Monday May 12, 2008 (7 & 10pm)
Since their inception over a decade ago, Liverpool psych-retro-whatever wizards Clinic are frequently described as "spooky," "cryptic," and "creepy." But this does less to describe their eclectic, vintage keyboard-heavy sound than their bizarre penchant for performing in surgical masks. Regardless of their sinister rep, the foursome has perfected a mutant blend of art-rock weirdness and chugging, fuzzed-up surrealism that really has no peer. Their latest effort, Do It!, deals in deranged '60s-style psychedelia à la 13th Floor Elevators, augmented by frontman Ade Blackburn's icy croons. Tonight, the band makes its first Chicago appearance in a long time, with Okkervil River-offshoot Shearwater opening.
– Suzanne Niemoth