Tim Brough's Black Leather Bookshelf

Could this be the best album of 2014?
4 Out Of 5 Stars

The Gaslight Anthem are the kind of band that, should you see them in a local pub, would either have you raising your bottle clenched by your pumping fist, or crying in your beer over how damn good they are and how rare a band that rocks like they mean it seems to be these days. This time, on the excellent "Get Hurt," they stretch out even more than any of their previous albums. The hushed sonics of "Stay Vicious" open the album in a way that definitely says that this isn't going to be a carbon copy of "Handwritten" or "American Slang." The band is tighter than ever before, but they are now willing to toy with your expectations.

Granted, they are still worshiping at the alter of Springsteen and Tom Petty, but they claimed their own sound on "Handwritten" only to refine it here. The soulful title track is one of immense longing. It's a slow burner and and an open hearted song, pleading with the woman in question to ultimately sign off with "You might as well do your worst to me." For a band that built its reputation an barband blues and bluster, opening up this much takes a lot of guts. But before you think The Gaslight Anthem have sold out, you have "Helter Skeleton," with big chords and a ripping lead guitar. Lead singer Brian Fallon can emote with the best of them, be it the speed balling "1,000 Years" or the exposing of the heart that is "Underneath The Ground."

"Get Hurt" is an expansion, one some fans may have trouble adjusting to. But to me, hearing them tackle new sounds without losing their original spirit is healthy. TGA know that their listeners are probably still in that bar I talked about at the beginning of the review, clutching that bottle, and getting it on when a band sings more about them than glitz and glamor. Already a best of for 2014.

Gaslighting
5 Out of 5 Stars

This is the album that pulls it all together for The Gaslight Anthem. I have to admit, my fondness for "American Slang" has grown in the time since I've owned it, and if I had to re-rate it, I'd bump it to 4 stars. "Handwritten" finally culminates all the band's influences (Nirvana, Tom Petty, Springsteen) and forges them into a band identity. That alone makes "Handwritten" the TGA's best to date.

That's not all the group is about. There's an energy that producer Brendon O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Springsteen) has managed to harness that previous TGA discs haven't. The eleven songs here unleash a punkish racket at times, but remain lyrically focused while asking a lot of questions. In fact, almost every song starts off with a question, including "What's Your Favorite Song?" on the title track. But the questioning is sincere, and when they drop the adrenaline for a benediction ballad about a thinning relationship ("National Anthem"), it's good enough to make you tear up. The Gaslight Anthem are the kind of band that, should you see them in a local pub, would either have you raising your bottle clenched by your pumping fist, or crying in your beer over how damn good they are and how rare a band that rocks like they mean it seems to be these days.

The deluxe edition contains three bonus tracks that return the the bands' roots. One is a TGA original, but it's the other two that are telling. First up is Nirvana's "Sliver" (aka, "Grandma take me home"), and the Kurt Cobain resemblance is stunning. Then a straightforward version of Tom Petty's "You Got Lucky," one of Petty's darker singles. Singer Brian Fallon finds the everyman melodrama that Petty has always known, and milks the song for all he can. That everyman vibe infuses so much of "Handwritten" that you can't help but love it. Like a lot of the artists mentioned in this review (maybe John Mellencamp or Against Me on "New Wave"), TGA know that their listeners are probably still in that bar, clutching that bottle, and getting on when a band sings more about them than glitz and glamor. Already a best of for 2012.


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Multiples for me:

Mumford and Sons - "Little Lion Man"
Scissor Sisters - "Night Work"
Semi Precious Weapons - "Magnetic baby"
My Chemical Romance - "Na Na Na"
Gaslight Anthem - "American Slang"
Devo - "Mind Games"
Gogol Bordello - "My Companjera"
James Lee Stanley - "Backstage at The Resurrection"
Elvis Costello - "National Ransom"
Ray LaMontagne - "Repo Man"