CLUTCHING AT STRAWS

'Clutching At Straws' is the fourth studio album by British prog rock legends Marillion, released in 1987, and is most notable for being the last to feature original vocalist Fish, who'd go on to embark on a revered solo career. The album follows on from its predecessors with an ambitious "neo-prog" sound, reminiscent of early Genesis, and some deeply personal lyrics covering themes such as fame, success, record-label pressure and ultimately despair.

Musically, everyone is on top form here. After numerous years recording and touring together, these guys have garnered a fantastic chemistry. Particular praise goes to guitarist Steve Rothery and keyboard player Mark Kelly for some hauntingly beautiful and dramatic musical passages.

With that said, however, I've actually had this album on my playlist and continuously come back to it for a number of years now. Not really knowing what to say about it, the truth is, while there are some truly exceptional tracks here, there's also a few I could skip. Don't get me wrong, I could just as easily listen to this record all the way through, but I'd be hard- pressed to go out of my way to play some of these songs individually.

But for what it's worth, the exceptional tracks I speak of? 'Incommunicado', 'Warm Wet Circles', 'White Russian', 'The Last Straw: Happy Ending' and 'Sugar Mice' are all truly remarkable pieces of music, part of a generally good album that holds up well to this day, and has ensured that the final outing for this line-up is a memorable one.