At the heart of Sean Shiff’s songwriting is a great philosophy: before you add all the whistles and bells the recording studio offers, a song should already be able to stand on its own two feet. That’s why his songs sound so robust, so complete, and so full of potential longevity. Strip his songs back to one voice and one acoustic guitar, and they will still have the same impact.
And talking of impact, No (Country For Old) Kings is a title that will make an impact, and if that doesn’t mark out where Shiff stands politically, then the songs found within certainly will.
If ‘The Brakes’ alludes to a country out of control, a Petty-infused rock groover that simply says enough is enough, it’s time to bring things to a standstill, ‘I’m Surprised You Haven’t Yet’ is less metaphorical. A glorious and gloriously accurate character assassination of the leader of the free world and a song that wonders how people still look up to such a person. The song’s gentle nature reminds us that protest doesn’t always have to be shouted from the rooftops; it is often just as effective when whispered into the listener’s ear.
‘For A Friend’ blends country rock with a roots pop accessibility, questioning how people can go from “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” to “if those others aren’t like us, do to them what the hell you want” in such a short time.
‘Dear Republican Leaders’ has a more modern rock sound that reminds those on the political right that the president only gets to act the way he does because that titular group has become his enablers, worse, his minions, serving only one person rather than 340 million. ‘That’s Just Fine’ rounds off this short but impactful set of songs with some almost Dylan-esque vibes, which seems the perfect touchstone to end on.
Shiff might fix his colours firmly to the mast, but he also uses reason and empathy. When all this is over, he says, we can go back to being friends and employing the noble art of agreeing to disagree, such a simple act of understanding that will hopefully restore the balance.
As a concerned Brit watching what our colonial cousins are going through, I feel it will, sadly, only get worse before it gets better. Stay safe out there.
