And even though The Gaslight Anthem’s “45” is, of course, referring to a wax-laid single (we never find out which song), it still reminds me of a weapon. “45”ĭespite being a full-blown music nerd, the number 45 always makes me think of a gun instead of a record. Each guest vocalist is used sparingly, but their presence alone embodies the Gaslight formula, which, when it works, really works: rock classicism filtered through modern punk. also showcase their more contemporary influences.ĭicky Barrett of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones lends his throat gravel to the refrain (“Fight about it!”), and Hot Water Music’s Chris Wollard adds even more backing vocal heft with the “whoa-oh-oh”s he’s built his career on. But while “The Patient Ferris Wheel” lovingly cribs a lyric from “I’m on Fire” (the title no less) and relies on boardwalk carnival imagery straight out of “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy),” Brian Fallon and Co. You can’t read an article about The Gaslight Anthem without hearing the words “Bruce Springsteen,” and rightfully so. As the tropes became more common, the band even risked unintentional comedy, with some critics in awe of how many times Fallon could drop the word “radio” on a single album. On that LP as well as 2010’s American Slang and 2012’s Handwritten, frontman Brian Fallon and his bandmates held fast to their fantasies about late-night diners and girls named Mary or Maria, creating a self-contained mythology of an America more real than the one we’ve got. But the fact is that it was 2008, you probably bought this on CD or MP3, and the band’s only way to be authentic was to be a little contrived.įast-forward six years and three records, and the same paradox applied right up to their final effort, 2014’s Get Hurt. The soft hisses and crackles belong to a prerecorded sound effect, the inclusion of which would be entirely unnecessary if the band trusted you to listen on glorious, 180-gram vinyl. Working again with Ted Hutt, the same producer who helped them shape The '59 Sound, the bandmates wrote and recorded the songs that eventually comprised their third album, American Slang.When the needle drops on The Gaslight Anthem’s sophomore record, The ‘59 Sound, it’s not actually a needle. The Gaslight Anthem rounded out the year by playing additional festivals - including Lollapalooza, Pinkpop, Reading, and Leeds - before returning to the studio in early 2010. Following the Glastonbury performance, sales of The '59 Sound grew by 200%, whetting the public's demand for a follow-up. Featuring a rough, rousing sound that took its cues from Social Distortion's melodic punk and Bruce Springsteen's heartland rock, the album found an audience not only in America - where eMusic deemed it the number one record of 2008 - but also in Europe, where Bruce Springsteen joined the musicians during their set at the 2009 Glastonbury festival. The Gaslight Anthem signed with SideOneDummy and released their sophomore effort, The '59 Sound, later that year. The EP appeared in early 2008, as did an offer to join the roster of the California-based indie label SideOneDummy Records. The band managed to secure enough down time between tour dates to record a four-song EP, Señor and the Queen, in Austin. The increasing popularity was enough to score gigs with the likes of Against Me! and the Draft, and by the end of 2007, the Gaslight Anthem had played over 200 shows. Arriving in May 2007 via the local imprint XOXO Records, the album garnered accolades from punk zines and blogs alike. The band - comprised of vocalist/guitarist Brian Fallon, bassist Alex Levine, drummer Benny Horowitz, and guitarist Alex Rosamila - began establishing a hometown audience after forming in 2005, and their soulful punk rock attracted wider attention upon the release of their first full-length album, Sink or Swim. The Gaslight Anthem rose out of the fertile punk scene of New Brunswick, NJ, flaunting a unique style that melded the influence of Bruce Springsteen, Wilson Pickett, and various Motown groups with the rough, emotional grit of Hot Water Music and Jawbreaker. The Gaslight Anthem rose out of the fertile punk scene of New Brunswick, NJ, flaunting a unique style that melded the influence of Bruce Springsteen, Wilson Pickett, and various Motown groups with the rough, emotional grit
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