Clinic Funf by: Mark Simms Mon:13-Aug-07 Label: Domino Year: 2007 WB rating 47 out of 100

A demented insurgence of panic, revved guitar screams, and hallucinatory fuzz shows itself in an overwhelmingly daunting way in Funf; and well it is no surprise really, this is Clinic. It is a compilation of B-sides and rarities, a surprising, hard-to-take kick in the face – unpredictable and untamed.

Funf marks the band’s 10-year anniversary, and while it packs Clinic’s usual gusto, it is an up-and-down affair that at times does not feel like an album – but a thrown-together-at-the-last-minute compilation of curiosities. The usual trademarks of Clinic are all here: Blackburn’s lyrics forever struggling to escape through clenched teeth, chaotic distortion, and guitars of crazed-punk-surf-rock that could drive some listeners into a jittery hypnotised state. However, there is an overall inconsistency due not only to the variation in age of the tracks but their general placement on the album. Some of the songs do not mesh well; and while Funf has its moments, it is too up and down, the tracks that do work overshadowed by those that should not be there.

It starts out well with ‘The Majestic’, a short yet rousing intro, where light strokes of guitar quickly give way to a controlled gathering of instruments. The quivering percussion and repetitious guitars keep their cool, amalgamating to produce a rather exciting track – quick and invigorating.  All of what was just taken in is now suddenly lost, as ‘Nicht’ screams out relentlessly; a blurry wave of fuzzy drums, violent guitars and Blackburn’s distant voice impossible to make out amongst the crowded blare and compressed sound. It is not a pleasant listen, and it is a good thing it comes in under the 2-minute mark, as the grimy distortion starts to take its toll towards the end.

The craze of ‘Nicht’ makes way to  the subdued ‘Christmas’, easily the best track on Funf – its placement hurting the song’s standing though, not fitting but rubbing against its shoulder tracks. As far away from the scatter of ‘Nicht’ as Clinic could get, it is here that Funf delivers.

For Clinic fans Funf may be a treasured item, a look into the progression of the band they love. However, while some tracks show Clinic as a uniquely versatile group capable of taking musical genres and injecting them with their own warped sound, too often these songs should have been left to the cutting room floor.