Pounding sweat beneath these wheels.
We tattooed lines beneath our skin.
No surrender, my Bobby Jean."
These are the opening lines to The Gaslight Anthem's song, Meet me by the river's edge, and they give a pretty accurate assessment of what you can expect from the Jersey quartet's sophomore release: The 59' Sound.
Their lyrics reference all of the classics from Tom Petty, to The Counting Crows, to Bob Seger and inevitably The Boss. The title of the record, The 59' Sound, is a reference to the infamous "day the music died". Song titles such as, Miles Davis and the Cool, only heighten the nostalgic feeling of this record.
Clearly, this is a band that respects the roots and history of music. A quality that seems to be fading in the current era. The album opener, Great Expectations, actually begins with the sound of a vinyl player being scratched by the sound of a needle. From this point on, the record sets the tone for what is to come.
"Born to run" era storytelling, juiced up reverb on the vocals, countless references to rock 'n' roll legends and musicianship at its finest. All of this, and the band still seems to effortlessly fit into the notorious "Jersey" sound.
The sheer honesty, and passion behind the vocals of lead vocalist, Brian Fallon, are what makes this band so endearing. He seems to have a voice that speaks to the everyman: earnest, believable and strained in the most believable way.
The 59' Sound is the "raison d'être" for this band. Not a single note, or lyric seems forced or unnatural. This is some of the most honest music you can listen to.
Girls, put on your poodle skirts. Boys, find your favourite white t-shirt and pair of blue jeans. Listen to The Gaslight Anthem's, The 59' Sound, and live the experience. Become a believer that honest, inspired music is not dead. And that the legends of our past still sing a sweet tune. It is undoubtedly my pick for best album of 2008.
Recommended if you like: Springsteen, blues+pop punk, The Killers, The Jersey sound, GOOD MUSIC.
http://www.myspace.com/thegaslightanthem
Nice review Adam. I completely agree. Thanks for enlightening me to this album. I just checked out The 59' Sound and absolutely loved it! Keep it coming.
ReplyDeleteI am going to check it out, I love hearing new music and I really like the Killers, so I think I might like this as well..Thanks
ReplyDeleteI just checked out a few of their songs. Not the usual type of music I listen too but I really enjoyed it. I will keep checking out your blog to find new music.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Cassandra - It's not usually something I would listen to but I did listen to it and I liked the song you referred to at the beginning of the blog - Good review I love the way you compared it to other genres and even different era's of music.
ReplyDeleteI have heard great things about this album, but I have not had the chance to check it out myself.
ReplyDeleteYour review has inspired me to actually go give it a listen right away.
I agree with most of the above! This is not my ordinary kind of music... but, as many people have said about my blog, neither is country! Of course, i appreciate the musical blog, we have that in common, sir. And I will definitely give your suggestions a listen. Thanks dude.
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