CLUTCHING AT STRAWS

It all comes down to 'Clutching at Straws' for what concerns greatness, pomp, and character in the Marillion catalogue. The final album with Fish is a seminal work of progressive rock that encompasses a wide arrange of styles, displaying all the creative quirks of the band, and allowing them to fully conquer the conceptual rock opera, if you ask me. The album oozes theatrics, and follows a sequence of eleven distinct songs, throughout which the band encapsulate all the best features of their music and present them in an exuberant fashion - the poetic wanderings of the early classic Marillion albums and the more streamlined pop and rock leanings heard on 'Misplaced Childhood', all reflected upon and perfected in some kind of symbiotic ingenuity.

What makes this album so good is the fantastic storytelling that goes perfectly well with the remarkable songwriting, as it seems the band has finally honed their craft and have taken their music even a step further from their breakthrough album coming two years earlier. While it would be infinitely difficult to pinpoint the highlights of such a masterpiece, songs like the opening track, 'Warm Wet Circles' and the pseudo-suite it forms with 'That Time of the Night', 'White Russian', 'Going Under', 'Torch Song', 'Sugar Mice', all of which are excellent exercises in crafting remarkably emotive, memorable, and virtuosic rock songs, leave a lasting impression upon the listener. This has to be among Marillion's most expansive-sounding albums, the production is rich, the playing is lively, and Fish's striking and manic vocals are the best they've ever been. 'Clutching at Straws' is a brilliant creative triumph and a most beautiful conclusion of a cult era for a band that has been divisive throughout its entire existence, to say the least.