If there's any band who are never going to do what's expected of them, it's Clinic. Confounding expectations and blurring genres for more than two decades now, Clinic are back with a rather bright new one. Fantasy Island, out today via Domino, is a set of dreamy electro-pop missives and indie musings. It's also almost assurdedly nothing like the last Clinic release you loved. Dig it!
"The Lamplighter" opens and we're nearly in Taco territory, while "Fine Dining", the first single here, appropriates "Warm Leatherette" by The Normal and about a half-dozen Fad Gadget numbers in the service of a sleek bit of business. This is not entirely original, 'natch, but it works. Those old enough and hip enough to remember Jarvis Cocker's side project, Relaxed Muscle, may find this one a real gem like I did. Speaking of Cocker, "Refractions (In The Rain)", this album's longest number by far, brings to mind recent work by that former Pulp frontman, though it's unlikely that Cocker would let himself get so far into the groove as these players do. This one is abrasive in the right manner, and the cut stands out as a highlight of this record, in an odd way.
Fantasy Island fools with a glossy sheen for the most part, offering up sleek numbers seemingly meant to be danced to. But the truth is that this is grim, slimy stuff in spots. It's comedown music that haunts more than it heals, even if the keyboards suggest some more benign purpose. I mean, "Miracles" might sound a tiny bit like Martin Denny in one spot, but it also sounds like a revved up Arab Strap in others. That forced blending of styles reaches a kind of peak here on a cover of "I Can't Stand the Rain" by Ann Pebbles. Rendered nearly unrecognizable, the classic single is pushed in some dark and dingy corners, only to emerge as a kind of hymn to misery here. I commend Clinic for juggling multiple forms at once here on this album, and serving up enough that sticks to make Fantasy Island recommended.
Fantasy Island is out today via Domino.
[Photo: Sentinel]