The Pawn Rook Four

Songs for a Romantic Evening
by Tim Den

It always warms my heart when young men decide to take their musical prowess in a direction other than punk rock and metal. The Pawn Rook Four, a pop quartet full of Beatle and Beach Boy-isms, arrives with the refreshing statement that not all young male bands are spiked, distorted, and playing shitty imitation Slayer/Dead Kennedys music (kudos for that fact alone!). Laying down multiple vocal harmonies, instrument arrangements, and clever “fuck you for breaking up with me” lyrical undertones, The Pawn Rook Four shows all those copy cat bands that being pissed at life doesn’t mean you have to write utter crap for music. Sure, The Pawn Rook Four are still young and not total experts (as demonstrated by the high annoyance factor in the melodies and lyrics of “Madison Avenue,” “A Night Inside the Neurotic’s Jackpot,” and “Only a Fool”), but striving to write eloquent pop with depth is already more mature than most bands their age. Just a quick tip, though, fellas: don’t rhyme “be” seventeen times (opportunities, these, me, comedy, tragedy) in a row. It makes people turn off your CD.