The Gaslight Anthem (Get Hurt), Jenny Lewis

The Gaslight Anthem
New Release: Get Hurt
Release Date: 8/19/14
Record Label: Island Records
Sounds Like: The Hold Steady (NMT), The Horrible Crowes (NMT), Augustines (NMT)
Location: New Brunswick, N.J.

After far too much time off, why not re-start with the latest release from the act that both debuted this space and is also its most frequent subject: The Gaslight Anthem (NMT, NMT, NMT). After the died-in-the-wool New Jersey quartet's sophomore release, The 59 Sound, attracted a little buzz for the band, it's subsequently been on a mission to play slower. That trend continues on the group's fifth full-length offering, while also demonstrating an eagerness to play louder. Or quieter. Or sometimes both in the same song. While frontman Brian Fallon insists that the 15-track collection [deluxe edition] is a departure from the band's signature sound – like The Arcade Fire's uneven Reflekor (NMT) – and is prepared for critical displeasure of the album, it actually shouldn't be too great a jump for most of the band's fans. Fallon still delivers no shortage of heart-on-his-sleeve, blue-eyed soul-punk thumpers and meaty, sing-along choruses.

Come for: "Rollin' And Tumblin' (the record's fastest number exemplifies the best the group has to offer; "my ticker tape heart" is a classic Brian Fallon line)
Stay for: "Helter Skeleton" (as quintessential a Gaslight Anthem anthem as anything off "The 59 Sound" or the debut "Sink Or Swim;" without knowing who wrote a line like "there will always be a soft spot in my cardiac arrest," I'd instinctually guess it's a Fallon lyric)
You'll be surprised by: "Underneath The Ground" (sounds like nothing else The Gaslight Anthem has ever recorded, particularly the light – practically gentle – chorus; most prominently keyboards have ever been featured by this band)
Solid efforts: "1,000 Years" (steady and measured, this is the type of outcome the group should be for in its slow-it-down movement; heartland rock-style chorus sing-along); "Get Hurt" (its really quiet and somber at first, but finds a good punch at the first chorus, with the kind of jangly lead guitar parts by Alex Rosamilia that defined the first couple albums); 'Stray Paper" (at times, I'm not sure if this sounds more like Metallica or Tom Petty, which is likely what Fallon was after; key supporting vocals from Sharon Jones); "Red Violins" (this redemptive, spiritual rocker has all the markers of a track that will find a home in the middle of the band's setlists for a long while);"Ain't That A Shame" (one of those that's alternatingly heavy and soft at times); "Break Your Heart" (Brian Fallon sings you a forlorn lullaby); "Dark Places" (a full, sweeping sound following the murky intro; easily could have fit on American Slang or Handwritten); "Mama's Boys," "Sweet Morphine" [deluxe edition] (wait, is that an acoustic guitar on full-band numbers? the western-sounding motifs on these back-to-back numbers are unique for the band, for although Fallon has scattered a handful of solo acoustic tracks across previous albums, the full band format is usually reserved for electric-only instrumentation); "Halloween" (highly-punctuated, a different take on the typical Halloween song as a love long)  
Meh: "Stay Vicious" (what is this, a Staind song? those layers of flat crunch don't convey the band's talent very well, although the shimmer of the pre-chorus and chorus are a welcome contrast);  "Selected Poems" (the verses are a little too hazy and meandering for this outfit, which makes the blast of the chorus a little too jarring)

Jenny Lewis
New Release: The Voyager
Release Date: July 29, 2014
Record Label: Warner Bros. Records
Sounds Like: Rilo Kiley (NMT), Neko Case (NMT), Eisley (NMT)
Location: Los Angeles, Calif.

