Record Review - Clinic

CLINIC

Free Reign
Domino CD/LP/DL

This enterprising, altogether weird and sometimes quite wonderful Liverpool-based aggregation have been kicking around for a decade and a half or so now, and have, significantly, been involved in the business of seriously confounding those who choose to listen in. And that's been happening from, well day one really, and here they come again continuing to confuse, amuse, perplex, and, indeed, entertain too, on this, their seventh long-play outing.

There is a real sense of wanton, demonstrative experimentation at work here, even more so than on some of the previous works I've heard by them I'd say (although I've not tuned in to absolutely everything Clinic have recorded by any means). They also seem to have taken a broader, yet much more electronic view of the overall project at hand this time around. A lot of this type of material brings to mind the kind of clanging, kinetic semi-freeform noise (largely informed by drum-machines and keyboard vehicles) that perhaps a modern-day Cabaret Voltaire or some such similar on-the-verge, envelope-pushing outfit would be out there doing. This, I feel, is especially apparent on tracks such as the alluring opener 'Misty', as well as the freaksville punk jazz miasma of 'Cosmic Radiation', and the sprawling, occasionally Hawkwindesque demeanour of 'You' and, rather contrastingly, the (relatively) mellower moments we are ushered into such as during 'For The Season'. All of these, in their many differing ways, serve as some of the standout pieces on this welcomely absorbing new collection.

Lenny Helsing