Is The Gaslight Anthem "Next"

It is always cliché to say someone or something is “the future,” or “the next” this or that when the similarities between a thing of the past and the up and coming present collide. In the 60’s and 70’s, how many “next” Beatles groups were heard about? It is easy for that kind of title, in any situation, to needlessly elevate expectations. That being said, as an up and coming group, having those comparisons placed on you is certainly a compliment. Such is the case with The Gaslight Anthem. The group, hailing from New Jersey, immediately was compared to the one and only Bruce Springsteen, and then gave those comparisons some credibility when they took to the stage with their idle at various music festivals in 2009. The question was, in 2010, would the group be able to break away from those comparisons, however flattering they were. After Tuesday night’s show in Chicago at the House Of Blues, The Gaslight Anthem looks like they’re ready for more than just breaking comparisons.

The band walked out on-stage to a rousing and pumped up audience. The group pounded through their first new single, American Slang, to kick the show off and then blasted through Boxer and The Diamond Church Street choir, both which come from the recently released American Slang album. From there Gaslight went into some older songs including crowd favorite The ’59 Sound, Old White Lincoln, and Miles Davis And The Cool. After the first six songs it was obvious that the band was churning on all cylinders. Each bass not struck precision, crisp drum beats, and spot on guitar playing showed just how good these four can be. It was also obvious after the first six songs that lead singer, Brian Fallon, may have had a tad much to drink before hitting the stage. No matter though, if anything, his lowered inhibitions led to a much more comfortable Brian Fallon on-stage. Gazing out into the audience, there would be points in time where he would almost serenade certain crowd members; some in the front row, some all the way to the back.

After a couple old tunes, the band kicked back into high gear with new American Slang songs such as Orphans, Stay Lucky, and The Queen Of Lower Chelsea. Amid that stretch of songs, the band played their four song EP, “Senor And The Queen,” in its entirety and proceeded to finish their first set with a killer version of Great Expectations. The group’s encore consisted of a Lucero cover featuring Tim Barry, and songs We Came To Dance, The Spirit Of Jazz, We’re Getting A Divorce, You Keep The Diner, Here’s Looking At You Kid, and The Backseat. What an encore it was. The Lucero cover was interesting to say the least, but the guitar work on The Spirit Of Jazz was the best I’ve seen it when watching this band, and while a slow song and albeit an interesting choice for an encore tune, Here’s Looking At You Kid razzled the House Of Blues audience before losing their minds to The Backseat, a song that the band seemingly loves to end their shows with.

All in all, you get the same feeling when watching The Gaslight Anthem live as you do when listening to their newest record. The group has matured. Instead of being that band who is on the cusp of making it, they swagger on-stage as if they already have. Their confidence as performers is through the roof. At one point during the show, a group of guys in the near front row were yelling the patented Bruuuuuuuce chant in the direction of Brian Fallon. As he does with everything else while on-stage, he acknowledged it and just kept on rocking as himself. The band looks to be thankful for their success and ready to work hard to keep it going. And…I hate to do it, but as cliché as it may sound, it is The Gaslight Anthem’s turn. They are next.

Video Of The Week: The Gaslight Anthem's American Slang

This week's Straight Lines video of the week comes to us from The Gaslight Anthem. The band released their newest album one month ago, but last week, released a brand new video for the album's first single, American Slang. Check out the video below and let us know what you think. Enjoy!

The Gaslight Anthem Matures Learning American Slang

Who knows what can happen when looking into a rock and roll crystal ball. Things may seem dim, things may be completely blurry, and other things are as clear as day. And at the end of 2009, it couldn’t have been clearer that The Gaslight Anthem was on fire. You can never tell with rock and roll though. One minute a band can be red hot and the next minute, that same band could be playing shows on side stages of small town festivals. That being said, if The Gaslight Anthem breaks through and becomes the band they are yearning to become, everyone will look back on that summer of ’09 as the year that made them. Between performances at Lollapalooza, Glastonbury, and even alongside Bruce Springsteen, it was apparent that the time was now for these four guys from Jersey. With 2009 being as hectic and busy as it was, obviously, it was thought the band would take some time when crafting their follow up record. Not the case. When the group announced that after only three months in the studio they were ready to release their newest stuff, do be honest, I was a little surprised. Did their label put a rush on it? Was the band rushing to maintain top of mind status? Both were questions that I asked myself upon hearing the news and more importantly, when first popping the record into the CD player. Could these guys really put out a worthwhile album with only two months in the studio, after a year on the road? After listening, the answer to that question is a resounding yes.

