Clinic

While Radiohead fans wait for that band’s next album, there’s always the Liverpool band Clinic—which actually stimulates and titillates much more than Radiohead does. Clinic is virtually a household name in the United States due to Thom Yorke’s incessant babbling and a coveted slot on Radiohead’s Kid A tour, so comparisons would be inevitable. Clinic’s previous album, Walking With Thee, may have seemed one-tiered, relying too much on the melodica and the band’s penchant for garage and surf, but Winchester Cathedral marries all of the band’s attributes into one cohesive collection. Such standout tracks as “Falstaff” benefit from odd time signatures and overt background vocals, while “Vertical Takeoff” moves slowly along with the swagger you can find only after a few too many Johnnie Walker shots.