Clinic
Free Reign

THE REVIEW

I went to the band's official website and was blown away. You can tell that a certain flair and genius are innate in these guys. Clinic have accustomed us to alienated neuroses that paradoxically have the effect of Valium on our brains. They are the masters of the anxious yet soothing mantra, bipolar music, perfect, get two for the price of one.

They are fully garage even though they do everything to hide it. I'll try to describe 4 songs for you, the rest, if you're interested, give it a listen. The opening track "Misty" is a ballad buried in sand, where a bass line slithers, undulating with variations of acid keyboards that shatter the song into fragments.

The second track "See Saw" is psychedelic garage rock where we find the playful clarinet, a trademark, and where you feel like you hear the electric jug of the 13th Floor Elevators. With "Seamless Boogie Woogie" we're back to the glory of "Internal Wrangler," an intense psychotic ride seasoned with minimal acid keyboards and a nice catchy chorus with robotic vocals. "Miss You" sounds like how I imagine Can would in the '10s, and that says it all.

I had neglected Clinic after "Do It!" didn't enthuse me, but I was terribly wrong. This sweet nectar, serene evening neurosis, best accompanied by a Petrus amaro, is the ideal sardonic anti-stress lullaby that music can offer us. It's an awesome record.