First Impressions: American Slang

The Gaslight Anthem, in every review I've ever read, has invariably been compared to Bruce Springsteen. New Jersey heartland rock sound certainly has a pigeon-hole. This is their third full-length, following up the much acclaimed '59 Sound. Here are my initial responses:

American Slang
They start anthemic early. That fist-pumping rock sound is definitely a style that's gotta be hard to break out of.

I don't think Brian Fallon's voice has the gravitas to really sell the sound they're going for.

"I've got your name tattooed inside of my arm." I feel like I'll be able to pick out a line from every song that I really like.

A good tone-setting opener.

Stay Lucky
A bit more playful on the pacing/riff for this track.

"Mama never told me there'd be days like these 'til it was much too late to recover."

Once again, I don't hear any frustration or fury in this song. It's like Fallon is telling stories about people he knew from his own home town, like a reporter more than a participator.

Bring It On
My roommate walking through the room: "Is this Lucero?" Me. "Yeah, basically."

I'm trying to not be a hater. I really like this style of music. I like that bands like this exist. But, there has to be something that distinguishes you from the others. And on initial impressions I feel like I've hear these songs before.

The Diamond Church Street Choir
Nice change of pace track.

Great hook!

And the Springsteen imagery is pretty thinly veiled on this one: "And the cars pass by in the rain/University boys and the girls fill the bars/While I'm just waiting for the light to change/And the steam heat pours from the bodies on the floor"

OK. If you're going to do anthemic rock, crank that guitar! If you're going to come in massive on the chorus; get massive! I find my head bobbing along, but not the teeth-gritting, neck tensing I should be doing on such a nice hook. Production fail, I think.

The Queen of Lower Chelsea
Another mid-pacer.

This songs a bit soft/affected for my taste. It seems like it was meant to get girls into the band. Which means it felt calculating.

Orphans
Here we go! This is what I want from The Gaslight Anthem. Something a bit breakneck with a hint of tension, and some emphatic vocals.

"But the clothes I wore just don't fill my soul anymore." Alright. Probably the best track on the album so far. This is a song that Craig Finn should have written but didn't.

Link to lyrics. Read. Very good. http://lyrics.wikia.com/The_Gaslight_Anthem:Orphans

Boxer
I think this song sounds most emblematic of their overall sound, which is unfortunate. There's nothing guttural, just tired and recycled imagery that's been played out again and again. Like, boxing as a metaphor. Come on...

Old Haunts
I'm just going to go out on a limb and say that this is prosaic songwriting. Bands like the Hold Steady, the National, Constantines, Drive-By Truckers, etc. don't have to write songs that have already been written. Not to say they don't wear their influences on their sleeves; they just don't evoke the automatic "homage" status that I think plagues TGA (and the reason why every review automatically uses Springsteen as a reference point).

The Spirit of Jazz
Another good stab at the fast-paced track/strong foray into the anthemic chorus. But once again, same arguments.

The bassline bounces on the track like something off of American Idiot, if you can believe it.

Fallon's vocals sound a bit affected here.

We Did It When We Were Young
This song has a nice slow build. Definitely an appropriate closing track.

Listening to this album it really surprises me that Milwaukee's The Championship isn't bigger. I would put any of their work up against this album and probably prefer it.


Overall: I know I've been pretty negative here, but I don't mean to be. There is a lot of good. The songwriting on the whole is emotive, succinct and oftentimes gut-wrenching. But, as previously stated, there is a certain recycle factor to them. I've heard these stories before in Springsteen and Strummer, which makes me wonder if Brian Fallon ever experienced a lot of what he sings about, or if he just liked the imagery/narratives in his favorite songs enough to want to write songs like that. Then, I might go further and say I'd like to see songs from them about the stories that enraptured them from within their favorite songs. I'm sure that's been done too; but it feels more honest than this.

Best Listened To: Live. It has to be. The production missteps (soft guitars/vocals) have to be corrected live with sheer tenacity and volume.

Thanks,
Erik

First Impressions: Beach Fossils

One of the things we want to stress here in the Lighthouse is conciseness. We want to glean the best music (and provide caution to the overhyped) so you don't have to waste your time on the legwork. We love the legwork. That takes a lot of trust on your end; trust that our tastes mesh with yours, or, if nothing else, we can justify where we come from on our likes and dislikes.

First impressions was Tim's idea. Essentially, it acts as a live blog of an album listening; a track-by-track breakdown going through a record, picking out high and low points, drawing comparisons, etc.

I admit I'm blog-late (a month [fuck internet immediacy]) on Beach Fossils, but to be honest, I haven't heard too much buzz about them to force me to listen to their self-titled full-length debut on Captured Tracks. Knowing little about the band going in (aside from their name, which says way more than it should about their sound) I had these reactions:

First Impressions:

Sometimes
Alright. I dig the lo-fi aesthetic. I think this is a good trend, and generally a neat evolution in music. Woodsist/Real Estate all those guys are the counter-weight to those bands who look for polish to compensate for limited ability.

The vocals sound great. I don't know if that's harmony or just double-tracking, but the way it's produced gives a great effect.

Youth
Cool interplay between the guitars.

"I don't know what I feel, but I feel it all tonight."

Vacation
"cleanly picked single notes stacked over complementary bass patterns and unobtrusive drums." -Pitchfork

I think there's kind of an unspoken callback to Television in the guitars

The whole beach vibe has been done to death. But when I hear music like this, it evokes images of the unweeded, dreary Fall, turbulent-watered beaches seen in Eternal Sunshine. This doesn't make me want to lay in the sun. This makes me want to stare at waves crashing on jagged rocks.

Lazy Day
Lyrically the album is very slice-of-life. And for a Brooklyn band writing about "lazy day"s I can't help but think their parents may still be paying their rent.

Twelve Roses
I really love the harmony/melody on the chorus. And conciseness. This seems like a Tim song (short, 2:20)

Daydream
This album has a great, great flow. That may be attributed to a lack of variance between songs. But that also means there's a clear vision throughout, which makes for a pleasant listening experience.

I'm finding something to like in every one of these tracks.

Golden Age
There's a nice distortion to the kick in this song. I really dig the drum sound.

Heavy on the reverb for the vocals. I like the way it sounds. Again. This album is very pleasant to listen to.

Love the drums kicking back in at ~4 min.

Window View
This song harkens to the vibe I got from Bonfires on the Heath. Really, really mellow. Perfect for sleeping.

The Horse
Nothing super-standout about this track. Just a good continuation of the album.

Wide Awake
I like the introduction of the synth to this song. It seems to have taken a backseat on the rest of the record, but it fits really well here.

I also like how the reverb level changes on the vocals throughout the album. That shows that there was a fair amount of thought put into the production of each track. Not just, "OK, set the levels, let's do this."

Gathering
OK... The water sounds/gulls is a bit of an overstatement, even for an outro. I guess it's acceptable, but I would have preferred not having it.

That's it! Overall impressions: Beach Fossils fits into the mosaic of their strange sub-genre. This album is not to be written off if you like this style and aesthetic. It's essential for its category. Best listened to: driving home from a vacation from your normal life.

Best,
Erik