Paw's 93 debut Dragline was incredible. With a sound welded together from Helmet's clipped hardcore/metal riffs and early Bruce Springsteen-style classic rock (!) they turned in one of the most fiercely passionate albums of all time with a dozen tales of small-town life overdosed on melancholy and romance. You don't believe me ? Then go listen.
It's now 1995. Paw are back, and it feels good.
"Everyone is boring boring/But not me I am drunk and roaring" is the statement of intent over the galloping riff of opener "No Such Luck". Mark Hennessy's full-throated roar and Grant Fitch's serrated guitar something akin to standing at the end of a wind-tunnel. But that's only half the story as Dragline saw them switching between a scream and a whisper, Hennessy switching effotlessly into a melancholic croon when Fitch's guitar drops to a delicate strum. The album's surprise is revealed as the album slips into "Seasoned Glove" (dedicated by Hennessy as "This one is for my Daddy") and the hopelessly beautiful love song "Hope I Die Tonight". This is Paw turning to more traditional country-rock structures while, essentially, keeping every single ounce of passion and power intact. Paw understand that love *hurts* ("These perfect moments never last") and both of these songs put a lump in my throat when I saw them performed live the other night.
And it's a trick that Paw repeat throughout the album with a more relaxed, friendly sound than their debut. Grant Fitch takes vocals on Last One and the beautiful shimmer of homesickness that is "Texas" where the world goes quiet for a moment when Fitch's pure clear voice is met by Hennessy's weary croon of "Tell everybody I said hey/And please make sure my dog's bowl is kept full" and my eyes sting every damn time.
But Paw still know how to devastate. Witness the centerpiece of the album, "Death to Traitors", about departed bassist Charles Bryan. With lines like "Left the band/ Slashed the tyres/On the van/You're the kind of person that I would go to jail for" rendered as a distorted roar over a driving riff, switching to "We took you in/Made you part of our family/ You took our trust/Made it part of your credentials/The world would be better off without you" sung quietly over delicate accoustic picking its fair to bet that 'musical differences' didn't come into it. And the anthemic chorus of "Death to Traitors/Death to every single one/It hurts to be let down" will have your heart soaring.
Even the album's most upbeat moment, the seemingly cheery "Glue Mouth Kid" with it's "Sun comes up yeah" chorus, is stained by tears with the opening statement that "I'd like to think that I'm important/I'd like to think I count for something/Please tell me it's not vanity". All those that want to give Mark Hennessy a big hug, join the back of the queue.
The only slight hiccups among the 15 tracks are the over-complex "Built Low" and "Sweet Sally Brown", their only lapse into rock cliche.
Please take Paw into your hearts. They're one of the few bands that realise there's no point in turning up to play live unless you're going to leave people's legs shaking, and they will give you back every ounce of love that you give to them. (Paw's shows traditionally start with the band sharing out their beer and whisky with the audience and Hennessy's plea for people not to break the glasses/bottles 'cause he'll get into trouble. And the glasses are always passed back to him at the end of the next song. Intact.)
Worth dying for ? Of course not. But the only band for whom I'd hesitate for a second before answering.
