Clinic's FUNF is a collection of B-sides that ranks right alongside the group's studio releases as a testament to their inventiveness and particular postmodern charm. With their mix of Wire-like post-punk, `60s psychedelia, minstrel pop, Velvet Underground-style garage, and ecstatic guitar freak-outs, Clinic are the kind of band that seem to carry the history of alternative music alive and well inside them.

It's true that those who like their rock sunny and straightforward won't find much to relish on FUNF, though one of Clinic's tricks is their ability to bury pop gems beneath storms of sonic mayhem. But it's the mayhem, and the whiplash stylistic shifts-- whether the off-kilter siren call "The Majestic," the Renaissance folk of "Christmas," or the blasting punk-pop of "Magic Boots")--that make Clinic ultimately appealing.