Search - The Gaslight Anthem :: American Slang

God Help The Man Who Says 'If You Had Known Me When'...

D. Ashal | Aztlan, holmes | 06/15/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had never heard this band before this release and didn't really expect much. The nuevo-punk name, image, etc made me think it would be lame, warped-tour pop-punk, but that just goes to show that you shouldn't judge a band by their fedoras and tattoos. This is an amazingly good punk rock record that wears its influences proudly on its sleeve and doesn't add anything new to the mix, but does it all extremely well. There's a lot of Springsteen worship on here, and sometimes it feels like a love letter to the Boss, but I also hear The Clash, Thin Lizzy, The Jam, Van Morrison (who was also influential to Springsteen), Against Me, Lucero, The Dropkick Murphies, Lifetime, and Ted Leo. It's anthemic and polished and radio-friendly, but probably won't be on the radio; it will be on some pub jukeboxes, I'm hoping. Lyrically I find it surprisingly adept; the lyricist has a real gift for not overworking a line, and some of the songs really have a heavy chop. Even when the lyrics evoke the band's influences, like a Springsteen-esque dismissal of nostalgia or a song Clash-y enough to actually mention a tommy gun, they still manage to sound fresh. The music tends to involve a lot of choruses and is so super catchy I found myself singing along as soon as the second listen. It's got that whole East Coast blue collar thing, but isn't corny about it like (say) the afforementioned Dropkick Murphies. If anything I just mentioned to you sounded good, I really think you need to check this out. It's one of the best new punk records I've heard in years."

Baby, Bring It On

Flap Jackson | State Road, NC | 06/18/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's hard to find quality Rock N' Roll nowadays, but if The Gaslight Anthem proved anything on their sophomore album, it was that it could still be done. Revisiting it again, it's still as classic and good as the day it came out. Mixing punk & rock influenced by Tom Petty & Bruce Springsteen, The Gaslight Anthem could have been happy in the sound they carved out for themselves. But no, The Gaslight Anthem instead drops most of the punk, and becomes a full on rock band. The results? As Brian Fallon sings at one point, "Who does it better than we do?"



Highlights Include:

American Slang

Bring It On

The Diamond Church Street Choir

The Queen of Lower Chelsea



The only thing that's changed for the band really is the music. They still can craft a great song with excellent lyrics, Brian Fallon can still burn out a note like it's nobody's business, and they can still crank out a memorable hook when needed for a song. So for the music, as Brian Fallon, they've moved away from the 59' inspired sound, and moved on along the rock timeline. This time, they've moved closer to their influences. I could honestly see/hear Bruce Springsteen singing half this album. It has his lyrical sense, it's grandiose feel, and his musical sensibilities. But, The Gaslight Anthem doesn't try to copy it, but rather, pay homage to it. The album is also a lot tighter sound-wise. While you had ballad-type songs, punk-type songs, and general rockers on their last album, it sticks mostly to the rockers. The closest the album gets to slowing down is "We Did It When We Were Young," but it's not as much slow, as it is emphasizing the vocals & the lyrics with a more minimalistic approach for most of the song.



Overall, listening to this album over 5 times now, I can safely say it gets better with each listen. Each song is an all-American story set to the beat of a great rock tune. It may be a short album, but it's a solid one. Maybe not as classic as its predecessor, but it's every bit as good, in a different way. One could say that they're trying too hard, but it is working. If anything, American Slang is proof you can still find Salvation by the radio."

Loved The 59 Sound? You'll love American Slang

Christian D. | New York | 07/23/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"American Slang is a great record by a great band.

In no way is it disappointing at all when compared to The Gaslight Anthem's previous two albums.

American Slang has much in common with Sink or Swim and The 59 Sound; nothing dramatically different musically or lyrically. This is a good thing though, because The Gaslight Anthem really hit the spot with their style and are as close to perfect as they can get.



Maybe I haven't listened to American Slang enough, but the only non-positive comment I have about this album is that there are no songs that really stick out. I haven't found a single song that is just perfect on this album like Film Noir and Ida Called You Woody, Joe.



Overall, American Slang is a great album. I would definitely recommend it.

If American Slang was the first thing you heard from The Gaslight Anthem, I would definitely check out Sink or Swim and The 59 Sound, both slightly better albums I think."