Although any inference to Radiohead these days comes with an obvious smirk from this writer, I had to check into Clinic, the United Kingdom’s latest entry into the garage-rock/electronica foray. Such tracks as “The Return of Evil Bill” and “Internal Wrangler” show the band is rooted in distortion-heavy dissonance and cerebral soundscapes. The band’s first domestic release (U.S. label deal not yet announced) is a veritable pastiche of everything good in the Matador roster and late Radiohead. Thom Yorke’s favorite band, Clinic, delivers a heady affair laden with sampled beats, billowing guitars and some great melodies à la Sigur Ros or Flaming Lips. Internal Wrangler is an intelligently planned album with nods to eras gone by. Guitar rock isn’t altogether dead; it’s just buried between the loftier, ambient moments that make this album so special.
(SN&R)