Listening to this record is like watching the person at a party who always says the exact wrong thing to the wrong person. All you can do is cringe and shudder from a distance, watching it unfold like a slow-motion car crash. You don’t want to get too close for fear of getting sucked into their negative vortex of awkwardness. Useless Eaters is the person who stands too close to your face, talks too loudly, and gets so animated that bits of their dinner jettison from their mouth—landing in places you won't discover until you're undressing later that night. You see all this, you feel the discomfort, and yet you're magnetically drawn to it. At least I am, for whatever reason. I'm not a student of the psyche, so I lack the understanding to properly explain this phenomenon. Useless Eaters are indeed the Andy Kaufman's of the world—the ones who just don't give a shit about your approval. Sorry, but at the same time...
Useless Eaters now emit sounds to make you feel uneasy yet completely vulnerable and unguarded all at once, and therein lies the brilliance of this record. Can I tell you what any of these songs are actually about? No, not really. I could guess on tracks like "Lush Bomb," "Ego Shell," or "Spiritual Revenge," but I would probably be wrong and embarrass myself in doing so. Besides, it's more fun for fans and listeners to form their own interpretations, so quite frankly I don't want to hear yours or theirs. Almost every time I ask a songwriter what their song is about, I realize I liked my version better. Music or all art for that matter, is about making a personal connection, not solving a puzzle.
But can one make a heartfelt connection with this album? I suppose so, but I wouldn't recommend it. Music for Clout is not a Van Morrison record, after all. While listening, you can practically see a tall middle finger extended and starting to wag in your face. Naturally, that only makes me like it more. Useless Eaters don't make feel-good music to comfort you after a heartbreak or when you're feeling small and alone. This collection of songs will most likely lead you to make bad decisions. This band doesn't make music for the "tastemakers" or those who always have the "right" opinions. They have too much snarl and bite for something as trivial as that. Useless Eaters will draw blood and leave a scar; things are likely to get broken and messy with this one.
If I remember correctly, Useless Eaters haven't always made music like this. But for this record, they have found a way to tap into other realms of audio eccentricity. This music tests the boundaries of how far it can go and still find acceptance. It acts like a troubled pet that misbehaves just to see if you're still willing to love it. Don't misunderstand me: the songs on Music for Clout are not pure noise or drivel. They have clear direction and cohesion. This isn't watery slop that falls apart in your hands and runs through your fingers like wet mud. Instead, you get a tightly packed berserker fusion of punk, post-punk, new wave, budget rock, and a splash of krautrock. These songs are irreverent, unpredictable, and 100% confrontational. Total Punk Records saunters into the winners' circle once again with this one. Long live Useless Eaters, and long live Total Punk Records!
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