(Much internet chatter that adds up to us not being able to tell the difference between our collective asses and various holes in the ground; booze is procured and the album starts.)
"Motherless Child"
JJ: Slide guitar is classy.
Andy: So they`re keepin` it bluesy...
Nick: 7/4... Elephant Riders!
JJ: I think i can hear Neil Fallon`s beard scratching on the mic.
John: I can`t say I`m excited about new Clutch, but I always like it when I hear it. Agreed on the slide.
Andy: I`m with you, Arzie. I haven`t been big into them since Blast Tyrant, but it`s not like they`ve ever really disappointed me either.
John: Although I`m not sure this is an ideal opening number. Wouldn`t mind something with a little more pep, like the lead track on the last album.
Mike: This isn`t as "catchy" an opener as their last few. It always takes a few spins for a Clutch album to sink in with me.
JJ: I think it`ll sound weird when they open the show with the first three songs off the new album, like they do. And Blast Tyrant was the perfect Clutch record.
John: And this is the first album with just the four of them, right? No more "Clutch Family Good Time Jam Band"?
Andy: No more organ, if that`s what you mean... I think.
Nick: Not yet at least.
JJ: Or Eric Five Horse on the harp.
John: Yeah, them two.
Andy: Good solo, pretty ripping.
John: So here it`s picking up, but there`s still no big hook.
Nick: It`s still largely one riff with timing variation.
JJ: Yeah, not much of a chorus to speak of. Kind of a Jam Room feel, but older.
John: And presumably wiser
Nick: The second solo is a surprise, but still kind of subdued.
Andy: Yeah, it doesn`t rip in like the first. But the riff and groove underneath is more subdued also.
JJ: I think that`s them leaving it open for a jam live.
Mike: This may sound like blasphemy, but I think I like them better with the organs.
John: Mike, I think "Electric Worry" is one of their best, so I`m with you on the organ.
JJ: I was hoping the organs and harmonica would lead to backup singers - three scorching ladies in sequin dresses.
"Struck Down"
Mike: This one`s a little more standard, late-era Clutch.
Andy: This is pretty stock. Let`s see where it goes.
JJ: It moves, though.
John: Oh, there`s the organ.
JJ: I think that`s feedback.
Andy: Yeah, but I thought I heard it at the end of the last one too.
John: Very subtle, I like it. Sort of drifts in an out.
Andy: Yeah, I wasn`t sure if it was an organ or feedback on the end of the last tune either.
JJ: Neil`s preaching, gotta love that. All i know is I`m glad as hell Joe Barresi didn`t produce this. It`s nice to actually hear the guitar.
Mike: Another creative solo.
Andy: Nice effects on this solo, really well done.
John: Very live feel to this song.
Mike: Any gear heads in here know what pedal/effect he`s using on that?
Andy: Not exactly sure, probably some kind of phaser. Probably a Mutron. Could be done in ProTools though. A plug in.
JJ: Ahh, you`re not supposed to say ProTools!
Andy: Well, it was common knowledge they used it for Blast Tyrant.
Nick: Second solo is interesting too - nice sextuplets with hammer-ons...that sounds vaguely dirty.
John: I really like what`s going on in the background right now.
Andy: Yeah, not sure what it is, but it`s got some killer delay on it.
JJ: So we have four guitar solos in the two opening tracks. Does that seem like a bit much to anyone?
Andy: Was that really a solo though?
Nick: Very... jammy.
JJ: Solo enough.
Mike: I don`t think there`s such a thing as "too much" Tim Sult.
JJ: Touche.
"50,000 Unstoppable Watts"
JJ: I know this is kind of a-b-c Clutch, but I really like this song. Great chorus.
Nick: Nice lyrics on the chorus.
Andy: That`s what I was about to say, killer chorus.
JJ: Catchy as hell. I can already hear the crowd singing along to it.
Mike: “Anthrax, HAM radio, and liquor."
John: Maybe it`s because I was raised on equal amounts of hair metal and thrash, but I`m conditioned to expect a song titled "50,000 Unstoppable Watts" to be stupid fast. And yeah, the chorus is great.
JJ: JP on the ride cymbal = awesome.
John: They`re not stretching with this one, but they`re definitely in their zone.
Nick: It`s the first "single," that`s for sure.
Andy: More cool effects at the end of this one. Is it just me though, or is this ending really similar to the last ending?
John: Yes, it is.
JJ: I agree, but the structure of the song is different.
"Abraham Lincoln"
Andy: Interesting opening.
JJ: Ah, Elephant Riders, how do I love thee?
Nick: O Captain! My Captain!
Andy: "Five to One, baby!"
Mike: Definitely "dirge-y."
JJ: I don`t know about “dirge-y,” but appropriately militaristic.
Mike: Well, "dirge-y" in a Clutch kind of way. They haven`t taken up doom metal yet.
JJ: That would be awkward. “Doom Clutch.”
