Reviews | June/ July 2008

THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM | "THE '59 SOUND"
LP/ CD | Side One Dummy Records
Reviewed: July 14th, 2008

Last year's "Sink Or Swim" really set things off for the Gaslight Anthem. Months and months on the road and raving reviews made the album and the band itself one of last years top headlines in the world of alternative music. I hyped them quite a bit myself and I still believe that the band is one of the best in the world right now. In august the band will reveal their second album entitled "The '59 Sound" and yours truly just recieved a promo copy of the new record, so here we go...

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from "The '59 Sound". But after spinning it a few times I can't really say it's all that different from the previous album. It is, however, a bit more poppy, a bit less punky, a bit more melodic, and at times a bit slower. I think this is an amazing record and it's still the Gaslight Anthem, all the way, so don't worry. I really feel that the few changes to the sound have come quite naturally. Over all the album might not be as good as "Sink Or Swim", but frankly - you can't really expect it to be. That one was truly a 100% record.

The songwriting on this new one feels more thought-through and I think that the EP "Senõr & The Queen" kind of gave people a hint of where things were going. There are no "huge" changes to the band's sound, it just feels a bit more mature. "The '59 Sound" requires a couple of spins before you can really appreciate it. But giving it that time is so worth it. Opening track "Great Expectations" proves straight away that these guys are still some of the best song-writers to walk the streets of New Jersey. It's a fast, still mellow tune, with the signature poppy guitar melodies in the background. Personally the guitar melodies are what I love most about this band. I also like the drumming a lot and, of course, the vocals. Further into the record the band shows their ability to try differnt types of songs, just like they did on the EP that was released earlier this year. "The '59 Sound" is a rather diverse record which I like a lot.

Other than that, the band's love for artists like Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen shines through a bit more than it did on the previous album. I'd say that those influences are an important part of the Gaslight Anthem's sound and it's what makes the band stand out from the rest.
If "Sink Or Swim" was a 100% record I'd say that this one is about 87% but still counting...