MUSIC REVIEW: THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM - 'AMERICAN SLANG'
Old School Rock 'n' Roll Shows the Roots & Keeps Tradition Alive & Kicking
(SideOneDummy)There’s not a lot of younger rock ’n’ roll to be found in music-verse these days. Sure, much of the old guard from different generations is still vital, and there are some earnest bands mining genres of punk, garage power pop, indie rock (whatever that’s supposed to be – can you really define it?) and so on. But gutbucket blasts of guitar, bass and drums singing of everyday lives and not anchored in some image or marketing angle? Not much. And then there’s New Jersey’s The Gaslight Anthem.
While the group’s debut, Sink or Swim, did, yes, have a punkish garage rock ethic about it, the 2008 follow-up, The ’59 Sound, was a move forward, with songs such as the title track, and especially “Backseat.” And now there’s the third album, American Slang, confirming the emergence of a great American rock ’n’ roll band. Singer-guitarist Brian Fallon, guitarist Alex Rosamilia, bassist Alex Levine, and drummer Benny Horowitz get even more ambitious but are never pretentious. Far from it.
Touchstones like brother Bruce (they are from the Garden State, after all), Paul Westerberg and the like can still be found in the woodwork, but the band has truly arrived at its own distinctive sound. At times, the quartet also recalls the early ‘90s, less-polished Goo Goo Dolls.
From opening rush of “Stay Lucky” — “Everybody used to call you lucky when you were young” — to the plaintive challenge of “Bring It Out,” to the finger-snap soulful “The Diamond Church Street Choir” and almost baroque “The Queen of Lower Chelsea,” the band smokes, cooks, and also knows when to retreat for reflection. Definite highlights include the killer anthem charge of “Orphans” and “Boxer.”
Sure, you can play “spot the influence” a bit, from Springsteen (who gets actual shout-outs, and that’s fine as he’s a fan of the band as is), Van Morrison, The Clash and so on. And this a good thing. Think of artists past early on where inspirations have colored their records.
With American Slang, The Gaslight Anthem has delivered one of the year’s truest rock ’n’ roll albums. And really, we don’t get many of those anymore.
Standout Tracks: "Orphans", "Boxer"
For Fans Of: Paul Westberg, Goo Goo Dolls
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