IMPACT PRESS

Clement, formerly a solo acoustic vocalist, now joins up with a full band. His music is soft but certainly not weak, and it has an almost R.E.M. quality - thoughtful, harmonic, with full chords and well-polished vocals. His songs have been featured on TV shows such as Dawson's Creek, and on this record, he is resurrecting and rerecording several songs which were lost in legal limbo when Universal purchased Mercury/Polygram. Good for him - and us.

- DON PFLASTER

KINDAMUSIK
translated from Dutch by Piete

The fact that YOUR FREE GIFT, by the American singer David Clement, has ever seen the light of day may be seen as a small miracle. His acoustic debut, Be More Like Me, got some great reviews and got him a contract with the major label Mercury Records. By the time Clement had finished recording his second CD, Hard Candy, it appeared that this contract was worth even less than the paper it was written on. Mercury was taken over by Universal, "reorganized," and Clement was put aside in a dishonorable way. The release of Hard Candy was postponed without any concrete promises for the future; the album seemed lost forever in the legal battle that followed. After a few years and many lawsuits,Clement has claimed his right to RE-record Hard Candy, and the result is an astonishingly good album titled Your Free Gift.

This album has (despite the traditional wooh-wooh background choirs, and easy little organs on the "obligatory" alt-country song) a very uncommon yet familiar sound that only emphasizes the high quality of the compositions, which are very clear and which could easily stand by themselves. Absolutely amazing is geriatriphilia, a song which is simultaneously witty, moving, melancholic and astute, in a little under three minutes. With hypnotizing guitar chords and a flair for subtle lyrics, David Clement can be found between REM, Ryan Adams and Eels, deep in the territory of accessible, well-written alternative music.

- EELCO VAN KAPPEN

EPULSE: TOWER RECORDS ONLINE

"...there's a brooding quality to it that draws you back, and the CD becomes more compelling with each play. Clement's songs are revealing but not in the "confessional" cliche sense; he leaves out as much as he puts in, painting a vivid picture on some songs and leaving others in shadow. So it takes the casual listener awhile to realize that Clement's love songs are written to men, and that the lyrics as a whole offer a frank view on being gay, with details uncovered by close listening. Like Pansy Division, Clement gives that rock'n'roll standby, the lust song, a vivid gender spin ("I know you're comfortable and bored/ Oh, we can make you such a whore/ I know it's over when you come/ I'm only desperate, I'm not dumb," from delusion at last call ). Unlike Pansy Division, Clement seems uninterested in shocking the straight world with glimpses of gay sex, preferring instead to show the reality, in all its highs and lows, of "the love that dares not speak its name." (His first album, Be More Like Me , on the indie Wild Monk label, was apparently a more in-your-face political affair a la Ani DiFranco.) The unsettling one sounds like voices are competing inside the singer's head for attention, perhaps illustrating the pressure of staying in the closet ("The world outside means that we hide/ Give me this choice, less work than pride"). Sheba's death rattle has a more universal theme of shattered romance ("Busy little hands pick apart all the love that you've had/ Stupid little heart bleeding out alone, shut it down") with hypnotic R.E.M.-ish guitar chords and fills. With a skilled band behind him, Clement can bring enough hooks to keep the likes of da boy and ahhh catchy and smart. Watch for this record."

- MELTON

MUSICBOOM
translated from Italian by DAVID WARREN

At times one can understand the incomprehensible.

It is Incomprehensible that Mr. David Clement should self-produce a cd as hypnotic as YOUR FREE GIFT. It is Incomprehensible that the disc in question shouldn't already be affordable and available in stores everywhere and that Mr. Clement hasn't been named "the future of American rock", a title that in recent times hasn't been denied to anyone (to ask the young Brendan Benson.)

