal Disco, New Wave and Alternative Pop."