Customer Reviews

The '59 Sound

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This album is made of the songs you would hear the band play in some bar and get lost in the sway of the music with some other aimless soul or just get lost riding into the lonely nights with a pack of cigarettes and a half tank of gas.

This band has amazed me from my first listen, always inspiring the hopeless romantic in me. It's just as well suited to night drives as either of their other albums and continues to deliver exactly like these guys do. I can't say enough for how good they are. Their Sink or Swim and Senor and the Queen albums were my top two albums to listen to both this and last year. I can't get enough.

Trust me, it's worth it. I recommend them to everyone. Three thumbs up!

Alright, to start with the Gaslight Anthem isn't a punk band. They're on a punk label (more or less) and tour with punk bands, but don't think you're getting a straight up punk cd. This is a classic rock record that falls firmly in between some of the classic songs of Springsteen and Tom Petty. Bouncy, catchy rock tunes about teen loves and '50's culture. It's good. It's real good.

If Social Distortion met The Strokes and invited over the Kings of Leon where they jammed out to Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty all night, you just might have an idea of what you're going to hear when you drop the needle on "The '59 Sound" by the Gaslight Anthem. From the very moment Great Expectations kicks in, you know you are in for something special. The next two songs only help to further that notion, and by the time you get to the Counting Crows references on the fourth track ("High Lonesome"), you know you're hearing a potentially life changing record. That's a feeling I haven't had in a very very long time, and truth be told, I didn't know if I would ever have it again. Now whether or not this is that kind of album remains to be seen, but it certainly has the potential. Every song is good if not great, and often the songs on this record transition seamlessly into each other, such as when "Miles Davis & The Cool" crashes right into "The Patient Ferris Wheel", which features guest vocals by Dicky F'n Barrett of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

"The '59 Sound" sounds like a tribute to all of the bands that The Gaslight Anthem enjoys from another generation. There are obvious hints throughout the record of Tom Petty and especially Bruce Springsteen, and even Creedence Clearwater Revival ("Casanova Baby" starts off suspiciously similar to "Looking Out My Back Door"). Even the titles of the songs ("Meet Me by The River's Edge", "Old White Lincoln") sound like something you'd see on the back of a record from your mom or dad's vinyl collection.

"The '59 Sound" is ultimately one of those unique albums where you feel sort of torn. One part of you wants to call up everyone you know and tell them to go buy it. Another part of you wants to keep it for yourself. In the end, it's an album that you can enjoy by yourself driving down the highway with the windows down, or with a car full of friends singing along at the top of your lungs down that very same road. That's what makes records like "The '59 Sound" so special. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

well, the release date for this album was set back earlier this year (maybe march/april), and i'm glad it's finally out there. i believe i read about these guys in a music magazine earlier in the year and everything i heard/read about these guys was positive. so, i figured i'd give them a chance so i bought both their debut from 2007 "sink or swim", and their recently released ep (senor and the queen) for both reasonable prices. instantly, i fell in love with the band. their heartfelt lyrics about lost loves, second chances, and living life was what i needed to hear at that time in my life and it really hit home with me. it seems that i could relate to what they were saying in their songs and it feels like they're talking to me (except for the references to specific names). that's why this band works. this is why this band has a cult/legion of fans. this is why the band are getting all types of buzz about their new album. this is why this band could be the next big thing in rock music.

the stories, the references, the lyrics, the honesty, the emotion, that are coming from a real place is what could prepel them to rock stars. it seems like rock critics have been trying to find this decade's "nirvana" and some bands have come close but never panned out all the way. i know, i know...nirvana are legends and i'm in no way comparing gaslight to nirvana. no way, their music and message are almost completely different. or is it? i remember back in the early part of the decade three bands were tagged on being the next big thing or movement in rock. they were at the drive in, jimmy eat world, and thursday. all bands are excellent, amazing artists but they never panned out for some reason. maybe the message wasn't right. no one knew what the heck ATDI were talking about in their lyrics, JEW were considered to safe to make a statement, and thursday's dark, depressing lyrics were probably too much for some people. then once again, you had the explosion of fall out boy in the middle of the decade (but that's a whole different story) but they were just some fun pop band who are now celebrity's. then last year we had the stellar album from against me!, "new wave". it was THE record of 2007 according to many critics and fans years end list. a lot of people were calling them the saviors of rock music and the next nirvana. they're a great band and that's a great record but it seems like the lyrics are too politically charged for most people.

with that little back story behind, people need music they can relate on a personal level that's accessible in some ways. that's where the gaslight anthem could take over the world if they wanted to. the hooks, the sincerity, the relatable story-telling songs, the lyrics, do just that with 100% passion and heart. also, this band reaches and hits almost every genre you can think of...blues, soul, rockabilly, punk, alternative, rock n roll, classic rock, pop, folk, and so on. plus, hand an older music fan who listens to springstreen or tom petty a copy of this record and tell me they won't like it. impossible. give a copy to all the hardcore punk elitists and tell me they won't like it. impossible. okay, now for the real challenge...hand this album to someone who listens to classic rock or radio rock like nickelback, 3 doors down, etc. and tell me they won't like it. i highly doubt it. now, hand this album to someone who loves country/western music and tell me they won't like. probably not going to happen.

this band is capable of such a large appeal to a huge audience of music listeners, this band could easy take over the world. so is there a chance of them being the next nirvana for rock music? all the ingrediants are there...so i would say there's a good chance.

