Clinic
Free Reign
Domino Records [2012]
Fire Note Says: Free Reign finds Clinic doing what they do best, and continuing to add new ingredients to their psychedelic sonic stew!
Album Review: There was a point in the early 2000’s where I, like a lot of music fans, were riding hard on the Clinic bandwagon. What wasn’t to like? They had a cool, Velvet Underground collides with Suicide sound, they were endorsed by the likes of Radiohead, they had the masks…Ok the masks weren’t that cool, and they still aren’t, but that has nothing to do with the actual music. Winchester Cathedral (2004) was such a colossal disappointment all across the board that I fell completely off the bandwagon, checking in periodically, but never really buying back in. I was intrigued when Clinic’s new record, Free Reign, came across my desk to review. It seemed like an interesting challenge to me, would it be possible for me to like or even love this record, would it be possible for me to be able to listen without prejudice as my man George Michael once wished? The answer is a resounding yes, not only does Free Reign find Clinic doing what they do best, but it also finds them adding new ingredients to their psychedelic sonic stew.
Musically “You” sounds exactly like VU filtered through the minimalist synth deconstructions of Suicide. Whereas in the past, a track like this would be more of a vamp for Clinic, it’s now an actual song. These guys have really grown in this department in the past decade. The haunting vocals and laconic vocal delivery are still present, but they now carry more of a melody and less of a rhythm than in the past. “Misty” opens the album, and it sets a dark tone right away. There is a tension in the music that builds as the song moves along, but rather than a dynamic release, we get more of an unresolved feeling as the organ builds and swirls over top of the electronic drums, before the whole track ultimately fades away. “Seesaw” is the most classic Clinic sounding track on the album. It has a strong Can influence, and is built more on a jam than an actual song. It fits in well with the more constructed tracks that surround it. I should also mention “Seamless Boogie Woogie, BBC2 10 pm (rpt)” just because it has one of the most ridiculous titles I have ever seen, but the song itself is a nice piece of synthy psych!
Free Reign isn’t going to make many critics best of lists, and that’s a shame. It seems that there has been a movement in rock critic’s circles to dismiss this band as washed up, or a one trick pony. There are still many fickle music fans that were so turned off by one dud album that they don’t want to waste their time on this band. I was as guilty as anyone. You aren’t going to find many bands playing a krautrock/psychedelic/minimalistic synth pop hybrid, so you should give these Liverpudlians another shot! I’m about to go back into their catalogue and find out what I have been missing for the past 8 years!
Key Tracks: “You” / “Misty” / “Miss You” / “For the Season”
Artists With Similar Fire: Suicide / Can / Radiohead
Clinic Website
Clinic Facebook
Domino Records
– Reviewed by Kevin Poindexter
Born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, I am extremely proud of the area I grew up in and the influence it has had on the world at large, from the Wright Brothers to Robert Pollard, the area has been a center of innovation both technologically and artistically. During my college years at the University of Dayton, I found myself becoming more and more immersed in the local music scene, a period of time in the early to mid 90's that coincided with the rise of bands like Guided by Voices, Brainiac, and The Breeders, who added to the rich musical legacy of the area. Dayton is also the hometown of many giants of funk in the 70's and is also the birthplace of Jazz greats Billy Strayhorn, John Scofield and Bud Shank. I wrote extensively for The Fire Note, a great online magazine focused on indie rock, in the 2010's while simultaneously being a partner in Rockathon Records, before retiring from both in 2018. In 2024, my thoughts turned back to helping at Rockathon and more importantly to pick back up on my writing, and more specifically to write about my love of jazz. I'm always listening, always searching for something new, something great. It's been a lifelong journey, and I still feel like there is so much out there to hear.
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
