CLUTCHING AT STRAWS

Marillion

Neo-Prog

4.19 | 1521 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

lobster41

Music becomes excellent when you FEEL it, when the lyrics make you think, when the instruments pour out emotion.

CAS came out at a very rough time in my personal life. I had been a Marillion fan since SFAJT, and eagerly anticipated this release. A friend purchased it first, and called me to tell me to listen to it closely. The lyrics were the first thing to grab me. "It was a wedding ring destined to be found in a cheap motel/ lost in a kitchen sink or thrown into a wishing well", "Where do we go from here?", "Where I sit with the broken angels/ Clutching at straws and nursing our scars/ Blame it on me"

The cover exactly matched the tone of the contents. The great artists who had thrown their lives away for their art (Dylan Thomas, Lenny Bruce, etc.). The quote on the inner sleeve from Erasmus' "In Praise of Folly".

Then the music. I didn't like it at first, the songs were short, many slow and quiet. After repeated listens, though, I understood that the mood of the music matches the mood of the lyrics. The bridge between "Warm Wet Circles" and "That Time of the Night", with the bass line pounding like a heartbeat. The manic laughter that you have to listen for at the very end of the record ("Happy Ending" on the album). And the solo to "Sugar Mice". Steve Rothery's guitar turning from mourning bends to angry chords, as Fish's lyrics become self-loathing: "Ain't no one left in here to blame but me".

Anyone who can listen to this music and not feel it ... I don't understand.

I love this disk, but I withhold a five star rating because it is not the best place to start if not familiar with MARILLION or FISH. A better starting point would be MISPLACED CHILDHOOD. This disk is also not pure "prog", due to the shorter tracks, and the simpler nature of the songs. But for those who want an emotional journey, as well as very good musicianship, regardless of the genre, this is a must have disk.

lobster41 | 4/5 | 2004-10-7

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