Earth Rocker
| Earth Rocker | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Clutch | ||||
| Released | March 15, 2013 | |||
| Recorded | October 2012 | |||
| Genre | Stoner rock, blues rock | |||
| Length | 44:21 | |||
| Label | Weathermaker Music | |||
| Producer | Machine | |||
| Clutch chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 72/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   |
| Allmusic |  |
| Exclaim | 8/10 |
| Metalinjection.net | 8/10 |
| Powerline | |
| Sputnikmusic | |
Earth Rocker is the tenth studio album by American rock band Clutch. It was released on March 15, 2013 by Weathermaker Music. Earth Rocker is the first studio album to be released by Clutch since Strange Cousins from the West in 2009. The album is produced by Machine, who also produced the band's 2004 album Blast Tyrant.
Earth Rocker has been described as heavier and faster than the preceding albums. Drummer J.P. Gaster revealed that this ferocity may be attributed to Clutch's recent touring experience with Motörhead and Thin Lizzy. As Gaster explained,
It was on that tour [with Thin Lizzy] that we realized there was really a lack of just straight up rock and roll records coming out these days. So I think we wanted to make something that was, front to back, a very focused kind of a recording. A very efficient kind of recording. One that had good energy from the very beginning to the end.
Clutch recorded 14 songs, although 11 made it on the album. Neil Fallon expressed the opinion that they were "great songs," but the band was
committed to keeping this record in classic LP length...I think there's something to be said about the fact that you've got a side A and side B, and it still translates when you listen to those albums on CD. Whether you're listening to Paranoid or Dark Side of the Moon, when you listen to the tracks one through ten, there's a bit of a plot arc. I think we were cognizant of that when we were putting this thing together.
The band took a different approach to the songwriting for Earth Rocker by engaging in extensive pre-production work to flesh out the songs more fully prior to entering the studio. Dan Maines attributed this to the recording preferences of the producer, Machine, who "likes to have all the material in the bag before he hits record." The band recorded to a click-track at its rehearsal space and then played along in the studio. As Maines explains, "the idea of doing any 'jamming' doesn't enter the picture. Our intent with these songs was to end up with something that had an intense focus of energy; each song needed to be direct with a no frills punch."
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Wikipedia