Last year, I reviewed what is likely the last batch of material released by the indie rock outfit Rilo Kiley, their B-sides and rarities archives collection, RKives. One of the primary reasons the four-piece unit from L.A. will probably not deliver any new material is the emergence of frontwoman Jenny Lewis' solo career. Like the work of The New Pornographers' (NMT) Neko Case, Lewis' solo material focuses more on country and Americana roots influences divorced from most of the indie rock power for which their affiliated bands are known. Lewis' crafty songwriting and lyricism occasionally geared to make her audience uncomfortable translate well from her Rilo Kiley work, while the presence of A-list producers Ryan Adams and Beck speak to how well her talent is regarded in the indie-rock industry. My main gripe with the overall 10-track effort is the preponderance of mid-tempo numbers, as the bulk of her Rilo Kikey effectively demonstrated the quality and power of her voice on uptempo tracks. 

Come for: "Just One Of The Guys" (Lewis' tonal counterpoint to Case's own "Man" leans heavily on alt-county veneer; check out its star-studded video)
Stay for: "Aloha & The Three Johns" (easily the most accessible track on the record; witty but not too clever in the tale of three guys named John on a Hawaiian vacation; the rhyming of "cava" and "farther" in the outro isn't my favorite of Lewis' writing ever, though)
You'll be surprised by: "The New You" (the record's lyrical centerpiece, which manages to reference both 9/11 and Metallica without coming across as heavy-handed)
Solid efforts: "Head Underwater" (good bounciness, if not a tad too poppy and the lyrics are a bit self-help-y at times); "She's Not Me" (if Lewis had been drafted into The Eagles for The Long Run album, she would have contributed this song; the strings point to late-70's disco-pop); "Slippery Slopes" (the slide guitar that accompanies Lewis' vocal melody during the verses is a nice touch, otherwise a good deal of alt-rock crunch; references to California's drug culture); "Late Bloomer" (this is one of those Lewis numbers – like many from the Rilo Kiley era – that could or could not be semi-autobiographical; the downbeat anti-chorus is notable in contrast to the major-chord, narrative verses); "Love U Fovever" (some 80s-style girl pop-rock; not sure how tongue-in-cheek this is intended to be); "The Voyager" (the title track is better than most album closing efforts, with Lewis' self-harmonizing and simple acoustic strumming paired with complex, but unobtrusive background instrumentation)
Meh: "You Can't Outrun 'Em" (it's not all that bad, but not a ton of depth to this outlaw quasi-ballad and the desert surrealist instrumental bridge doesn't appeal all that much to me)

P.S. Speaking of The New Pornographers and Neko Case, stay tuned next week for a review of the indie supergroup's latest release, Brill Bruisers.  

Augustines

Augustines
New Release: Augustines
Release Date: Today (2/4/14)
Record Label: Oxcart Records
Sounds Like: Gaslight Anthem (NMT, NMT, NMT), Frightened Rabbit (NMT)

For you bible scholars out there, you know one of Jesus' most well-known questions of his disciples as they made their way to the villages of Caesarea Philippi: "But who do you say that I am?" The encounter is told in all four gospels (very similarly in the three synoptic gospels, in Mk 8:29; Mt 16:15; Lk 9:20; and slightly differently in Jn 6:66-69)

So imagine a similar – although perhaps just slightly less significant – exchange occurring between Augustines frontman and guitarist Billy McCarthy and followers of the rapidly-emerging Brooklyn, N.Y. trio (formerly known as We Are Augustines). McCarthy – a dude who looks like be the musical doppelganger of Jason Segel – might ask, "who do people say that my voice sounds like?"

Fans might reply, "well, some might say Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon, while others might suggest Frightened Rabbit's Scott Hutchinson or Emmet Swimming's Todd Watts, and still others may say Sting, Bono or Ezra Keonig."

McCarthy might then ask, "but who do you say that I am?" 

Ahh, that's where we get to the tricky part. 

