Clinic – Fantasy Island review

Weird fact: Fantasy Island contains in Refractions (In The Rain) the second song to use the word ‘dodecahedron’ released in the last few weeks after Novelty Island‘s – no relation – mention of it during This Bird. That something like this is in no way the oddest thing about the Liverpudlian band’s ninth album tells it’s own story.

With surrealism at the heart of their music since their debut Internal Wrangler – and also a Grammy nomination, a fetish for wearing PPE decades before it was necessary plus tours with the likes of Radiohead and The Flaming Lips – it’s no surprise that after the strangest two years in recent history, Ade Blackburn and co. have been musically indulging themselves. And how, my friends, And how.

Let’s got things straight, Fantasy Island is brilliant. Folding in classic garage psychedelia, 60’s & 70’s kitsch, oddball disco and a cover of Ann Peebles’ I Can’t Stand The Rain which against every possible bet they manage to pull off, there are absolutely no places here anybody’s afraid to go. The thumping title track is about as straightforward as things get, but from the twisted synth pop of Fine Dining to Miracle’s sci-fi funk, you can choose any of doors 1, 2 or 3 and still have no idea where you’ve going to end up. Long live the mutant shapes.

You can read the full review here.