For Clinic, "Do It!" Is Business As Unusual On Their New Release
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One could say that Clinic’s new album, Do It, has all been done before — by the band themselves, in fact. But that’s not a bad thing. This is not to say that it is a predictable recording either. It is frenetic, curious, offbeat and full of big rock riffs. The band has honed their chops to a point where they really come across even more lucid than before, despite their somewhat unhinged approach.The quirky “fab four” from Liverpool, England have released four previous albums beginning with their Internal Wrangler in 2000. One would think that after five albums, their style would get dull. But to be honest, Clinic sound like no other band on the planet. Much of this is due to their penchant for vintage instruments like their trademark use of a Philips Philicorda organ combined with unusual “off” chord progressions. So for them to release an album that is a “typical” Clinic album is really still saying quite a bit.
The album begins with “Memories,” a big, brash, loud-quiet-loud romp that would make Pixies proud. The guitars start in with a huge thrashing march, along with gigantic pounding drums, beating tambourine & pulsing maracas as Ad Blackburn yells “HUH“ repeatedly; then the song segues into pulsing organ & snake-rattle synth as Blackburn sings with his trademark lisp. It’s a fun song that makes you want to beat the hell out of some inanimate object or at least get up and jump about the room in wild abandon.“The Witch” was the obvious pick for the lead single with its catchy, twitchy staccato surf guitar, along with a punchy bassline, some plinked keyboards, and snappy snare. It’s quite similar to “The Return Of Evil Bill” off their debut without being a retread."The Witch":The punkabilly hoedown “Shopping Bag” is one of my favorites. It has the most unique freakout of clarinet spasms that do their best to be out of tune and yet fit perfectly into the psychotic feel of the song. If your schizophrenic grandpa went on a spur of the moment shopping trip while on crack, this is what it would sound like. The rest of the band slash and burn through the song with driving guitar, bass & drums. Don’t even ask me what its about, since most of the lyrics are indecipherable due to Blackburn’s raging, acidic falsetto vocals. But does it really matter? Ultimately, it doesn't, since Blackburn’s voice is basically another instrument that adds to the atmosphere of Clinic’s music.The only real departure from their previous recordings is the final song, the aptly named “Coda.” It’s a lilting anthem that starts with morse-code-like organ, swooshing 'n' spacey synthesizers, methodic melodies, plodding drums, washes of harp and Blackburn’s melancholic “ooh”ing. Soon frenzied guitar adds to the tension. The song has some historical significance to the band (maybe), as Blackburn intones, “This record is a celebration of the 600th anniversary of the Bristol Journal (?), a celebration of sheer joy...” before he lapses back into his lisping incoherency. The peals of chiming bells at the end just add to the pomp and circumstance of the song."Corpus Christi"(a track I didn't write about but like):I could go on describing these songs but if you’ve heard any of Clinic’s other albums, then you know what you’re in for, and if you haven’t, what are you waiting for? For Clinic, Do It is business as usual. But fortunately for us, Clinic’s business is still quite unusual.http://www.clinicvoot.org/
The album begins with “Memories,” a big, brash, loud-quiet-loud romp that would make Pixies proud. The guitars start in with a huge thrashing march, along with gigantic pounding drums, beating tambourine & pulsing maracas as Ad Blackburn yells “HUH“ repeatedly; then the song segues into pulsing organ & snake-rattle synth as Blackburn sings with his trademark lisp. It’s a fun song that makes you want to beat the hell out of some inanimate object or at least get up and jump about the room in wild abandon.“The Witch” was the obvious pick for the lead single with its catchy, twitchy staccato surf guitar, along with a punchy bassline, some plinked keyboards, and snappy snare. It’s quite similar to “The Return Of Evil Bill” off their debut without being a retread."The Witch":The punkabilly hoedown “Shopping Bag” is one of my favorites. It has the most unique freakout of clarinet spasms that do their best to be out of tune and yet fit perfectly into the psychotic feel of the song. If your schizophrenic grandpa went on a spur of the moment shopping trip while on crack, this is what it would sound like. The rest of the band slash and burn through the song with driving guitar, bass & drums. Don’t even ask me what its about, since most of the lyrics are indecipherable due to Blackburn’s raging, acidic falsetto vocals. But does it really matter? Ultimately, it doesn't, since Blackburn’s voice is basically another instrument that adds to the atmosphere of Clinic’s music.The only real departure from their previous recordings is the final song, the aptly named “Coda.” It’s a lilting anthem that starts with morse-code-like organ, swooshing 'n' spacey synthesizers, methodic melodies, plodding drums, washes of harp and Blackburn’s melancholic “ooh”ing. Soon frenzied guitar adds to the tension. The song has some historical significance to the band (maybe), as Blackburn intones, “This record is a celebration of the 600th anniversary of the Bristol Journal (?), a celebration of sheer joy...” before he lapses back into his lisping incoherency. The peals of chiming bells at the end just add to the pomp and circumstance of the song."Corpus Christi"(a track I didn't write about but like):I could go on describing these songs but if you’ve heard any of Clinic’s other albums, then you know what you’re in for, and if you haven’t, what are you waiting for? For Clinic, Do It is business as usual. But fortunately for us, Clinic’s business is still quite unusual.http://www.clinicvoot.org/
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