On "American Slang," the band tweaks their musical style in ways that only a veteran rock group seemingly could. The groups breakout album, "The 59 Sound," was the heavy hitter. The fast guitar riffs, banging drums, and overall speedy pace created reckless sound from a reckless band on the verge of something big. "American Slang" is different. It’s a more mature album from a band that has matured.

Musically, the band still exudes its punkness, just in a different manner. Instead of the fast guitar riffs, the album contains more strategic guitar notes, in a Social Distortion-esque way. Songs like Stay Lucky, Bring It On, and The Queen Of Lower Chelsea highlight this new use of the guitar and though the songs themselves aren’t as fast, they are better than just good. The drumming is toned down as well. Instead of it being the driving force and initiator like it was on previous records, on "American Slang," the drums play almost entirely to compliment what is going on with the guitar.

Lyrically, as expected, lead singer Brian Fallon paints pictures and stories with his words as he and his characters looks to the past as well as to the future. Songs like Old Haunts and We Did It When We Were Young are obvious moments where Fallon checks in on the past. Partner those up with a song like American Slang, a tune about learning from past choices, and Fallon is able to collectively and accurately portray situations where his characters and himself are learning lessons without and output of immediate knowledge and information. “You told me fortunes, in American Slang.”

The best song off the record is an upbeat, punky-blues song, The Diamond Church Street Choir. It has some finger snapping, note to note guitar playing, and overall great beat that is coupled with intuitive lyrics. The most noticeable aspect of the track, however, is Fallon’s vocals. He hits a new range on this song that is unseen on any of the band’s previous records.

On "American Slang," it’s almost as if the band literally and figuratively said, we don’t need to be all loud, all the time. They were already noticed. They already were making noise in the room. As Fallon alluded to many times, instead of making another "'59 Sound," they needed to hone in on what their essence was as a band and prove they could stay in the room. Prove they could stay in the rock and roll limelight and prosper. The group walked out on a limb with "American Slang" and they should be happy that they did. High risk equals high reward. I wouldn’t say that The Gaslight Anthem risked it all with "American Slang," but they certainly risked a lot. However, the reward they received was priceless. They now are major players in the rock and roll game. The band is young, excited, enthusiastic, and have a lot left to say. Let’s hear it fellas, all of it.

Video Of The Week: The Gaslight Anthem Sings In American Slang

In honor of the band's brand new album release this week, the Straight Lines video of the week comes to us from the Gaslight Anthem lead singer, Brian Fallon. In the clip, Fallon is performing the band's new single American Slang with nothing but an acoustic guitar. Let us know what you think. Enjoy!

Song Of The Week: The Gaslight Anthem Introduces New Slang

After a year long tour in 2009, New Jersey rockers, The Gaslight Anthem, checked into the studio to ring in 2010, and we finally get to hear what they've been working on. Your song of the week this week is American Slang, the first single from Gaslight's upcoming album "American Slang," which will hit stores on June 18th of this year. Frequently, Gaslight lead singer Brian Fallon has compared some of the new stuff to Social Distortion, do you agree? Let us know what you think. Enjoy!

The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang.mp3

Video Of The Week: Jersey's Past, Meet Jersey's Future

This week's Straight Lines Video Of The Week takes us out east to the new music breeding ground of New Jersey. While there are upcoming bands and upcoming musicians galore out in Jersey, no new band has made an immediate impact like The Gaslight Anthem has. They've toured the world, hit all the summer music festivals, wrote and recorded 2 albums, and are in the process of recording another.

Not too shabby, right? Bruce Springsteen doesn't think so either. In addition to being from New Jersey and Gaslight's all-time favorite rocker, Springsteen on many occasions has given the new band his stamp approval, including performing live with the group.

In this week's video, the future of rock and roll meets rock and roll of the past when fellow Jersey men, The Gaslight Anthem and Bruce Springsteen, take to the Hyde Park music festival stage to perform Gaslight's hit song The 59 Sound.