On Clutching at Straws, Marillion have a harder, more guitar dominated sound than on Misplaced Childhood. Steve Rothery's guitar work is excellent, even if he borrows heavily from U2's "Gloria" riff in "Just for the Record." the songs are more compact, which suits Marillion's writing style. Despite the more conventional song structure, the band really manage to evoke a variety of moods very effectively. EMI. 2001.
