While 2003’s The Violet Hour is technically The Clientele’s full-length debut, it’s 2000’s Suburban Light, which collected two years’ worth of singles, EPs, and compilation appearances that made their name and gets them the most praise. It’s also the only one of them still available vinyl, as it was reissued for its 25th anniversary in 2014, whereas The Violet Hour has been out of press on wax since its initial release in 2003. Maybe it’ll get some 20th anniversary love in a couple years?

“Reflections After Jane” has been one of the band’s signature songs since their inception, originally appearing on the All The Dust And Glass single in March 1999. Alasdair Maclean discussed the song’s inspirations and origins during a Tim’s Twitter Listening Party this past April:

Reflections after Jane was inspired by the story of Joë Bousquet, a Belgian Surrealist writer, who was paralysed in WW1. he spent the rest of his life in bed, writing hallucinatory prose poems. @jhornsey74 and I were into his stuff. #suburbanlight #TimsTwitterListeningParty

— The Clientele (@theclientele) April 1, 2021

And an ex. It wasn't supposed to be about mental reflections, more seeing her reflection after she'd gone, stubbornly re-appearing, following me.  Took about 5 mins to record – it's all a first take. Our most popular song, to this day. #suburbanlight #TimsTwitterListeningParty

— The Clientele (@theclientele) April 1, 2021

As befits pretty much every aspect of the song – and the band’s aesthetic in general – the official video is a charmingly sepia-toned thing:

They performed the song for a session for Washington D.C.’s WAMU in 2014:

And here’s a fan-shot video of the band’s recital of the song here in Toronto at The Great Hall in October 2017; judging from my own photos from the show, I’m just barely out of frame… which suits me fine.