Even from the opening fiddle bars, American Seams, the fifth studio album from Rose's Pawn Shop, speaks directly to the moment. The band proves their prowess at drawing from all aspects of American music to create something timeless and enduring. After twenty years of pounding the boards, it's not surprising that Rose's Pawn Shop would know exactly what they're doing: drawing just as much from the '70s influences their parents listened to, the '90s rock they cut their teeth on, and the hard-won gritty optimism that history has gifted to millennials.
The title track is the alt-country rock these times call for: world-weary with a touch of hopeful defiance. Jesse Olema's jaunty fiddle gives the song a traditional sensibility but, most importantly, an electric sense of hope. Meanwhile, "Darken My Door" boasts a heavy groove, a rueful breakup song with a chugging train beat that draws a sharp contrast with "The Summer's Over," which would be perfectly at home in the set of any number of '90s folk rock revival bands.
