THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM’S HANDWRITTEN: STRONGER VOCALS, SIMPLER SOUND
The Gaslight Anthem are a punk band from New Brunswick, New Jersey. They released their fourth studio album on July 24th, and debuted at #5 on Canadian charts. The band made some significant changes with this album, such as switching over to Mercury Records, and acquiring Brendan O’Brien to produce. O’Brien has worked with bands like Pearl Jam, Incubus, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Killers, and Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen is a huge influence for The Gaslight Anthem, and ‘Handwritten’ is quite indicative of this.
The Gaslight Anthem have always had a sound that is reminiscent of the Boss, but this album really takes that inspiration and runs with it as far as possible. For Handwritten, the band has opted for a simpler sound, both lyrically and musically, but displays stronger normal vocals. It offers something a lot more different than I have come to expect from The Gaslight Anthem, which can be a great thing, and a bad thing. The sha-la-las in ‘Here Comes My Man’ are something that perhaps we could do without, but the classic rock fan in me is completely in love with the catchy guitar riffs, solos, and the very appropriate use of the harmonica. In my opinion, the first half of the album is much more robust than the second half of the album, although two songs from the latter half caught my attention. ‘Mae’ reminds me of the kind of sound that made me fall in love with the band’s second album, ‘The ’59 Sound’, and ‘National Anthem’ is a beautiful, quiet acoustic song to end the album in great classic taste. Those who were lucky enough to acquire the deluxe edition will enjoy a throwback to the 90’s, with a cover of Nirvana’s Silver.
My favorite part about the album has to be Fallon’s vocals – they have really evolved some serious guts, and it really works for the band’s sound. The album’s lyrics are not as heart wrenching and dramatic as they have previously been, but Brian Fallon’s vocal work completely makes up for it. He delivers a much more mature and honed sound, and it will be very interesting to see what kind of work The Gaslight Anthem can put together in the future with this new sound.
The Gaslight Anthem are playing with Hot Water Music and Rise Against on September 12th at the Bell Center in Montreal. Find out more details on the show HERE!
Category: Reviews