* En anglais uniquement
Formed in the English seaside town of Hove,
Clearlake's eccentric take on music has baffled, bewildered, and beguiled both the press and public since they debuted with the "Winterlight" single in January 2000 on the Domino offshoot label Dusty Company.
Jason Pegg (vocals/guitar/keyboards), who had moved to the town to attend art college, played in oddball combos the Fish Brothers and Not a Bit of Wood before forming
Clearlake with college friend
Sam Hewitt (keyboards/samples). Bassist
David Woodward and drummer
James Butcher rounded out the lineup and
Clearlake began mixing an eclectic fusion of influences, including
Van Der Graaf Generator, Motown, and
Talk Talk, with a quintessentially English lyrical perspective. They followed "Winterlight" with the much-acclaimed singles "Don't Let the Cold In" and "Something to Look Forward To."
Their debut album, Lido, was released in April 2001 to mainly rave reviews in the U.K. music press, with NME proclaiming that "in terms of sheer charm and lustre,
Clearlake leave their contemporaries out in the cold." The single "Let Go" followed, with an affectionate cover of
Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl" on its flip. In 2003, the band inked a deal with Domino in the States and issued both the Almost the Same EP and the studio full-length Cedars.
Butcher left
Clearlake at the end of their U.K. tour; drummer
Toby May stepped in as his replacement. A second EP, Wonder If the Snow Will Settle, arrived two years later. Frontman
Jason Pegg produced
Clearlake's third album,
Amber (2006); founding member
Sam Hewitt left the band as the album was being completed. His replacement was to be announced in February 2006, when
Clearlake was scheduled to play dates in their native U.K. ~ Simon P. Ward