“You must definitely check this band out…they say that they continue the tradition of Bruce Springsteen”, an enthusiastic chief editor suggests and I didn’t need any extra motive in order to search further this New Jersey-based band with the peculiar name. You see, I never hid my great admiration for the Boss. Initially, I believed that this was the debut album by The Gaslight Anthem but I soon found out that “Handwritten was in fact the band’s fourth full length record (yet their first on a major label).
From my perspective, The Gaslight Anthem sounds like an amalgam of Goo Goo Dolls, Pearl Jam and Springsteen. The band’s leader, Brian Fallon, is clearly influenced by the Boss, especially when it comes down to the overall lyrical approach as he tends to write about characters and stories. From a pure compositional aspect, The Gaslight Anthem bears various influences from punk, rock n’ roll and folk….all in all, they display the familiar elements of the Jersey shore sound.
Basically, the thing that won me over in “Handwritten” was the fact that all the songs were catchy, well-crafted, the lyrics were interesting and thoughtful while the album had freshness that Goo Goo Dolls would envy after their seminal “A Boy Named Goo” album. The certain thing is that I would check out the band’s previous releases, too. Well done, boys!
Highlight: I must remember to ask Billy Fallon where did he draw the inspiration for the band’s name…