All this intro buildup is a long-winded way of saying that there's no escaping that listeners of Augustines' past and current work – including their sophomore, self-tiled release that's out today – must first reconcile their reaction to McCarthy's tone and delivery before being able to thoroughly assess their feelings on the rest of the material. Sure, the tight-sounding unit's sound easily points to the best of U2's anthemic catalog and the ambition of recent acts like Muse, while McCarthy's recorded journeys of self-discovery mesh well with the evocative, but worldly imagery of Fallon's Gaslight Anthem or Hutchinson's Frightened Rabbit. 

But I could easily understand well-intentioned listeners hearing McCarthy for the first time tuning the group out after just a few stanzas. On the new record alone, the single line, "what am I running from?" on "Now You Are Free" is garbled by so much of McCarthy's chewy vocal syrup that it nearly landed the entire track on my Skip to next track recommendation. Seriously, Tom Waits could give the dude tips on clarity in delivery.

Nonetheless, once McCarthy's thick baritone jumble eases into your aural muscle memory, the bulk of the work on Augustines is simply triumphant. A quick listen of the band's 2011 debut, Rise Ye Sunken Ships, suggests the trio was capable of great things and they largely deliver on the dozen tracks of its thematic follow-up. While the nameless characters in the former reach the precipice of self-actualization in the wake of tragedy, those in the latter acknowledge from the outset that they are embarking on a rite of passage, the trail of identity and discovery. As perhaps the most pervasive narrative arcs in all of art – from The Odyssey, Ulysses and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to Quadrophenia and 21st Century Breakdown – this notion is conveyed by McCarthy as a "Walkabout."

The record spans feelings of the excitement of departure ("Nothing To Lose But Your Head," "Don't You Look Back"), obstacles to overcome ("Cruel City," "Weary Eyes," "Kid You're On Your Own"), realization ("Walkabout," "The Avenue") and triumph ("Now Your Are Free"). While the emotional and artistic impetus for the journey likely stems from the loss of McCarthy's brother – and former bandmate in Pela – to suicide in 2009, multi-instrumentalist Eric Sanderson and drummer Rob Allen give pulse to the concepts and are hardly just along for the ride. 

Come for: "Nothing To Lose But Your Head" (the definition of anthemic)
Stay for: "Cruel City" (the excellent African chorus pairs well with Bastille's hit, "Pompeii," that's all over mainstream media these days; fortunately for Augustines, their catalog transcends just a single song)
You'll be surprised by:"Walkabout" (while I'm not wild about McCarthy's falsetto that bookends the track – its even more indecipherable than his normal diction – but its a good change-of-pace number with the piano and steady buildup through the heart of the song. I always mark down bands that don't heed by 3-2-1 ratio for uptempo/mid-pace/ballad distribution, so I should equally reward bands that get it right, like Augustines do)
Solid efforts: "Weary Eyes" (a perfect blend of shimmering guitars from McCarthy, sludgy bass by Sanderson and Allen's regimental percussion to compliment McCarthy's smoothest vocal delivery on this mid-tempo offering); "Don't You Look Back" (really a fantastic track in every way with a bouncy melody brilliantly clashing with thunderous rhythm; its absolutely glimmering at its zenith); "Kid You're On Your Own" (the most direct parallel with The Gaslight Anthem's style; the chorus here may be the meatiest on the album); "This Ain't Me" (once again, the lyrics in the verses are a bit muddied by McCarthy's delivery, but overall, the continually shifting battle between understatement and anthem is an enjoyable experience); "Now You Are Free" (a swirling sing-along with solid backbone, but to reiterate, the "what am I running from?" line is distracting; remember Weird Al's line in "Smells Like Nirvana," "It's hard to bargle nawdle zouss with all these marbles in my mouth?" Well, its just as accurate today as it was in 1991); "Hold On To Anything" (wraps things up on a hopeful note)
Meh: "Intro (I Touch Imaginary Hands)" (a little more productive an intro than other preludes, but I wouldn't be adrift listing to the record without it); "The Avenue" (more falsetto, but little else); "Highway 1 Interlude" (an instrumental that doesn't really advance any of the melodic, harmonic or rhythmic themes, nor resolve the collection since it serves as the penultimate track)
Skip to next track: No fatal flaws

The Gaslight Anthem – Handwritten

Sorry folks; it's just been too busy lately to keep up with new posts with any regularity. Fall brings hope of less commotion, so stay tuned till then for, perhaps, a return to more frequent posts.

