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The Gaslight Anthem

The \'59 Sound

Written by: TL on 30/07/2008 00:16:05

I barely had time to discover The Gaslight Anthem and their debut album \"Sink Or Swim\" before I suddenly had an opportunity to get my hands on their follow-up \"The \'59 Sound\", however, I guess that\'s just the needed excuse to bring them to the attention of the public, since I missed the opportunity around the debut\'s 2007 release.

First off, introducing the band\'s sound, if there was a musical equivalent to the term \"the good old days\", The Gaslight Anthem is what that\'d sound like. Mixing up-tempo punk rock in the veins of Rise Against and The Lawrence Arms (although not AS fast), with emotionally charged Americana like that of The Killers or Bruce Springsteen himself, their songs are exactly the kind you\'d listen to and be reminded of memories of good times in your past.

Comparing their two full albums, I will have to say though, that I prefer the first one, as it has more speed, enthusiasm and plain punk-rock in it, where this new one is a bit more streamlined and thoughtful in its expression. It seems that after breaking through with \"Sink Or Swim\" and being signed to Side One Dummy, the band has been rather quick to put out \"The \'59 Sound\", and I think that shows here and there on the record.

The difference between the two is a small one though, as The Gaslight Anthem is a band who seems to like keeping things simple, sticking to simple and classic rock\'n\'roll elements and structures, effectively producing a consistent stream of well-sounding catchy songs, thickly coated in their trademark Springsteen-ish mood. You\'ll find next to no added topping in forms of solos and bravado of the same kind, only song upon song of catchy goodness.

In fact, the only complaint I have about The Gaslight Anthem, and this actually goes for both their albums, is that the level of artistic ambition is a little too low for my taste. I\'m sure that the band, their fans and punk rock fans in general, are perfectly fine with the \"If it ain\'t broken..\" approach, but to keep me interested and amazed in this day and age of music, I\'m afraid I personally need a little more character to my songs than what most of the gaslight anthems display (see what I did there?). That being said, this album does sport a few songs like \"The \'59 Sound\", \"High Lonesome\" and also the opener \"Great Expectations\" that are infectious enough to stay on my mind after the record fades from my speakers, and I\'m quite sure that there are songs on both this, and the debut, that\'ll do the same to you, and you should check the band out for that, if not for anything else.

Download: The \'59 Sound, High Lonesome
For The Fans Of: Rise Against, The Lawrence Arms, Bruce Springsteen
Listen: myspace.com/thegaslightanthem

Release Date 18.08.2008
Side One Dummy