The Gaslight Anthem - The 59 Sound

MINE

There's no mistaking that Jersey sound.  But I have to admit to a derisive snort when I see Wikipedia describe them as a punk band.  (YourZ sez: yeah, what the...?)  This is a band that have their eyes firmly set on stadium rock.  There's very little gabba gabba hey involved here - and while YourZ has drawn my attention to their Clash-y sound, I'm more inclined to say they're a Springsteen/U2 band.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.  Perhaps their sound's a little harder-edged than Bruce, but they lack the element of danger I associate with the punk sound.  I can hear why they're popular but it's a safe, commercial sound.  The sound I associate with record companies counting their cash, which for me is completely against the punk aesthetic.

It's an OK album, just not what I'd choose to rock out with.  I'll take Bruce in original any day.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

YOURZ

I brought both The 59 Sound and American Slang after continued listens to some freebie tracks a friend at work had downloading and passed on to me (I think I've said it but I'll say it again - I always pay for music I like).  That this band is from New Jersey and influenced by its most famous son is as obvious as the nose on your face, which makes it all the more odd as to why they are called a punk band.

That aside, there is much to like about The Gaslight Anthem.  Their classicism is as obvious as the previous mentioned appendage but it is also the updated Clash and Strummer-like feel I really enjoy also and maybe this is where the 'punk' logo comes from.  But how ever you take it, the Springsteen sound is the thing that sticks out the most.  In fact, the Man's presence on stage at a number of their shows in England saw The 59 Sound's sales increase by 200 percent.  Nothing like a good endorsement, is there?

But their references don't just stop with their sound.  Lyrically, Fallon calls on everyone from Bruce to Tom Petty, Bob's Seger and Dylan and classic literature as well.  In some instances, there are word for word lines (I'm not going to give hints - if you're interested, have a listen and see if you can spot them) from the artists I've mentioned but instead of this being detrimental, this is done with great reverence to the original artist.  While I am a big fan of originality, I can't fault Fallon and co for milking their influences like this because it works so damned well.

As Mine said, the Boss is still the Boss, of this there is no doubt.  But long after he is gone, I believe future generations will be looking at The Gaslight Anthem in a similar light.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://gaslightanthem.com/

In our collection, we also have American Slang

Kirsty MacColl - Electric Landlady

YOURZ

I've been waiting for the pointy stick to land on Ms MacColl only because I knew it would elicit a passionate review from Mine, who is a big Kirsty fan.  I must admit I'm generally ignorant of her work, although I'm very familiar with her duo with Shane McGowan of The Pogues on Fairytale Of New York (if you don't know this classic, check it out here - best listened to with a skin full and preferably loudly late at night).  She's also responsible for a wonderful cover of Billy Bragg's New England, a version I prefer to the original (sorry Billy).

Imagine my surprise when I listened to the first track on Electric Landlady and found I instantly recognised it.  For the life of me, though, I don't know where I've heard Walking Down Madison before (for a moment I was convinced it was covered by the Pet Shop Boys, who I definitely don't like - isn't it curious how the mind works - okay, maybe it's just my mind...)

Anyway, I was kind of hoping there'd be more tracks like it on this album but there aren't.  This doesn't mean the rest of the album is crap, because it's not.  There are some nice tracks on it.  But there's that word again - nice - and I think if you're a regularly reader of this blog you know my feelings on 'nice'. 

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

MINE

I'm crying.  I can't help it. Every time I think about the loss of the songstress who I adored for so many years, I get all teary.  I'm very much a "no regrets" kind of girl but oh how I regret not getting on a plane and flying to London when I heard Kirsty had gotten over her decades-long stage fright and was performing.  I thought to myself, "I can save up for that.  Next year will do." And then she was dead, mown down by a motor-boat driver in Mexico in front of her two sons.

I fell in love with Kirsty when I saw her video for A New England, where she's pregnant (unheard-of for singers even now) and revelled in Kite when it came out a few years later.  I love that the title for this album comes from Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, after he lived in a flat she owned.  I can't say it's my favourite Kirsty album, I love them all.  I can say I love Walking Down Madison, All I Ever Wanted and My Affair.

But so many of these songs are beautiful.  My only problem is listening to them without howling.  I miss her so much and on my next trip to London I'll be sure and make a pilgrimage to her memorial bench in Soho Square, dedicated in her memory and a fitting tribute as it reflects a song on her next album, Titanic Days.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP so you can't hear me sobbing

For more information: http://www.kirstymaccoll.com/

In our collection we also have Kite, What Do Pretty Girls Do?, Titanic Days, Tropical Brainstorm, The Essential Collection and The One And Only