Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
How we recognise the sense of achievement that can come from placing your entire being into a piece of art without asking if it is overblown, to be perceived as too long an epic driven by ego, by the crowd taking your mind’s lifetime words as more than truth, more than a deception of statements of significance.
It takes an acceptance of rarity to understand what an artist wishes to convey in such a lengthy move of music that it would consist of an abundance of spirit whilst acknowledging that in the end the result is one of class, not a moment wasted, not a filler to be found; it is almost as if the reaction might have been unexpected, a sensation that The Pawn Shop Saints might have not realised themselves as they moved away from the tight drama of 2023’s Weeds, and offered an insight into the dark side of the Americana pulse, 45 American Lies.
In a triple album that consists of a whopping 45 tracks, delving through each one to pick out certain highlights of emotion and responses to another’s sentiments could be a daunting exercise in adoption of love, and whilst to often play the game could lead to a drought in many areas, to suggest that all is equal would be another lie to add to the list. There is after all nothing wrong with singling out the candour and honesty of admiration, and as tracks such as Liverpool, Suburbs, Badly Drawn, Repo Man, Iowa, Next Door Girl, and The Devil’s Men all catch the ear intently, so the listener finds the absolution possible, they find a dream release direct and open, full of the scars of modern living and the hangover of a certain individual that they allude to in the title, to be very much a haunting presence.
To live on the edge is the lie they insist we cling to when all it takes is a concerted effort, a spontaneous approval in which to bring all to the same high level; by placing this record in such an epic format without losing an ounce of integrity, is to see what can be achieved if we are truthful, if we are frank in our discussions and kick the lies, the creators of damage, out on their ears.
Pawn Shop Saints release 45 American Lies on January 19th via DollyRocker Records.
Ian D. Hall