With that mea culpa out of the way, we can turn our attention to the latest release from the act that has received the most attention in this space: the New Jersey-based rock quartet, The Gaslight Anthem and their fourth full-length album, Handwritten – out on July 24 on Mercury Records.

As we discussed in reviewing their previous effort, 2010's American Slang (NMT), the four-piece unit has been on a gradual march away from the Springsteen-via-The Clash fusion that dominated their early work such as 2007's Sink or Swim and 2008's The '59 Sound (NMT). And while both The Boss and the quintessential punk band reside at the functional heart of everything the band does, the ongoing shift to a more distinctive sound and style is marked by slower, harder and more personal material than before, all apparent moreso than ever on Handwritten.

Of course, with such a lead-in, the first couple tracks are naturally boilerplate replication's of their original approach. The kinetic "45" features the driving punk energy of The Clash blended with frontman Brain Fallon's Springsteenian narrative nostalgia. This isn't to say its recidivist work from Fallon and company; if you were previously drawn by the group's sound, more of the same is certainly no objection. It, and the follow-up title track will fit in nicely in the extended catalog alongside similar hard-charging numbers like "The Patient Ferris Wheel" or "We Came to Dance."

The real departure emerges on the third track, "Here Comes My Man." The Byrds'-style jangly eight-string electric guitar from Alex Rosamilia and Fallon's acoustic recalls Mellancamp heartland rock, a step away from the more coastal punk sound. Although Fallon has delivered acoustic material before on Gaslight Anthem records, those efforts we more solo, singer/songwriter compositions rather than woven onto the full band structure. At the same time, the slower pace and oldies rock chorus of "sha-la-la la" hardly is stock issue recasting either.

Meanwhile, "Mulholland Drive" is darker and harder than its preceding counterpart, with the rhythm section of bassist Alex Levine and Benny Horowitz at the forefront over Fallon's chugging guitar. Rosamilia does brighten the mood with his signature bright and high-fretboard figures during the verses along with a wailing solo at the bridge – a rarity for a band that doesn't feature much instrumental variation. The trend towards harder and slower continues on the bluesy "Keepsake," again allowing Rosamilia to move center stage. The number also introduces blood as a recurring theme across the 11-track collection, imagery that connects hearts, emotions and actions. The concept finds its obvious peak on "Too Much Blood," even more plodding and crunching than its predecessors. Here, Fallon revisits his throaty blues howl previously heard on older numbers like "The Diamond Street Church Choir" and "We're Getting a Divorce, You Keep the Dinner."   

The shimmering briskness of their previous life isn't abandoned altogether, however. A pair of later-appearing cuts – the appropriately succinctly-titled "Howl" and "Desire" – both recapture the sprinting pace of the Gaslight oeuvre and are completely enjoyable for that reason. But they're evened out by the sludgy "Biloxi Parish" – featuring a growling bass line from Levine – and the moody "Mae" to demonstrate the group's commitment to its darker direction. Closing out the affair is another Brian Fallon Sings! acoustic contribution in the deceptively apolitical "National Anthem."

Come for: "45"
Stay for: "Handwritten"
You'll be surprised by: "Here Comes My Man"

P.S. – In addition to Fallon's extensive work with The Gaslight Anthem, we also covered his Horrible Crowes (NMT) sideproject last year.

P.P.S. – The album's deluxe version features interesting covers of Nirvana's nearly-comical "Sliver" – with its memorable "grandma take me home" chorus – and Petty's "You Got Lucky" along with the original "Blue Dahlia," which is more in keeping with the band's original signature sound.

