Tom Clements- Roots, Morals & Other Life Choices

Tom Clements

Roots, Morals & Other Life Choices
Quiet Audio Productions; 2015

3.8 out of 5

By Jack Dickinson

Most people are fed up with their day jobs. The only thing that prevents them from leaving in a blaze of glory after telling their boss to go fuck himself is that they have nothing else to fall back on. That’s what sets Tom Clements apart from the rest.

After years of honing his musical skills, Clements left his dead-end day job in 2011 and decided to have a go at a music career. Over the last four years, Clements has played over 500 gigs, been nominated for a number of accolades from the Dorset Music Awards and Bournemouth unplugged and released two EPs. 

He’s also gained the title of “master of the loop pedal” for his ability to use a loop machine to turn his acoustic guitar into a miniature orchestra. Clements uses this skill to his advantage considering that he plays most of the lead, rhythm and bass guitar parts on the record. 

While Tom Clements is a multi-talented individual, make no mistake, he didn’t record this album all on his own. Clements made his first record with a little help from his friends, which include some big names like Pretenders guitarist Robbie McIntosh who plays slide guitar on “The Jig of 20…” and “Can You See (How I’m Feeling),” two tracks which seem to be channeling the guitar work of Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham, one of Clements’ key musical influences.

Another collaborator who appears on this album is Scott McKeon, a session guitarist who has worked with pop stars like Ed Sheeran and Lana Del Ray, but has a heavy blues background. McKeon’s country blues guitar style on “My Addiction” adds a down home, American musical aesthetic combined nicely with Tom Clements’ English vocal twist.

Many of the songs on “Roots, Morals & Other Life Choices” are about Clements’ life during his period of transition from office worker to indie rocker. A good example of this is “How It Was,” which talks about how Clements threw off the shackles of the 9-5 routine. It’s almost reminiscent of how David Brent feels working at Werham Hogg in Ricky Gervais’ “The Office.” The difference between Clements and Brent however is that Clements can actually hack it. 

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