In reality, there is an explanation: It has to do with a major label (Mercury/Polygram) that was absorbed by another major label (Universal), and with a cd (Hard Candy) already ready for release that ended up ground to a halt in a rights (legal property) struggle and has been gathering moss in wharehouses for four years. At least until the author decided to get back and re-record the songs under a new title. An album saved from oblivion the value of which is so great it makes us smile at the laws in question. I'm unaware of what might be the differences in respect to the original version, but YOUR FREE GIFT is a cd filled with excellent songs that the author knows precisely how to execute: the "singer-songwriter" rock of Clement has a complexity that makes even the simplest of his ballads an experience not to be missed.

Clement's songwriting is rooted in the "Americana" tradition but is influenced by hard rock, punk and pop with lightening-like variations in rhythm; it tosses and turns nervously then becomes calm in the turn of a few chords always having, in the end, a formal elegance. It brings to mind, in form and content, Talking Heads and Dismemberment Plan; excellent bands able to balance on the thin rope between Rock and New Wave: comfortably playing in the vast material we call "Americana" (Ms. Davis, Sheba's Death Rattle), Clement has the same ability to balance his instincts and the ability to "season" his songs with the same collision force, that springs from his fantastic, improvisational vocal interpretations and the spare arrangements that allow us to see the raw texture in the writing of his songs. It's main merit is that it takes difficult and idiosyncratic songs and makes them catchy and personal with wisely used simple and effective melody. The sound of vintage keyboards, and vocals overdubbed in ingenious choruses, grab the attention of the listener in the more accesible elements of the songs": Noid Noid riffs on a Blur-like refrain, Ahhh and Delusion at Last Call are rattling weaves of "Punk Roll," Geriatriphilia is a genuine jewel of adult pop, Ho Me is a sweet song that brings the joy of Ed Harcourt.

The sound of the album is, perhaps, a bit compressed, and it could have made less of the confusing episodes (above all Accouterment which comes close to hard rock), but these are neglibible issues in the context of such an excellent work. "Hard Candy" should have come out in 1998. Five years later, YOUR FREE GIFT is a jewel of balance and style. Great songs don't age.

- SALVATORE "HOWTY" PATTI

SMOTHER.NET

The whole reason you`re reading this is because one day David Clement played some songs in his apartment for Liz Phair oddly enough who convinced him that he "should be doing this." Then he got an open-mic gig which had him heard by an A&R representative who eventually signed him to Mercury Records. Then Mercury Records was acquired along with Polygram by Universal, which saw Clement along with many other artists dropped. Fortunately he chose to re-record those songs and presents 12 of those songs on this 14-song strong album. I love reading stories like that because they`re inspiring and teach you to continue marching forward with music despite the pitfalls. His songs are odd because just as Liz Phair told him before he was dropped from Mercury they`re "noncommercial ideas wrapped up in a very listenable package." I couldn`t agree more. This is really a great album consisting of avant garde rock with intriguing song writing. So why not get it and see what almost didn`t happen.

- J-SIN

THE DAILY VAULT

I love New York.

Really, I do, even if I have lived my entire life on the left coast and am a notorious homebody. Thing is, I've been to New York a couple of times and gotten a tremendous buzz off just being thereÉ the energy, the diversity, the badass big-city attitudeÉ the whole place just feels like possibility made real. You can do whatever the hell you want in New York and no one's going to say "that's weird," 'cause it's just about guaranteed there's something weirder down the block or around the corner.

That makes it the perfect habitat for a singer-songwriter like David Clement. This is a fellow who's clearly not interested in settling on a homogenized sound and making a record that sticks to it. He's also not interested in mainstreaming his lyrics; this is sharp-witted art-rock all the way, with an avant-garde vibe that owes a huge debt to David Bowie.

Nowhere is this more evident than on the opener noid noid , with its slightly off-kilter melody, lyric full of existential self-loathing and background vocals right out of Ziggy Stardust. Clement covers plenty of other musical territory before the album's over, though, showing flashes of Elvis Costello/Ramones angry-pop (ahh , delusion at last call ); somewhat spaced-out hard rock (da boy , the accoutrement ); and a surprising flair for R.E.M.-esque ballads with gently chiming guitars (Sheba's death rattle , the yard ).