I`m glad so many years after “John Wilkes Booth,” they`re going back to cover this ground again.
Nick: A companion piece perhaps?
JJ: I`d hope so.
John: Elephant Riders was the one that got me back into the band. Got into them with Transnational and found the self-titled to be too far removed from that. But Elephant sort of bridged the two.
JJ: I worship at an altar to the self-titled.
Andy: I liked the self-titled. That was a classic.
John: I like it more now, but back then, it was too stonery. If I only knew where I`d end up.
Andy: Yeah, I remember I had to give this raver chick a ride somewhere, and I had the self-titled in the stereo, cranking. That pissed her off to no end.
Nick: I have a soft spot for the self-titled - it taught me how to recycle one scale for a bunch of different songs.
John: I`d say this is the best song so far.
JJ: Reminds me of Blast Tyrant.
Andy: Yeah, it is Blast Tyrant-y. The production especially.
JJ: A mood switch well pulled off. JP has good work on the snare.
John: It sounds like they`re doing something. The first three were of varying degrees of good, but this has some heft behind it.
JJ: It`s a bit darker, but not out of place. They`re moving the album into the next phase.
Andy: This song fucking rocks. Great drumming...
John: This would actually make a great opening number.
JJ: You don`t think it`s too subdued to start a set?
Andy: Hell no, it`s got dynamics and shit.
"Minotaur"
Andy: Interesting.
Nick: More timing play, but still even time sig, so it grooves evenly.
Andy: The verse isn`t doing it for me.
JJ: I`m into it.
John: I was going to knock them for going back to the same tempo, but then they pulled off this quirkiness.
Nick: And the title of the album is sung.
JJ: Now, this would rule live.
Andy: I like the chorus part.
John: I`m halfway between Andy and JJ. I can see myself skipping this half the time.
JJ: You`re hammered at the back of the venue, Clutch breaks out this groove, life is good.
Andy: And this bridge is pretty cool.
Mike: I have a feeling I`ll gain a much greater appreciation for this album after hearing some of these tracks live.
JJ: I feel like the chorus part should be thicker in the production.
Nick: Isn`t someone going to make the requisite "more cowbell" joke?
Andy: Do we still have to? I mean, it`s 2009...
JJ: It`s unspoken at this point.
"The Amazing Kreskin"
John: Mike, how`s this compare to the last Bakerton?
Mike: Groove-wise, it`s similar to Bakerton, but less jazzy. Pretty sure they had the keys on El Rojo too.
Nick: I like the groove on this song best of all thus far.
Andy: It`s a cool little ditty.
John: Yeah, it`s slick. Even - dare I say – dapper. But is it me or should there have been something a little peppier by now?
JJ: Nah man, it`s a good flow. Listen to the bass line.
Andy: I`m not too upset about the lack of upbeat. Nice backwards solo.
JJ: Took me a second to get there, but I agree.
Andy: The solos have been very tasteful so far.
John: That I`d say was a big hook.
Andy: Yeah, this part is pretty cool. Okay, now it`s over.
John: Wish it would come back, though.
Andy: Yeah, that was abrupt.
"Witchdoctor"
Andy: They gonna go for quirky again?
JJ: Man, this sounds just like Clutch.
Andy: There`s definitely some organ here.
Mike: Heh. I think that`s just guitar.
Andy: Really?
JJ: Yeah, I think so too.
Mike: Heavily-effected guitar, to be sure.
Nick: A guitar with organ-envy?
JJ: Some ambient lines. It`s interesting and something new.
Andy: Yeah, you`re right, it is guitar. I like it.
JJ: I wonder if they felt they needed to flesh out the songs more without the extra instrumentation. I like the vocals on this one, either way.
Andy: Goes back to the layering they had on Blast Tyrant.
Nick: The album is really relaxed.
JJ: They`re getting older, man. I think they`ve realized they want to grow old in this band, which is awesome.
Andy: Well, they`re gonna grow old anyways. Another cool solo...
JJ: If I had the choice, I`d much rather grow old in Clutch than out of it.
Mike: Yeah, it`s pretty amazing that they`ve kept the core group together for the better part of two decades.
John: I`m not one to advocate re-recording albums, but I wouldn`t mind hearing Pure Rock Fury with this production. Lots of good songs on that album but something about it is unlistenable.
JJ: Yeah man, that was unfortunate production, too raw for Clutch. It`s like they wanted to go back to the Transnational sound.
Mike: Pure Rock Fury is my least favorite Clutch album of all time.
Andy: I liked the raw production of it. At least they tried something different...
Mike: Too many cooks in the kitchen.
JJ: Great songs though - “Red Horse Rainbow.”
Andy: You can`t make this kind of album every time.
JJ: It`s always been surprising how much the Clutch sound is dependent on their producers
"Let a Poor Man Be"
Andy: The first riff sounded like Fu Manchu.
JJ: I`ll take that, and groove my way into the verse. Hell yeah.
