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Nov 21, 201280For twisted garage buffs these unsettling sounds are, again, a joy. [Dec 2012, p.89]
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Nov 21, 201280Eccentric as ever then, but there's no denying the continued originality of the sound. [Dec 2012, p.102]
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Nov 14, 201280Another fine example of how versatile this band actually is.
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Nov 13, 201280Thanks, in part, to Sudbury native and co-mixer Daniel Lopatin (lately more well known as vibe-conjuring electronic artist Oneohtrix Point Never), the sound of Free Reign is both fantastically new and classic Clinic.
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Nov 12, 201280Free Reign is an album finds Clinic pushing themselves in directions that wouldn't have been considered years ago and it's to their credit that they possess both the will and imagination to do so.
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Nov 12, 201280There's a bewitching quality to it which suggests Clinic actually only exist in some form of musical vacuum. And right now, that sounds like a most spellbinding place to be.
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Nov 12, 201280Clinic long ago proved themselves capable of startling listeners, surprising them with odd sounds, fast songs, and strange melodies; now they've proven themselves capable of persuading the listener, taking them slowly from relaxation to unease to fear.
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Nov 9, 201280This is music that stretches from the decaying rain-lashed estates of their home to the stars.
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Nov 13, 201276Common throughout is a scorching sensuality that is destined to make Free Reign the soundtrack to a lot of smoldering affairs.
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Nov 9, 201271As Free Reign shows, when Clinic take their time, they can build up a bewitching groove.
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Nov 21, 201270They've ironed out their eccentricities, and produced their silkiest and least combative record in the process.
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Nov 19, 201270This is a chilly, alienated album that sounds like it was recorded in a walk-in freezer. But a bleak, thousand-yard stare cool beats showy emotion every time, and Clinic knows it. [Dec 2012, p.88]
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Nov 14, 201270All in all, Clinic lives up to the title of the album, giving itself free rein to pursue its creative impulses.
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Nov 13, 201270The likeable elements of Free Reign are too slight and too familiar to overcome the growing sense of inertia.
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Nov 9, 201265Clinic's discography is a slow refinement, a meticulous and ongoing game of Operation with frequent--and intentional-buzzing mishaps.
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Nov 19, 201260Whilst it's unlikely to win over many new fans, it will certainly keep those who have been with the band so far content.
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Nov 15, 201260There are lulls elsewhere, but the highlights are a treat.
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Nov 14, 201260The masks are still up on Free Reign, and the hints at human emotion lying behind them aren't strong enough to attempt to pry in.
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Nov 13, 201260Free Reign, co-produced by Oneohtrix Point Never's Daniel Lopatin, is subtler, jazzier and ever-so-slightly sexier than previous Clinic outings.
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Nov 9, 201260It's short but manages to feel long. It's interesting but manages to feel dull.
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Nov 19, 201250[The] rather slight songs raise the suspicion you would get more out of listening to Clinic's record collection than the band themselves. [Oct 2012, p.68]
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Jan 2, 201340Despite their best efforts, Free Reign marks just another step in Clinic's journey to unfortunately become even more forgettable.