Clement's focus on these songs is very much on relationships, but in most cases the outlines are drawn with a kind of impressionistic obscurity, judiciously doling out situational details while remaining sufficiently enigmatic to make you listen carefully. When he does get specific, the results can be oddly touching, as in geriatriphilia, with its sweetly sarcastic lyric and an organ tone that's lost in the no-man's-land between Hammond and Methodist.

Most of the time, though, his pen is tough on both himself and the lovers who float in and out of his narratives, such as the poor fellow in the stuttering, polyrhythmic smells like a metaphor , who goes from being celebrated to eviscerated in just 2:09. (And yes, Clement is a gay songwriter who doesn't bother playing games with his pronouns.)

The guitar work, arrangements and production are tight throughout this album, both because Clement is supported by veteran players hailing from the likes of The Attractions, They Might Be Giants, and Alex Chilton, and because he's had so long to consider what these songs should sound like. They were originally recorded for release in 1998 as Clement's sophomore album on Mercury Records, but fell victim to the corporate takeover/music-business politics meat-grinder that chewed up so many intriguing acts at the end of the century.

On Your Free Gift Clement reclaims his songs and remakes them for a new century. And while the end result is far enough outside the mainstream that it's unlikely to find a home on modern rock radio, that's Middle America's loss. Quirky, adventurous and stubbornly intelligent, this album isn't for everyone... but neither is New York.

-- JASON WARBURG

INDIEVILLE

As unspectacular as YOUR FREE GIFT looks on paper - a generic self-released rock CD - one listen should clear away any pretentious prejudices you may have. David Clement is a great rock musician who knows how to make a good melody, and this album sees him singing with a whole rotating cast of back-up musicians.

Clement, like his idols The Eels, knows how to work in both rock and pop settings. "One" is a fine example - catchy in a sort of grungy/poppy way, it almost seems to recall some mid-90s one-hit wonders. The vocals are decidedly Eels-esque, except less tuneful. "Geriatriphilia," meanwhile, takes the Eels similarities even further, with delicate vocals, a hushed instrumental background, and some nice organ playing to top it all off. "Sheba's Death Rattle" is way catchier than it should be and "The Yard" is a pretty, yet raw pop song that will bring a tear to your eye.

While I would suggest more balance in the mixture between the rockier stuff and the more restrained material, Clement has managed to blend the two distinct styles remarkably well, and the album's flow is perfect. The way it starts off with the energetic "Noid Noid" and closes with the end credits-esque "Ho Me" is fantastic.

This album gets a recommendation from me. Your Free Gift deserves a big, appreciative audience, and hopefully Clement will find one.

- MATT SHIMMER

MUSIC EMMISSIONS

I would like to introduce one of the most poorly designed album covers that have come across my desk. It's really sad when an artist spends the time and money to put out a CD and they don't do any work on the packaging. David Clement has even gone so far as to package this disc in a paper digi-pack but gone with a three-color design. And it really is too bad because David Clement's music is different enough to get noticed. He has pretty much been playing guitar since he was 7 and hasn't looked back once. He has even secured the guitar talents of none other than Marc Ribot to help out on Your Free Gift. There is a bit of a story involved with this album so I will try to abbreviate. David's first CD, Be More Like Me, was a critical success noted in Billboard and Hits Magazine. To follow up the mostly acoustic format he wanted to bring in a full band. He looked for all the artists that would he felt would make a great album, including Marc Ribot, and recorded Hard Candy. It was to come out on Beauty/Mercury Records but when the Universal/Polygram merger happened Clement was left without a label and even worse, his CD. Instead of jumping through the legal hoops to get his album released he decided to rerecord most of the songs. That's where YOUR FREE GIFT fits in. The music is diverse and shows David as quite an adaptable singer/songwriter and a good judge of musicians. The music on YOUR FREE GIFT is ready for mainstream and has enough twists to keep it different. This intelligent songwriter may have his day in the spotlight yet. (indie 2002)

