Clinic'Walking With Thee'

Domino

Grade: A

Everyone, at some point in their life, has the nightmarish dream of briskly walking through a succession of sterile, dimly lit, maze-like hallways - utterly hopeless and trapped. The constant reminder of something, possibly reptilian, lurking in the background doesn't provide much hope, and the unending labyrinth of corridors is ruthless. At some point we wake up, usually right before some tragedy . or being devoured. I've had that dream a number of times, and, until recently, always wondered what a soundtrack to these harrowing scenes would sound like. Then, I discovered Clinic.

On their recent album "Walking with Thee," Liverpool's Clinic successfully captures the degree of urgency and hauntingly, dark images associated with nightmares. On the very first track, "Harmony," an ominous electric piano and entrancing bass line create the perfect backdrop for Ade Blackburn's eerie vocal delivery. The robotic, synth-driven drum beat, nasal vocals and swooning guitar riffs all add to the immediacy of escape. Blackburn, ironically, anticipates this effect, and the refrain of "Fill yourself with dreams" croons over and over again in the background.

The title track further advances the eerie theme, albeit in a rock-anthem oriented fashion. The song relies heavily on hypnotic keyboards, but opts for more traditional drumbeats, guitar parts and bass lines. Blackburn's vocals provide a specter-like quality, swooning amid the bass and drums, and eventually breaking into the refrain "No, No."

Clinic's delicate approach, and ultimate respect for the medium, is also present on "Walking with Thee." Their intent isn't merely to toy with our heads. On "Mr. Moonlight," the dizzying keyboard and bass parts are replaced with more austere, mood enhancing measures. Blackburn's range is clearly heard as his nasal vocals delicately waver between whispers and hisses. If only his lyrics made any sense: "The elephants came out / Now you can dismount / With the family warmths that bind your house."
Clinic, unquestionably, have their own unique sound. "Internal Wrangler," their previous album (brilliant in its own right), contains very memorable songs, but its approach is more direct and raw - and less spooky. "The Second Line," off "Internal Wrangler," juxtaposes two vocal tracks, driving guitar riffs and a solid foundation of electronic beats and hypnotic bass lines. The song is so catchy it will play itself over and over again in your head, weeks after you've heard it.

On "Walking with Thee," Clinic have developed their sound, successfully incorporating a plethora of electronic influences from past years. Think Can and Faust from the '70s. Cabaret Voltaire and Kraftwerk from the '80s. And, more recently, Hovercraft. But, Clinic does not merely mimic the sound of past influences, they pulverize it, and proceed to spew it out in a series of definitive, sonic landscapes.

To add to their already perplexing image, Clinic adorns itself with surgical masks and hospital scrubs (splattered with blood) during their performances. After only three albums, they have amassed a dedicated following, received - much warranted - critical acclaim and toured with Radiohead. Although they seem poised for success, their cutting-edge style seems too good to be true. After each successive album they seem to be breaking new ground. Could this be real, or is it all a dream?