Clarence Park (album)
| Clarence Park | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2 April 2001 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 31:40 | |||
| Label | Warp Records | |||
| Producer | Chris Clark | |||
| Chris Clark chronology | ||||
| ||||
Clarence Park is the debut studio album by British electronic musician Clark (as Chris Clark), released on 2 April 2001 on Warp Records.[1] The album is named after Clarence Park, a public park in Clark's hometown of St Albans.[2] Comprising 14 tracks in just over 31 minutes, it was recorded while Clark was a university student in Bristol using minimal equipment.[3][4]
Clarence Park received mixed to positive reviews, with praise for Clark's melodic sensibility and sense of humour.[2][5]
Background
Clark grew up in St Albans, Hertfordshire, and began making electronic music as a teenager with an EMU sampler and an Atari computer.[6] He sent cassette tape demos to Warp Records and was signed to the label,[6] and whilst still at university in Bristol, he impressed Warp staff performing under the name "Chris From St Albans" at their Nesh party in December 2000.[7]
Clark was approximately 21 years old when Clarence Park was released and was studying English literature at the University of Bristol.[2][8] His recording set-up at university was limited to a sampler and an Atari, which he used for about three years.[4] He could not save his work on the Atari, meaning every track had to be completed in a single session.[9] He also used MiniDiscs with spliced edits of beats, reprocessing material through samplers repeatedly.[4]
An expanded edition of Clarence Park was released digitally on 1 October 2012, adding eight tracks from the companion Throttle Clarence EP previously only available as a 3" CD and five bonus recordings from the same era.[10]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [1] |
| NME | 7/10[2] |
| Release Magazine | 7/10[11] |
Clarence Park received mixed to positive reviews. NME's John Mulvey gave the album 7 out of 10, describing Clark as a "special, notably sweeter talent" on Warp Records and drawing comparisons to Boards of Canada and Aphex Twin.[2] Release Magazine awarded 7 out of 10, comparing the album's rapid stylistic shifts to "Aphex Twin and Max Tundra trying to use the same sampler".[11] PopMatters called it "a welcome debut" and noted Clark had "a good sense of humour and irony".[5] AllMusic gave the album three out of five stars.[1]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Chris Clark.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Pleen 1930s" | 1:31 |
| 2. | "The Dogs" | 2:53 |
| 3. | "Proper Lo-Fi" | 3:13 |
| 4. | "Oaklands" | 1:00 |
| 5. | "Bricks" | 2:41 |
| 6. | "EmW" | 0:37 |
| 7. | "A Laugh with Hills" | 3:13 |
| 8. | "The Chase" | 1:06 |
| 9. | "Lord of the Dance" | 4:17 |
| 10. | "Caveman Lament" | 2:46 |
| 11. | "Fossil Paste" | 2:09 |
| 12. | "Diesel Raven" | 2:53 |
| 13. | "Shrewland" | 2:58 |
| 14. | "Nostalgic Oblong" | 0:23 |
| Total length: | 31:40 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Wicked Life" | 2:11 |
| 16. | "Lady Palindrome" | 1:53 |
| 17. | "Friday Bread" | 1:32 |
| 18. | "Proper Mid-Fi" | 3:29 |
| 19. | "Bob Dedication" | 4:02 |
| 20. | "820689" | 1:04 |
| 21. | "Alpha Dodgem Fortitude" | 2:10 |
| 22. | "Mother McKnight" | 3:37 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 23. | "Guitar Solo" | 4:57 |
| 24. | "Racloir" | 2:25 |
| 25. | "Perfectly Welcome" | 3:30 |
| 26. | "Sabbath" | 2:20 |
| 27. | "Robinson Crusoe" | 6:06 |
References
- ^ a b c "Clarence Park – Chris Clark". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ^ a b c d e Mulvey, John (12 September 2005). "Chris Clark – Clarence Park". NME. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ^ "Chris Clark Interview". The Milk Factory. February 2006. Archived from the original on 14 December 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ^ a b c Gunsel, Zach (18 September 2013). "Rewind: Clark". XLR8R. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ^ a b "Chris Clark: Clarence Park". PopMatters. 30 April 2001. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ^ a b "Chris Clark Interview". Barcode Zine. 2008. Archived from the original on 14 July 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ^ "New Artist: Chris Clark". Warp Records. Archived from the original on 17 July 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ^ "Clark artist biography". Groovetrackers. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ^ Kiernan, Owen (7 November 2025). "In Strict Tempo vol. 94: Clark Interview". In Strict Tempo. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ^ "Clarence Park (Expanded Edition), by Clark". Bandcamp. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ^ a b Noheden, Kristoffer (2 April 2001). "Chris Clark – Clarence Park". Release Magazine. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
External links
- Clarence Park at Discogs (list of releases)
- Clarence Park (Expanded Edition) on Bandcamp