Try if you like - Big Head Todd, Aimee Mann

DISCLAIMER MUSIC REVIEWS
picked geriatriphilia as 'song of the day' on 2/16/03

A tiny, sweet, silly love song in which Clement envisions himself and his boyfriend as old men, living lives of cozy familiarity with each other and pretending "not to notice when our bodies make weird sounds." The tune is a playfully gentle indie-guitar pop number whose awesome melody doesn't outshine the contemplative nature of the song. From the thoroughly enjoyable record Your Free Gift.

NEXT Magazine, New York / Windy City Times, Chicago

I've been waiting years for the opportunity to write about David Clement's second full-length album. Shortly after I received an advance copy of the then-titled Hard Candy, Clement (among many other artists) was dropped by the major label in a thoughtless restructuring process, and the album was unreleased. In the years that have passed between what was supposed to be the original release and the current version, now known as YOUR FREE GIFT (Show Dog Tunes), Clement's songs have been featured on a couple of TV series on the WB network and he has performed a lot of live shows. You'd never know the album has been sitting on a shelf for a few years. Ahhh is the smartest song about "a stupid song that you love so much," with its surfer punk beat and hypnotic organ. Ms. Davis , which makes reference to both his "first wet dream" and "Angela Davis on TV," is only one of Clement's political pop songs. The gorgeous geriatriphilia , a plea for growing old together, is Clement's most honest love song, while Sheba's Death Rattle looks at "what could've been, what had to be, and what is." The retro album closer ho me, reminds us that there's no place like home.

- GREGG SHAPIRO

SCORE

First some background to David Clement's position in the world of recording artists, which helps to shed some light on the alternating angry, melancholic, and hopeful shades to his music. He released a debut CD called Be More Like Me, which enjoyed a fair amount of recognition. It spurred a second CD entitled Hard Candy, which was to be released by Beauty/Mercury records. In an all-too-familiar tale of conglomeration, Universal bought out Mercury/Polygram and Clement was dropped and his CD release postponed indefinitely. Clement revisited the second CD and re-recorded 12 of the 14 original Hard Candy songs. The result is YOUR FREE GIFT.

So you certainly can't blame the guy for songs like "Noid Noid," where he moans, "What if it's true and I was never good enough for you/what if it's real/the fear, the doubt I feel ..."

In "Ahh," the core of the song centers on one line: "I'm all plaintive, out of touch/just like that stupid song you love so much." My boyfriend might relate to the second part since he hates my taste in music. And maybe it is just because I do enjoy the occasional ballad, but my instinct says that if David Clement softened his music up just the slightest bit (without losing the passion that so clearly engenders his enormous talent), his voice and lyrics would ring a little truer.

And I am right. In "Ms. Davis," he loses the (somewhat contrived) Alice Cooper edge and you can hear the purity pouring out of words like "I remember the first time I heard that song ... up all night and the next day too ... words I waited for the only sound."

It is precisely that fervor for the music he creates is the thing that makes me appreciate David Clement the most. We as a generation seem to be like sheep sometimes, going through this life to get rich, rarely caring that deeply about something (of course this is a generalization). But it's the most refreshing thing in the world to actually hear someone's struggle for meaning found on 12 tracks of a CD.

In "Delusion of Last Call," (of which I share many on various late evenings in New York City), Clements wails, "I know you're comfortable and bored/but we can make you such a whore." And he's right -the commercial appeal that the mainstream music industry creates will turn him into a whore to the masses. And maybe that's why getting dropped might have been the best thing for him. As evidenced by Your Free Gift, it incited the most pure of passions ... and some great music.

- LEANNE