Sack Full of Silver is, in many ways, one of Thin White Rope's most fully
realized sets, blending the group's early alt-psychedelic influences and
a growing taste for dusty Americana flavors. Having completed a 16-date
tour of the Soviet Union, the group collected covers of Marty Robbins,
Lee Hazlewood, and others for the Red Sun EP, followed shortly by this
batch of originals penned during the trip overseas. Like all Thin White
Rope releases, Sack Full of Silver is defined by the voice of Guy Kyser:
the aural equivalent of the flat, parched, endless landscape his characters
seem to inhabit. Sobering realizations, like dead ends, await them around
every corner. In an environment where failure, desperation, and hopelessness
are common currency, adding up one's losses and moving on feels like a
great victory. It's clearly no easy task. "The Ghost" catches
its subject in the moment before that turning point, looking ahead as
a life of loss begins to flood in. Emerging out of the final chords of
"Americana," it rises from the sound of wind-swept sand to a
triumphant anthem in the mold of an old folk song. Revealing that they
are working within a wider frame of reference, the group adapt Can's "Yoo
Doo Right," distilling the original's 20 minutes into a compact,
bursting rock number. Though the gray area in between these two styles
produces less memorable results, Thin White Rope's brand of American roots
has aged more gracefully than the work of some of their contemporaries.
Sack Full of Silver remains as fine an introduction to Kyser's vision
as any.
(by Nathan Bush, All
Music Guide)
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