The Horrible Crowes

The debut post of this blog in January, 2010 covered the sophomore release from the New Jersey-based punk/folk troubadours, The Gaslight Anthem. I returned that June to review that band's third effort, American Slang. And littered throughout the posts since that first Gaslight review are recurring references to the band. So, its safe to say that the group maintains a seminal role in informing the material most commonly highlighted here. In that sense, it should come as no surprise, then, that the Horrible Crowes side project of Gaslight frontman Brian Fallon should receive due attention. Fallon, along with longtime Gaslight guitar technician Ian Perkins formed the duo as an outlet for Fallon's creative output that stayed beyond the more aggressive posture of Gaslight, and the pair released first full-length offering, Elsie, on September 6 on Side One Dummy Records.

Of course, given your blogger's propensity to gravitate to Fallon's prime project in both reviews and references, I won't spend much time chronicling his overall milieu. Check the previous reviews for the backstory. Instead, I'll focus on what's different from the more well-know Gaslight sound, and explore some of divergent influences found across Elsie's dozen tracks.

It seems as if one of Fallon's primary objectives in his work with Perkins is to dispel the notion that the polar influences of Bruce Springsteen and Joe Strummer constitute the bulk of his musical foundation. Instead, he seems to undertake a mission demonstrating that Tom Waits and Van Morrison have just as much sway in his sonic and tonal philosophy as the former luminaries guided his time with Gaslight. To that end, Fallon downgrades the tempo from Gaslight's trundling pace to a more measured trot, and his lyricism is less clever narrative and blunt emotion, instead taking a much more subtle path.

This much is true from the outset, with the exceedingly somber "Last Rites." The droning whole notes from the piano and hazy organs are already a marked departure from anything Fallon orchestrated in Gaslight. Previously, Fallon has been the narrator of hardscrabble characters – Marys and Veronicas and Estellas – who, while flawed, are redeemed through their determined spirit. Here, that pervasive optimism is largely stripped bare by a more stark reality. As he explains in the opener, "Call up your boyfriends from out by the ocean / While I get my last rites read by a thief. From here, it's not a great leap to reach Waits' own "Everything Goes to Hell," complete with similar seaside imagery.

The hesitating "Sugar" is likewise morose, but more fleshed-out. The western-via-California-mission guitar cut by Perkins adds to the desolate scene of the loneliness and fading emotional stability of its subject, one whose shaking hands and dream-addled mind are not cured by the "sugar" of friendship and concern of Fallon's narrator. It's haunting and a touch troubling, but entirely genuine – a spirit not easily conveyed by the hard-driving and emboldening Gaslight.

Of course, to expect Fallon and Perkins to shed entirely the mantle of their day jobs would not be fair, or necessarily wanted. After all, Fallon and his trio of compadres in Gaslight make outstanding music, so an appetizer here and there is not unwelcome. In this case, it comes via the first single, "Behold the Hurricane." Fallon is at his most full-throated and comfortable here, and along with the number's stiff drums and churning guitars, it could have resided quite comfortably on American Slang. If you're looking for an easier transition from the familiar Gaslight territory before diving deeper into Elsie, you'd have no trouble starting here.

But just as quickly as Fallon returns to the well, he departs it, with the bluesy interloper "I Witnessed a Crime." A thick Hammond organ line grounds the late-night saga. The Van Morrison flavor begins to trickle in here, with a much looser vocal delivery from Fallon, and Perkins' whining guitars. And Fallon firmly stations himself at Morrison's R&B lamppost on the following "Go Tell Everybody." The jumping verses loosen the ground for the stage-shaking gospel chorus, chock full of back-up singers, organ vibes and near James Brown wails from Fallon, before the bridge introduces strings and horns – such augmentations never found within a country mile on any previous Gaslight production.

