The band, lounging louchley round the kitchen sipping on a chocolate milkshake breakfast (and you can't get much more Continental than that), scratching an admirable array of facial hair and wooly hats when we arrived, moved to Bristol last summer after the Swiss music scene couldn't cope with their unique sound any longer. And what a sound: a weird blend of psychedelic folk, live scratching and insanely catchy pop tunes, kind of two parts Super Furry Animals to one part Beach Boys, all in a charming Mitteleuropean accent. Who could resist?

Now they're here, singer/songwriter Pascale, Gion the DJ, drummer Andras, guitarist Severine and Phil the bassist are loving every minute. Their first gig in England was at St Pauls Carnival and since then they've built up a loyal live following (as a rammed show at The Horseshoe a few days later proved) and started recording tracks for Sugar Shack Records. Andy, however, remains 'a little disappointed there's no underground'. He's talking about the subterranean transit system, not the music scene, by the way. Hmmm...All in all though, he's pretty happy with the band's leap of faith, and so is Gion: 'Bristol's full of wicked people. It's cool. Not so hectic.' They're settling in to the Bristol rhythms just fine.

And they're constantly searching out fresh ideas, raving about the Bristol scene, rating Madnomad and hungry for Aspects. 'We all listen to different stuff,' says Pascale, who writes most of Cléan's material. He'd already worked with both Gion and Andras on other projects, put out CD's and by all accounts become a bit of a star back in Switzerland, but when you talk to him, sporting a spiffing Captain-Haddock-in-a-tea-cosy look, it's clear that Cléan is his passion. Back in Switzerland, Cléan was just too damn weird for people to get into: 'The Swiss music industry is only interested in bands who sing in German or dialect, they're not interested in our stuff,' reckons Pascale. 'Even if you're big there, you never make it big outside. So we thought, 'let's go.' And go they did, the group decamping to England. After all, their musical influences are all British: Radiohead, Massive Attack, Oasis, Pink Floyd...Pink Floyd? Well it takes all sorts, and there's no sign of proggy excess in perfect pop opuses like Room 16 (a Hotel California for the 21st century, sort of), Unics - sung in Swiss dialect Romansch - or downbeat new number Get Some Rest. No, Cléan is just lean, mean, heartstring-stroking genius. Best see them soon, then.
Chris Mitchell
Synergie

Cléan
Room 16 ep
4/5
The Big Issue ( SW RELEASE OF THE WEEK )
There's definitely something interesting going on with this lot. For a start they're from the Swiss/Austrian border, moving to Bristol because they are fans of the city's music. But, if you're expecting some hideous Euro-Massive Attack, forget it, the four tracks here showcase a band of consummate pop craftsmen.
Will Simpson

Clean
Universal Language
Clean touch on so many of the great indie bands of the past 10-plus years that it would be an impossible and largely fruitless task to try and name them all. For clarity's sake it might be worth mentioning Oasis ('Just To See'), Ride (the endless, swirling voids) or The Stone Roses ('The Spirit'). In truth it's just a mark of the vagueness of the sound that fails to set the band apart from any of the other floppy-fringed, guitar-toting types still residing in 90s Britpop land. That Clean made their way to Bristol from Switzerland to further their musical careers surely grants them some leeway - after all, they weren't to know that it's all been done before. But as long as there's no danger in tracks like 'Easy' and few risks being taken in 'C'mon', this is a disappointing second effort.
5/10
Victoria Durham
Rock Sound October 2003

Clean
Universal Language
Sounding a little like early Ride - minus the nosefuls of coke perhaps - Bristolian quartet Clean have gossamer guitars and swollen, aching choruses pretty much nailed. Indeed, their brooding brand of of epic indie draws heavily from the rock world - pick-pocketing the Oasis sneer here, snatching at the marathon histrionics of a full-flight Doves there - yet never fully managing to strike out on their own, individual terms. That said, and despite this oft-derivative spine, 'Universal Language' is a promising debut that reveals Clean's capacity for penning grand, overstated anthems. Whether they've got the balls to stride beyond their influences however remains to be seen.
3/5
Josh Timber
Logo September 2003

Clean
Universal Language
It's always particularly pleasing when nice people are successful. Too often in music it's the pushy gits with rich dads or an uncle in the business that get to play the rock'n'roll game proper, while the sweeter souls get left by the wayside when they make the conscious decision not to step on anyone on the way up. And you couldn't wish for a nicer bunch of lads than Clean. Hailing from pretty much every Central European country you could put a name to, they came together in Bristol by some fashion of musical magnetism and, since their foundation, have put together some of the most pleasantly uplifting indie rock tunes to have passed these city gates in a long old while. But with this new disc they've upped the ante by a huge handful, and might just have a minor hit on their hands. Kicking straight in with the delightful melodies and crunching guitars of 'Leave Me Alone', they take us on a firm but tuneful trip around a special place where sentiment is never drippy, power is never pompous, and a good tune can win the heart of a fair maiden at a hundred paces. While some songs may veer a tad towards that mid-nineties British guitar pop so beloved of documentary makers at the moment, the big tunes and bright ideas shine through, and huge soundpieces like 'Easy' and 'C'mon' could sit as easily on a hip TV ad as they could a pop lover's sticker encrusted walkman. Now get on out there and sell that thing, boys.
4/5
Roy Delaney
Venue September 2003