John: This is another keeper.
JJ: Definitely, like the sequel to “Electric Worry.”
Nick: The guitar on this record is just as prominent as the vocals, if not even more so.
JJ: "Columbia, please, let a poor man be." Nice.
John: Almost wish it was a little higher in the tracklisting.
Mike: Yeah, this album seems to pick up steam as you get further into it. It`s not front-loaded like a lot of albums.
JJ: They waste no time getting back to the chorus.
John: It`s a good chorus. Why waste it?
JJ: No argument.
Andy: Yeah, I like this song. It`s like what Lenny Kravitz SHOULD have been writing.
Nick: Ha!
John: Mike`s right - and by this point, "Motherless Child" makes perfect sense as the lead number.
Andy: Funky, groovy, bluesy, good tune.
JJ: Another good one for the live set.
Nick: Nice little break.
Andy: Funky! But what`s with the super reverb on the drums? Is it just because of the stream quality that that sounded really bad?
JJ: Nice instrumental chorus with Tim`s guitar singing.
John: Yeah, this solo is the tits.
JJ: "The tits." Welcome to Boston.
"Freakonomics"
Andy: This upbeat enough for ya, Arzie?
Mike: Opened this one with a solo.
John: Yes, this is upbeat enough for me.
JJ: So far so good, but I`m still waiting for the song to start...
Nick: Indeed - it`s fast, but constipated.
Andy: Great chorus here...
JJ: Ah, there it is. Nice snare work from JP.
Andy: Yeah, the drums are tight. Well played. "Only the freaks have all the answers" - good line too.
JJ: “Let a Poor Man Be” is still my favorite of the album so far
"Also Ha Cambiado"
Andy: Wow, did you hear that turnaround at the beginning? Rhythmically, that was amazing.
John: Sort of reminds me - very vaguely - of the way "Heaven`s Not Overflowing" starts.
JJ: It`s not stoner rock until someone starts singing in Spanish.
Mike: Es en Español. Me gusta.
Nick: Cute word play on the title.
JJ: This is a cover, isn`t it?
Nick: Yes.
Andy: This song is caliente. Gets pretty out there...
Mike: So that`s that.
John: Sort of loses focus towards the end, no?
Mike: I REALLY miss the organs.
Andy: I don`t.
Mike: It`s a step backward. Still very good though.
Andy: That`s not bad though...
Final Thoughts
Nick: Clutch is like the anchor man on the Spanish channel, they`re the same every night while all the women around them rotate on a weekly basis. I guess the other women in this case would be stoner rock bands that rise and fall.
Okay, the metaphor was a little forced. Sharp guitar solos + smart bass/drum grooves + bellowing preacher vocals = an enjoyable Clutch album. Formulaic? Yes, but that doesn`t stop it from
being fun.
Andy: All in all, this is the album I wish that Clutch had made after Blast Tyrant. Robot Hive/Exodus did little for me, as much of the songwriting was too lackluster, and From Beale Street To Oblivion, even though the songs were much improved, I didn`t care for the "jam band" feel of it, with the organs on every track and such. It just wasn`t my thing, as it took the focus away from the things I like about Clutch: the original four members.
Here we see Clutch going back to the more layered guitar production that really made Blast Tyrant stand out in my book. They still have the jammy "feel," especially in the rhythm section, but instead of organs, harmonica, etc, we get cool trippy guitar overdubs and otherwordly effects. Fair trade, and a good album. Songs such as "Abraham Lincoln" indicate to me that this one is going to stand the test of time.
Mike: I`ve listened to this album quite a bit in the past two weeks, and it`s just not hitting me as hard as Beale Street or Blast Tyrant. Clutch seems to be on an "every-other-album-is-awesome" cycle. Not that this one won`t find its way into my Top Ten of 2009. It`s still Clutch we`re talking about, and this is a damn fine album. I just don`t think it holds up to their best work. I definitely miss the organ. By regular music standards, I`d give it a "B+" but for Clutch, it`s more like a solid "C". Standout tracks were "Struck Down," "Abraham Lincoln," and "Let a Poor Man Be."
JJ: You can go back and forth and debate, "This is the best Clutch album," "No, that is the best Clutch album," but the fact remains that as Clutch pushes 20 years together as a band, their craft has never stopped evolving and changing. The songs that comprise Strange Cousins from the West show Clutch`s joy for what they do and that even after all this time, they`re still a vibrant creative force. Bluesier and groovy as ever. You don`t get much better than these guys.
John: I can`t add anything that the other guys already said. It`s not as immediate as their other recent albums, but there are still a couple of songs that hit really hard and rank up there with their classics. I can see myself taking this album for granted - forgetting about it for a long stretch of time, rediscovering it and marveling at how well-crafted it is, and then putting it back on the shelf. If nothing else, you get what you`d expect from a Clutch album, and that`s generally head and shoulders above most other releases.
