Reviews

Senor and the Queen EP

The Gaslight Anthem

Released: Mar 4, 2008
Label: Sabot
Reviewed by: Michelle Stoffel
3 comments

Since I heard and subsequently became obsessed with The Gaslight Anthem's debut full-length Sink or Swim last year, I've been anticipating this EP. When I heard "Wherefore Art Though, Elvis?" back in January, I got even more excited. Could they actually get better in the space of less than a year? I couldn't wait to open up Señor and the Queen and listen to it. Unfortunately, due to some mysterious problems at Sabot or their pressing facilities, this sucker is just barely seeing store shelves now, about a month after its release (which was pushed back as well).

Luckily my sister gave me an iTunes gift card for Christmas. Having a general objection to purchasing mp3s, I didn't have anything else to spend it on, so I got the EP. While I wouldn't say Señor and the Queen is better than Sink or Swim, it advances the band's sound just enough to keep me excited without moving in a new direction. Plus all four tracks are solid, excellent listens.

Brian Fallon, the band's lead singer, told me in an interview that I am now shamelessly plugging, that the EP is supposed to reflect the feelings of summer at the Jersey shore. These thematic elements drive the lyrics, but I wouldn't say they're necessarily captured in the sound. The EP doesn't really have one cohesive ‘vibe,' so to speak, which may be its only fault. But how much can four songs really do to capture the seemingly epic highs and lows of summertime, from beginning to end, while simultaneously interacting with each other? So actually, the EP's biggest fault is that it's only four tracks long.

Before I even bought the EP, I pretty much wore out "Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?," which may be the catchiest track. It has that familiar Gaslight dynamic: slightly sad and reflective, but also robustly optimistic. The sound of the track, a dark bassline combined with a few bop-bop-ba-da-da-dups and building guitars and the pensive, but homey lyrical content reflect that dynamic.

"Senor and the Queen" and "Say I Won't (Recognize)" are fairly similar in content and sound. They're more of the lighter, breezy beach songs of the EP. They're fun and easy, wearing that Springsteen Americana influence on their sleeves. Each track has a few unique touches, like the twisting guitar in "Say I Won't," and familiar ones, like the multiple references to dancing.

By far, the standout track is the closer, "Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts." Only the most sincere and in-touch punk bands can pull off slow, quiet love songs like these. Besides recreating that memorable feeling of the summer's end, this song captures that tenuous feeling of comfortable restlessness. Like wandering for a reason. The lyrics are incredible, for example: "We sing with our heroes 33 rounds per minute/We never go home until the sun says we're finished/I love you forever if I ever love at all/Wild hearts, blue jeans and white t-shirts." This is the kind of song that makes me downright proud to be a fan.