By Alex Brenner
For the last two years Jersey punks The Gaslight Anthem have played their hearts out behind their second release The 59 Sound. They’ve sold out large clubs and even shared the stage with Bruce Springsteen at the gigantic Glastonbury Festival.
On their third offering the band has actually opted for a more stripped down sound and less punk than their debut Sink or Swim. I can only describe this album as “American”; I mean its The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle and Damn the Torpedoes all at the same time. It’s music for the every day man. They just don’t make music like this anymore folks.
Singer Brian Fallon’s love for soul and 50′s music is even more dominant on this record than The 59 Sound. I can’t stop thinking about producer Jimmy Iovine’s third album theory from the Tom Petty Running Down a Dream documentary. In it he talks about the importance of a band’s third album by saying “first thing you should do is shoot your producer” (the GLA used Ted Hutt who produced 59 Sound) because the third album is really the most important record a band will make if they want to stay around for a while. Some third albums of mention: After the Gold Rush, Fear of a Black Planet, London Calling, Ok Computer, Damn the Torpedoes – must I go on? American Slang is a really great third album and a good move for the band.
From the opening title track you can tell the band has gotten really tight. Brian Fallon’s voice has become an instrument unto itself and his range has expanded as well. As I stated in my 59 Sound review the GLA sounds a lot like Lucero with less booze or Joe Strummer. They still like to quote their favorite songs like on “Bring it on” as Fallon sings “Wait a minute wait a minute” from The Marvelettes “Mr. Postman”. It’s hard to not mention the vintage Springsteen sound the band has. But honestly I think it’s become Jersey punk prerequisite to either quote or name drop the Boss. Even Titus Andronicus managed to squeeze in the reference on their new record. Nonetheless, Fallon and Co. have once again managed to write a great record. No one does the whole ‘let’s get out of here while we still can’ thing better and make it sound romantic at the same time.
American Slang is fairly short with only ten songs at just over the 32 minute mark. What is really refreshing about this record is how clean it is, not polished but clean. Several punk bands have moved away from the bombastic noise to a more classic sound such as early Clash or Tom Petty circa 1978. The album is also a no frills affair. It almost sounds like they are playing live because there is very little extra instrumentation involved. It sounds like four guys playing their hearts out and that’s all you can ask for. This record is not a blatantly catchy as The 59 Sound, but it’s close. Another stand out for 2010.
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Rating = AAAA
by Gunter Grass. All are welcome.
