Clutch
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Clutch (2002) was eagerly awaited by fans when initial news from Sofa Sound mentioned that it would be more of an acoustic guitar driven album this time around. This album was anticipated to have the same kind of edge as his earlier albums, such as Over, and this is true to an extent.
The lack of mellow keyboard tones and synth drones help perhaps in making this a crisp sounding album, and the songs in general have more vigour to them than those on Everyone You Hold for example. But the (multi-tracked) guitars are acoustic, and Hammill’s stongwriting style has mellowed somewhat with the years, so the overall tone of the album is more quietly intense than ‘Loud’. |
Clutch shows the usual emotional range as most of Hammill’s other albums. From songs such as Once You Called Me, which is a gentle and yearning song reminiscent of Ophelia .. all the way to rousing near-anthemic songs like Bareknuckle Trade.
Overall, Clutch is an excellent album, and well worth picking up by any fan of Hammill’s music.