Clutch Robot Hive/Exodus

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Reviewed by: Adam Hellbound   //   Published: 6/7/2005

Can't funk with the feel.

The Pitchfork EP was released in October 1991. In the interceding fourteen years between then and now, Clutch have undergone zero lineup changes and forged a path through heavy music that left in its wake a mere seven full-length albums, four EPs, scores of unreleased tracks and two live albums (not to mention the thousands of tour dates they absolutely burnt to the fucking ground).If one were to reflect on the band's career knowing nothing other than these facts, one could conclude only that they were an enormously successful band. It being the case that most successful bands begin at lamentably horrendous and progress downward from there, Clutch is a rarity. No one has ever come home from a Clutch show thinking "Man, that sucked;" if they did, they were probably in the minority. That's a track record that's hard to beat.

I will admit that I may be biased when it comes to discussing Robot Hive/Exodus. I almost feel grateful to the band for being dependably awesome, album after album. Initial favorites on this album were "Mice and Gods" and the bouyant, folkish "Gravel Road." "The Incomparable Mr. Flannery" lays down a fiery groove and "Burning Beard" rocks as hard anything they've written. Clutch plays it cooler than usual on "Land of Pleasant Living," a standout number centered around a smoky nightclub vibe that could wouldn't be out of place on a Nick Cave album."Land" also showcases the most significant change to the band's sound -- the addition of a Hammond B-3. The sound is sublime, as loud and powerful in the upbeat instrumental "Tripping The Alarm" as it is subtle and snaky in the bluesy, Howlin' Wolf cover "Who's Been Talking".

Bottom Line: Fourteen years gone and I'm still as jazzed about Clutch as when I first heard them. When a band is this good for this long, it becomes increasingly harder to discuss them on an objective basis. Robot Hive/Exodus follows in the tradition of every Clutch album; it possesses a unique sound that, while being different from how they have ever sounded in the past, is immediately recognizable as Clutch.

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