The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound [Single]

Side One Dummy

June 9, 2009, 08:09 PM

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Like 'The Hold Steady' before them, New Jersey's 'Gaslight Anthem' deal in anthemic, blue-collar American rock heavily indebted to both The Replacements and Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Only here, front man Brian Fallon sounds almost exactly like Replacements singer Paul Westerberg (there's even the same light echo effect on his vocal take) and the music has an altogether more abrasive and immediate vibe. The lyrics are also more straight-forward and the sound is basic and stripped back without the flourishes of 'The Hold Steady's' more OTT moments.

The song bursts into life over an incessant rhythm and simple but effective guitar hooks, it's a really soulful sound from a band that owe little but their attitude to the hardcore punk scene that spawned them. The chorus is a real 'hairs on the back of your neck' moment and builds wonderfully with subtle shifts in dynamic and texture that never once detract from the tracks effervescent energy. There is also the same defiant, yet vulnerable lyrical streak here that made Springsteen's "Darkness On The Edge of town" such a strong album, ("You aint supposed to die on a Saturday night") and the band sound incredibly tight and focused. Granted the polished production detracts slightly from the gritty source material (a fate the Replacements also succumbed to in their later years) but the melodies are so unapologetically bold the gloss will not keep the lump from your throat.

The '59 sound is a shining example of a band refining and building upon a sound they have obviously spent years perfecting. It's an inspiring, memorable and anthemic slice of American pie that makes you feel glad to be alive.

Highly recommended.

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