As
with Therapy?, if there’s a new Clutch album out in any given year,
it’s likely to find its way on to this list. On album 12 (a bastard’s dozen?), Clutch deliver what they always
deliver: ridiculous lyrics and wonderful riffs. For the most part, this is,
once again, Clutch being Clutch. I’d usually count such
commitment to non-evolution as a major negative, but I hope Clutch never change. It’s a delight to
gobble up some more of what they serve every couple of years. Of course, that’s
not to say Book of Bad Decisions
doesn’t have its own personality amongst their back catalogue. For a start
there’s a pervading Trump-era anxiety and rage that sets it apart: see ‘Weird
Times’ and, especially, ‘How to Shake Hands’ (‘Hot damn! The democratic
process, what a time to be alive!’). There also are a few interesting (for Clutch, unusual) musical flourishes,
like a bit of brass here and there (see the best track on show here, ‘In Walks Barbarella’). Nice. In terms of its place amongst their
wider output, this is only mid-level Clutch,
I suppose, but for me that’s still high praise. Book of Bad Decisions won’t convert anyone, but if awesomely awesome
pie is your thing, Clutch are
offering yet another slice.
sample track: In Walks Barbarella