Reviews

The '59 Sound

The Gaslight Anthem

Released: Aug 19, 2008
Label: SideOneDummy Records
Reviewed by: Michelle Stoffel
2 comments

You knew if you were going to buy The '59 Sound before it came out. Fans had it on pre-order and naysayers were training their fingers to write "I don't get the hype" on message boards all over the internet. Originally, I fell in the first category.

But ever since the first track hit my speakers with that crackling record, my mind has been undecided. It took me an excessively long time to accept that The '59 Sound was not Sink or Swim II, which is honestly all I really wanted to hear. I didn't need the Gaslight Anthem to grow up, not yet at least. Just give me more of the same.

On that The '59 Sound does not deliver, which is not to say that it is bad, in fact it's really good - it's just not punk rock. The album is largely conceptualized around the '59 sound and well, Bruce Springsteen. The anthems have collapsed and the fist-pumping energy that defined Sink or Swim has all but disappeared. This is a wholly different kind of album, one that our genre can't really claim as its own and honestly, that's kind of a bummer. However, the Gaslight Anthem proved that their ability to create memorable, heartfelt and poignant music will hook us regardless of what kind of music they produce.

Once again, Fallon creates a landscape of life, this time introducing more characters and stories than before. His ability to convert an album into a near novel remains remarkable, and those poetic, narrative songwriting skills have been fine tuned this turn. Proving that he really writes restless heartache best, "Great Expectations" and "Miles Davis & The Cool" remain highlights of the album. "Great Expectations" is easiest to sing along with and seems most connected to Sink or Swim. On "Miles Davis..." Fallon ties an unwavering yet lonely porch light to the feeling of passing youth, while the entire song sets an almost tangible scene. And yes, "Casanova, Baby!" is just as adorable as you may have heard. Your girlfriend already made it "your song."

These three songs are just a few of the top tracks on this album. However, unlike Sink or Swim, which does not contain a skippable track, The '59 Sound has at least two. I completely skip over "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" because it is so bluesy, which is noticeably out of place, by a decade and a genre and on an album so conceptually consistent it seems like a mistake.

But the most hiccupping song on the album is "The Backseat." I don't understand why they decided to not end the album with "Here's Looking at You, Kid," the effectual equivalent to "Blue Jeans and White T-Shirts" or "Red at Night." It's very jarring to suddenly hear a song that opens in an almost Crimson way after such an affectionately cool and lonely song. The album essentially ends itself on echoing acoustic guitars, and then it ends again on a bold, energetic tune, which ultimately means that The '59 Sound ends in indecision.

Eventually, I decided that I like this album, a lot. I've listened to it every night since (I can only listen to it at night - it fits better). I finally played it for a friend who prefers silence to most of my CD collection. He called it the "most accessible" thing I've ever put on. When I sighed with disappointment at his comment, he insisted that accessibility is a good thing. Hrm...