American Slang

The Gaslight Anthem; one of the greatest modern punk rock bands in existence. Every album the band releases is a solid one, and 2010 was no different. The follow up to 2008's The '59 Sound, their third album, second for SideOneDummy, American Slang, continues to showcase the talents Brian Fallon and gang have with songwriting. Recorded in about a month, this album shows the influence that two specific artists have had on The Gaslight Anthem; Springsteen and The Replacements.

The whole album itself is relatively short; ten songs, around thirty-five minutes. This short length is the only downside to the album as a whole. However, the length seems to work well for each individual track. Each song on here stands up great as a single track, and as a whole album; near perfect. The first couple of songs are a tad on the faster side; twin guitar sound throughout each track, standard drumming. Nothing shown is too fancy and it sounds fantastic. Instead of showing off what random solo each member can do, they write a song with each instrument working cohesively together. The fourth song, "The Diamond Church Street Choir", opens with some of the catchiest guitar strumming of any intro, before breaking into a catchy chorus.The next track slows things down though. "The Queen Of Lower Chelsea" is a track that shines because of how different it is. Focusing on a bass line that drives the song forward, Brian's voice is on the hushed side, with choruses featuring what sounds like a choir in the background. After this, the band moves back into their fast tempo intros, leading into my favorite song on the whole album, "Boxer". Combining the best parts of previous tracks, catchy upbeat intro, the dual guitars, and a driving bass line throughout, "Boxer" is a perfect example of what a talented band can do. The album maintains the same pace until the final track, which is the longest on the album. This song's intro is a haunting one. With singing by Brian, backed up by quiet talking done by Alex, the track is something completely unlike anything else on the album, and yet fits perfectly as the album closer.

 It's rare for a band to be continually amazing with each release, a rare feat achieved by few bands. And yet The Gaslight Anthem has no problem doing just that. Each album released is different from the previous but is still amazing. American Slang is a phenomenal album; one you can listen to the whole way through over and over again or one where you can listen to just a single song from it and still have it sound amazing. So congrats, Gaslight. Because your album contains songs that are great on their own, and even better when listened to consecutively, you receive the first ten I have given.

10/10

http://store.sideonedummy.com/the-gaslight-anthem-american-slang-2010-cd.html

I can understand not getting the others, but, seriously; this is eight dollars for a perfect album. You're an idiot if you pass this up.