i mean what more can i say about this band/or album? these guys are hard-working humble dudes from new jersey who play passionate, heartfelt lyrics in the vain of old legends like tom petty, bob dylan, bruce springsteen, and dare i say elvis pressley?...they also have strong punk roots tied in with their music from the likes of modern acts such as alkaline trio, against me, hot water music and even jawbreaker from the 90's.

there's really no need for me to break down the album song by song, cuz they're all classic songs which in turn makes this album complete from start to finish. the recording quality is something like you'd hear from the 50's or 60's (hint: the 59 sound) and it really adds nice texture and depth to the album as a whole. i suggest you listen to this record on vinyl to get the real listening experience. it sounds like something that could easily fit into your soul and blues rock collection from the 60's. all i can say is that it would be a shame if these guys don't get huge in the next year or so. this record is one of the best i've heard in a long time and will be on many year end lists. i am now a fan for life after hearing this record and i will support these guys whereever they go.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to anyone regardless of what type of music you listen to...

thanks for reading

All I can remember is my old man pissing and moaning about how there's no good music anymore. He misses the old days. When I was 12 my Dad introduced me to The Clash, and my mother never forgave him for it. Since then I've a little bit of Strummer in my step. Well, with all the belly-aching about piss poor music I never thought I'd find an album I could share with the old man that he'd like...until I heard this.

It's easy to get behing a "working mans band" when you've never been a working man. Let someone else do the tough stuff and you can enjoy the tales they tell with their raspy voices. You can read the lyrics they write with their calloused hands. But for an ACTUAL working man to get behind a band...that's something special.
My Dad is 46 and tough as nails. He's worked the long hours and been run through the grinder more than his share.

And he Loves The Gaslight Anthem.
You're welcome Dad.

As I mentioned in my review of American Slang, I didn't bother with these guys for a while because their image seemed corny to me. It still does actually; if I'd seen this on a record store shelf, I just would have expected boring retrobilly and left it at that. And again, I would have missed out. I don't like this as much as American Slang, but it's still a high-energy, well-played album. The rockabilly influence is there but it's still essentially a rootsy punk record; you can here the reverb/echo thing rockabilly usually has but the music isn't just a retread, somewhere between anthemic brit-punk and American fm rock of the 70s, with a little bit of The Smiths' jangly guitars in there somewhere. Speaking of the Smiths, the lyrics are pretty great and the writer shares Morrisey's ability to write self-pity in a way that doesn't make you want to throw the disc out the window. "I saw tail lights/ last night/ in a dream about my first wife". Man, what a great line. It's not all (or even mostly) mopey though, and the upbeat tracks like the title cut are just as good. I've heard people complain that the singer's range is somewhat limited, which is true, but I think he knows that and knows how to use his voice to maximum effect. Not as essential as American Slang but still worth your time.

Actually, this band is not punk at all. Sure, they're loud, fast and play with tons of energy, but those characteristicas aren't exclusive to punk. This album is more an update of the Heartland Rock of the 70s and 80s and the Adult Alternative of the 90s. In fact, the band is so in tune with those influences, that there are at least a dozen lyrical references or direct mentions of Tom Pdetty, Bruce Springsteen and Counting Crows. If you want proof that real rock & roll for the masses is alive and well, this album is for you.

A friend of mine gave me a CD a while back he said I might like. "The '59 Sound" by the Gaslight Anthem, it was called. My friend is more into pop/punk, but some of his musical reccommendations have been helpful in the past: he once suggested a singer he'd heard a little from, Tom Waits; I have since become a Waits fanatic, and have even made my friend a bigger fan that he'd previously been. So when he gave me an album he described as "Bruce Springsteen meets punk," I took notice (people who don't even know my last name know I am a Springsteen nut). Still, I put off listening.

Well, I finally caved. And, let me tell you: I wish I had listened to the album when I first got it. It's true, a lot of what's here is pretty retro: Brian Fallon and company pretty much borrow directly from the catalogues of Springsteen and Petty, with a little 50s/60s rock thrown in for good measure. The thing is, they combine it all with a punk undertone; the result is a wonderful sonic mixture, fueled by strong lyrics, vocals, and musicianship. The result is something that seems intimately familiar, but enticingly new at the same time. It's rock 'n roll that's been worn in and faded out--which makes it fit all the better. This is rock 'n roll for those who appreciate real rock 'n roll: no divides between "classic rock" and "punk" and "metal." Rock is still rock; and the Gaslight Anthem stands as a damn good reminder that all that counts is a great song, a great lyric, and one hell of a groove. A few Boss references don't hurt none, either.

I bought this for my brother for Christmas. Works great as a vinyl since it is terrific all the way through (rare these days). The songs are at times shamelessly following the songwriting and rock formula set forth by Bruce Springsteen, but there is nothing wrong with that. The Gaslight Anthem injects their own flavor into that formula, and combined with Brian Fallon's unique voice, the songs feel fresh and are a great listen. Also, if you are a fan of this album, check out the band live. I have seen them three times and each has been better than the last. They leave it all on the stage and truly enjoy performing - that's all you can ask for as a fan.

`The 59 Sound' is another storming album from New Jersey boys The Gaslight Anthem. On this album you get a selection of short, punchy tracks that can't help but put a smile on your face and leave you feeling uplifted. It's simple, good rock music that lives up to the legacy of New Jersey musicianship. There are a few Springsteen references on this album that fans of his will notice and will produce a wry smile. The title track stands out, as does `The Backseat' but to be honest there aren't any dud tracks on this album and although it is short, it manages to pack song after song of great music in. Top riff after riff and hook after hook will keep you coming back for more and this makes for one highly recommended album indeed.

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