After the slow, deliberate funeral march of "Cherry Blossoms," "Ladykiller" may be the record's second most compelling track behind "Behold the Hurricane." Fallon fires up the pipes after a building intro and settles into a jangly ballad – a venue not often exploited by Gaslight, and one that meshes well with Fallon's expressive delivery. Later on, "Crush" could be another Gaslight contribution, again one that would be best suited for American Slang, rather than the band's more hard-charging early barnburners. But the listener does feel a bit for Fallon's vocal chords on "Mary Ann," the sludgy and gnarly devotional, where he exerts every atom of grit from his voicebox and often overtakes the tune to the point where it becomes distracting.

The collection winds up with the darker, slower and quieter trio of "Black Betty and the Moon," "Blood Loss" and "I Believe Jesus Brought Us Together." Of these, the former is the most enjoyable, with its piano and acoustic guitar background pacing a gentle stroll – something you might expect from Waits with a bit more up-front melody or Morrison in his Astral Weeks phase. The second of these is moody with a bit more screaming from Fallon, while the latter is trippy and floaty – the sort of thing that would never appear on a Gaslight record.

Come for: "Behold the Hurricane"
Stay for: "Ladykiller"
You'll be surprised by: "Go Tell Everybody"

Gaslight Anthem: American Slang

This week's featured release is also the first post to revisit a group or artist already profiled. In this case, that group was also the subject of my first post to this blog. If you're not already familiar with the Gaslight Anthem, I'd recommend you (re)visit that post. Accordingly, I won't spend much time here on the background details of the New Jersey-based foursome. Instead, we'll take a thorough look at their third full-length release, American Slang, released today.

Hoping to present an album marking a different direction than found on Gaslight's previous releases, frontman Brian Fallon largely succeeds in delivering a significant departure from their preceding efforts. Mostly gone are the meaty chord progressions, collections of characters named Maria or Mary or Estella, and the singalong refrains. Instead, Fallon and his mates focus on a more subdued template in American Slang, much like fellow earnest troubadours The Hold Steady did on their recent Heaven is Whenever. Fallon himself admitted the group's intentions were to slow down their sound similar to the work of one of their heroes, Joe Strummer, on London Calling. The collection's introductory and namesake track accounts for that transition from their previous sound – one that will always be there should they need to call upon it:

here's where we died that time last year / and here's where the angels and devils meet / and you can dance with the queen if you need / and she will always keep your cards

Inasmuch as the group's sound evolves on the 10-track offering, so too does Fallon's gradual shift away from New Jersey to a setting that's both less specific and less familiar than his previous narratives. Tracks such as "Diamond Church Street Choir" and "Spirit of Jazz" with their loose shuffle could easily be stationed in the delta haunts of Memphis or New Orleans, while "Queen of Lower Chelsea" pays homage to Strummer's London. The first of these tracks demonstrates a heretofore unheard dimension of Fallon's vocals, settling into some amalgamation of James Brown and Bob Seger. Regardless of the location, none of the numbers would have easily fit – musically or lyrically – on 2008's The 59 Sound or 2007's Sink or Swim which were planted firmly in the concrete jungles of the Garden State.

However, as concerted is their effort to break the chains of Marley that Fallon described in "The 59 Sound," the call of the Boss will never be that far, as witnessed in tracks such as "Stay Lucky" – the American Slang number most similar to their previous sound – "Orphans" and "Boxer," all of which will have kids jampacked into clubs plenty to stomp and sing along with this summer and fall. "Old Haunts," found later in the track list, is in the closest vicinity of E Street, residing somewhere between "10th Avenue Freeze Out" and "Glory Days," but at the same time does battle with the Springsteen legacy, with Fallon almost casting aside those influences by singing, "don't sing me your songs about the good times / those days are gone and you should just let them go / And God help the man who says / if you'd have known me when..." It's an interesting take from a band that's working through its maturation through it work, and that sense of a perpetual struggle as the halcyon days of youth begin to fade is the album's unifying theme.

