CLUTCHING AT STRAWS

Clutching At Straws, Marillion's fourth job, is a grim journey through bars and roadside hotels, guided by Torch, a fictional character ruined by his addictions and emotional hardships. The songs are loaded with discouragement and pessimism, transmitting their message with brilliance and forcefulness.

The album (except for the dynamic albeit highly commercial song Incommunicado), has a very high level. The initial trio (Hotel Hobbies, Warm Wet Circles and That Time Of The Night), Slàinte Mhath, and the extraordinary Sugar Mice noticeably stand out.

The álbum is, by all means, an essential work in Marillion's discography.

The pressures to stay on the crest of the wave generated so much tension within the group, that after the release of Clutching At Straws the relationship between Fish, the frontman, and his bandmates unfortunately broke and then had separated their ways.