Clutch: Book of Bad Decisions
Clutch are one of the best rock acts of the modern era, bar none. To persistently put out great music year after year, is an achievement many bands struggle to accomplish effectively, and one Clutch manages with style. Now, Clutch has arrived at their twelfth album, Book of Bad Decisions, which has been released via their own label Weathermaker Music. All fifteen tracks are produced by Grammy award-winner Vance Powell, known for working with The White Stripes, Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown, and more. There is no such thing as a mediocre Clutch album, and Book of Bad Decisions is effortlessly one of their greatest musical achievements.
No other band has such an outstanding vision to progress from balls-out hardcore, through stoner rock, and into more traditional blues, while at the same time as retaining a sound that the listener can immediately identify as Clutch. What sets Clutch apart is their utter rebuttal to fall into any of the music industry’s sparkly trappings or nostalgia. This time around they have added new instruments and dissimilar sounds, while continuing to reproduce the same innovative and incredible feel as their first albums. The production of the record is spot on: the funky tunes are well placed, the driving fuzzy guitar parts blend with groovy rock n’ roll passages and horns sections for that extra dimension and depth. The album never loses its flow, not even near the end of its fifteen songs length.
Some might say Book of Bad Decisions is a more laid-back listen if compared to the last couple of records, but in reality it feels more intimate without losing its kicking overdrive and relentless attitude. A testament to the band’s resilience, drenched in a palpable desire to redefine some elements of their core, Book of Bad Decisions oozes a natural musical development, while showcasing the band’s enduring empathy and dedication to their fan-base. Stoner blues rock at its best, in the way only Clutch can do.
