Record Label: Side One Dummy
Genre: Bluesy Folk Punk Rock
Band Link:
Buy on Amazon.com link

I’ll just put this out there right now, The Gaslight Anthem are going to be fucking HUGE! There already is a buzz about this band and I can see why. The Gaslight Anthem are from New Brunswick, NJ and have a folk/blues rock, punk-rock influenced sound that’s hard to describe. You can see just from the last sentence that I used like 4 or 5 different genres to describe these guys. Their singer has a raspy rock n roll singing voice that’s similar to Bruce Springsteen a little bit. The rest of the group seem like they love the Boss and other classic rock bands and it’s quite evident on this album.

The band released one full-length called Sink or Swim back in 2007, and an EP on Sabot earlier this year. Their EP was the first time I heard of them and they didn’t turn my head right away. But I found myself listening to their EP over and over, especially their song “Blue Jeans and White T-Shirts.” Was that song about Bruce Springsteen because that’s who Gaslight Anthem sort of reminds me of. There’s just something about these guys that makes them stand out from other bands I have reviewed.

I was curious to see how their sophomore release was going to turn out. This album doesn’t come out until next month but let me say I was blown away by it! There’s not one song on here that I don’t like and I’m one picky bastard too. Each song is awesome and slightly different from each other. GA have only been a band for a few years but it doesn’t show at all. You would think these guys have been around for 20 years. I love the fast songs (“Great Expectations”), I love the bluesy songs (“Even Cowgirls Get The Blues”), and I love the slow songs (“Here’s Looking At you Kid”). Just everything about this album is great. I can’t praise them enough.

Bottom Line: A perfect album!
Notable Tracks: Great Expectations, The 59 Sound, White Old Lincoln, Miles Davis and The Cool, Here’s Looking At You Kid
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