The Gaslight Anthem: Swimming, not sinking.
It’s great to see punk rockers grow up. Gone are the mohawks, leather jackets, ripped jeans and songs about anarchy. In their place stand acoustic guitars, harmonicas, plaid shirts and folk songs. It’s as if punks have regressed to their earliest form, that of Wood Guthrie, a pro-left, American folk singer whose songs inspired countless American youths to either stand up to the man, pick up a guitar or both. Just ask Bob Dylan, who says of his first Woody Guthrie record “I put one on the turntable and when the needle dropped, I was stunned — didn’t know whether I was stoned or straight.” With American Slang - The Gaslight Anthem’s third studio album - we are hearing the needle drop.
The New Jersey quartet formed in 2005 and released their first full length album, Sink or Swim, in 2007. It was a fast paced affair that demonstrated the band’s capacity to show off their punk rock chops whilst simultaneously exploring their inherent ability to write catchy songs and tell the type of stories Mark Twain would be proud of. The 2008 sequel, The ‘59 Sound, was met with large critical acclaim. The songs referenced Dickens, noir-era Americana and romantic tales from the Jersey Shore. If it were a painting, it would be equal parts Edward Hopper and Banksy. The album made all the right noises and impressed a myriad of people, most notably Bruce Springsteen, who asked the relatively unknown punk band to support him on his U.K. arena shows.
Clearly it takes something special for a punk rock band to support one of the biggest rock acts in the world, and that’s exactly what The Gaslight Anthem are. Their songs may be fast, filled with distorted guitar and raspy vocals, but at their roots are the foundations for every great rock song. It’s no wonder The Boss handpicked his hometown comrades, he probably hears more of himself than he does Joe Strummer in their songs.
Springsteen isn’t the only one to hear these comparisons. With American Slang, we hear the band maturing. They are edging further from their original punk rock vision and sounding more like The Boss with every note. The songs are slower, but catchier, and while it might put off some of their original fans, it will definitely endear them to a larger audience. And that is the problem with many of these modern punk bands, when they begin to break the rules of what being punk is, they are ironically ostracised. However, The Gaslight Anthem have a self assuredness that shows their style is more fusion than identity crisis.
American Slang owes more to John Steinbeck than Johnny Rotten. Again, it’s Americana, romance and road songs spliced with distorted guitars. Make no mistake, this is a very good album, and one that will propel the band to a new level of popularity, it’s just that punk rock ethos that was fundamental in separating the band from their peers is lacking. They’re not quite at the Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan level yet, but they’re travelling down that same dusty road. American Slang is not a very good punk album, but as a straight up rock album, it’s easily one of 2010’s best.
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Listen to if you like Against Me!, Bruce Springsteen, Social Distortion
To see a free preview of The Gaslight Anthem’s Brian Fallon doing his best Woody Guthrie and Bruce Springsteen go here.
