The Gaslight AnthemWhen you name your new album in reference to "the day the music died", I would imagine that you're putting yourself behind the 8-ball in the eyes of most music critics. I could see where some writers may find the title as a pompous act on the band's part. I feel, however, that it's just another case of the band using a nostalgic reference within their music. I also find that this record does feature a more throwback sound to the 1950's performers such as Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins. For these ears, it's actually a welcome sound to hear any band use these iconic performers as influences. Over the years, the Sun Records influence has been unceremoniously wrought to extinction and long forgotten by today's musicians.
This is The Gaslight Anthem's fourth release and second full-length. As the musicianship gets better with each release, you see the band distancing themselves from their punk-infused beginnings. I find this to be a double-edged sword though. The songs benefit through their blend of rock & roll, blues, folk and punk, however, with less punk evident on these new tracks I feel some songs lose their sense of urgency. As they move away from punk, the drumming has smoothed itself out while the bass runs through with a calming hush. The guitars continue to grow with conviction while the vocals find themselves sung with a more soulful confidence that doesn't need to fall back on the strained crutch of punk-style delivery.
While the intensity may seem drained from most of these songs…that doesn't mean they are inferior to any other songs being released these days. I'm comparing the urgency to the bands earlier records, which needed that punk influence to make those songs relevant. With The '59 Sound, the band has grown leaps and bounds to the point that punk intensity is not needed to the point of a crutch. I've honestly already listened to this CD hundreds of times and I am treated to something new nearly every time I push play and that is one of this albums greatest strengths. Like The Gaslight Anthem's previous CD's, there is not a single bad song on this record.
As well as the aforementioned nods to both punk and '50s rock & roll, The Gaslight Anthem rely heavily on their influences of Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp and Tom Petty. Some may cite it as a fault to pull too much from these artists, but they are legends for a reason. They are simply some of the best songwriters of our time and they deserve to be mimicked to an extent. Believe me, no one will ever mistake a TGA album for Bruce himself, so I see no harm in wearing your influences openly on your sleeve. It seems the reoccurring complaints from this band's critics center around originality, which I find to be ridiculous. Is every great band, throughout music history, 100% original?
I also often hear people knock this group for their "cheesy" references to Elvis, girls named Maria and anything else that may have been important to their parents. My own initial thoughts were similar, yet it really didn't take long to find myself singing along with their first LP, Sink Or Swim. And I believe that is because anyone of us, no matter what age, can identify with a simpler time that is perceived as far more innocent than the present. Whether it be diners, drive-in theatres, convertibles or Ferris wheels; all aspects of past Americana are more interesting than the cookie-cut suburbia or high-rise jungles of our inner cities. It's the age-old adage of simplifying your life to find happiness. The Gaslight Anthem, through their tales and confessionals of a time not long passed, have simplified music to make it fun again and certainly more interesting than 99% of music on the market today.
Rating: 5/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: 'Even Cowgirls Get The Blues', 'Old White Lincoln', 'Here's Looking At You, Kid' & 'Miles Davis & The Cool'
Synopsis: There's a reason this band has spent the past year blowing up all over the world. It's simply because they are a breath of fresh air no matter how many influences they openly mimic. If you can't get into these songs then you really aren't a fan of rock music. Do yourself and anyone you subject to your poor music collection a favor by buying all this bands releases.