The Gaslight Anthem

They're called New Jersey's favorite sons, and I can't argue with that. This is The Gaslight Anthem, a band that's been together for a little over two years and recently released "The '59 Sound," an album that shows these guys know their way around the studio as well as the club. Their songs tell stories like The Hold Steady, and their sound is reminiscent of the first two Kings of Leon albums. Some songs definitely have a punk-like structure, but this is not a punk band. This is rock and roll. Straight ahead, with great hooks, excellent lyrics, and passionate singing.

The band is not afraid to pay homage to their musical roots with references to Tom Petty and Miles Davis appearing on the new album. But these guys are from Jersey, where the Boss is always on people's minds. Lead singer Brian Fallon isn't afraid to give Springsteen his due with lines like "At night I wake up with the sheets soakin' wet/that's a pretty good song maybe you know the rest." I think they are doing Bruce proud, and my biggest concern is that the rest of my posts won't live up to the standard I'm setting today.

There is a pretty excellent collection of youtube videos for The Gaslight Anthem. The clip above is their music video for "Great Expectations". Below are links to two other clips: a great live performance of "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" and the video for "I'da called you Woody, Joe."

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues live
I'da Called You Woody, Joe video

Finally, here's a link to their myspace page:
The Gaslight Anthem on Myspace

Enjoy!

Thanks to Neelu for this one.