Because even though there are fewer trademark Gaslight anthems here, that doesn't mean there are none. Through these tunes, we hear about "the sons of regret," the "steam, heat, clang and the dark," and the "beatings that had someday to end." All this marks classic Gaslight territory and tempo, ensuring a good third of the album will satisfy longtime fans. But they might not be so sure about closing number, "We Did It When We Were Young," which darkly stumbles closer to The Cure than The Clash.

Come for: "Stay Lucky"
Stay for: "Old Haunts"
You'll be surprised by: "Diamond Church Street Choir"

The Gaslight Anthem

I will concede that my first selection doesn't dig too deep into the underground. However, that does not mean a sufficient number of people are aware of this fine young New Jersey quartet. Besides, lead singer/songwriter Brian Fallon is at The Black Cat on Saturday night, and you should go.

To understand The Gaslight Anthem, draw a triangle. At its apex, position the name Bruce Springsteen. To its left pinnacle, assign Joe Strummer and The Clash. At it's counterpoint on the bottom right, reserve a spot for Paul Westerberg and The Replacements. Fill-in the area of the shape with a patchwork of Tom Petty, Elvis Costello and The Counting Crows.

Hailing from New Brunswick, New Jersey, the guiding presence of The Boss should surprise none. He is Gaslight's North Star, spreading his influence through lead singer Brian Fallon's familiar but not threadbare cache of characters. There's Broken-Bones Matilda, Wagin' Matty, the Tin Man's heart and The Old Gospel Choir, plus enough Bobby Jeans, Marias and Virginias to make up at least 1/6 of the E Street Band. Fallon parlays his Little Eden off his hero's Asbury Park and drifts as easily from the 1930s to 1962 as Springsteen connected Atlantic City to Nebraska. For his part, The Boss has already seen the light of his could-be successors.

While the New Jersey legend builds the world from which Fallon stages his scenes, Gaslight holds less true to his musical direction. Rather than the six-plus minute rock-jazz-gospel shuffle where Springsteen erects his tent revivals, the four-piece outfit hews closer to the mold established by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones. His turn-on-a-dime tempo breakdown not even halfway through "Say I Won't (Recognize)" – off the outfit's debut offering, Sink or Swim – could just as easily spilled out of side three of Sandanista!, while tracks like "1930" or "The Patient Ferris Wheel" are driven by a white Epiphone-style punk energy Springsteen would never approach.

And yet Gaslight is more than a punkified Darkness on the Edge of Town. There's a milltown undercurrent of self-pity that emerges through the cracks between Springsteen and Stummer, more akin to Paul Westerberg and the Minneapolis collection of rust belt instigators like Bob Mould and Craig Finn. On Gaslight's second full-length effort, The 59 Sound's "Red at Night," Fallon stakes claim to a narrative that could have likewise emerged from Buffalo or Dayton, singing,

I was born in a town where the rivers flow freeze / on a January night when the cold winds freeze / I got an Irish name and an injury / Blessing and a curse cast down on me

Of course, the group's influences extend far past a tripartite score of predecessors. Fallon makes no secret of his deep affection for Tom Petty, referencing the venerable Americana rocker on several occasions, yet filtering his Southern Accents through the Counting Crows' "Round Here" on "High Lonesome" – a pairing most contemporary tunesmiths wouldn't conjure. Meanwhile, the Elvis Costello connection on "Miles Davis & The Cool" is only steps away from the same imagery of a fire that's both destructive and restoring that Billy Joe Armstrong employed on 21st Century Breakdown. But Fallon and his comrades take a U2 – or, if you prefer, Dear Leader – turn on 59 Sound closer, The Backseat, with its Edgian flotilla of delayed arpeggios.

In all, its quite compelling, if not totally original. For much as the thesis demands an anthesis, from which comes the synthesis, from Springsteen to Strummer to Fallon lies a pretty solid ground of material that many might consider the heart of rock and roll.

Come for: "The 59 Sound"
Stay for: "We Came to Dance"
You'll be surprised by: "Red at Night"