American Slang

The Gaslight Anthem | Format: Vinyl

Product Details

• Vinyl (June 15, 2010)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Side One Dummy
• ASIN: B003F0NEVY
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,083 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. American Slang

2. Stay Lucky

3. Bring It On

4. The Diamond Church Street Choir

5. The Queen of Lower Chelsea

6. Orphans

7. Boxer

8. Old Haunts

9. The Spirit Of Jazz

10. We Did It When We Were Young

Editorial Reviews

"AMERICAN SLANG" marks an extraordinary leap forward for the Gaslight Anthem, revealing a triumphant rock 'n' roll band honed by two years of nearly non-stop touring. Singer/guitarist Brian Fallon's lyrical approach has grown more personal and introspective, his raw throated vocals stronger and more resonant against the band's boundless dynamic force. American Slang is a classic rock and roll album, that will be a benchmark for other bands to measure themselves against and try to mimic for generations to come.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars God Help The Man Who Says 'If You Had Known Me When'..., June 15, 2010

By 

D. Ashal "Just some dude" (Aztlan, holmes) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Slang (Audio CD)

I had never heard this band before this release and didn't really expect much. The nuevo-punk name, image, etc made me think it would be lame, warped-tour pop-punk, but that just goes to show that you shouldn't judge a band by their fedoras and tattoos. This is an amazingly good punk rock record that wears its influences proudly on its sleeve and doesn't add anything new to the mix, but does it all extremely well. There's a lot of Springsteen worship on here, and sometimes it feels like a love letter to the Boss, but I also hear The Clash, Thin Lizzy, The Jam, Van Morrison (who was also influential to Springsteen), Against Me, Lucero, The Dropkick Murphies, Lifetime, and Ted Leo. It's anthemic and polished and radio-friendly, but probably won't be on the radio; it will be on some pub jukeboxes, I'm hoping. Lyrically I find it surprisingly adept; the lyricist has a real gift for not overworking a line, and some of the songs really have a heavy chop. Even when the lyrics evoke the band's influences, like a Springsteen-esque dismissal of nostalgia or a song Clash-y enough to actually mention a tommy gun, they still manage to sound fresh. The music tends to involve a lot of choruses and is so super catchy I found myself singing along as soon as the second listen. It's got that whole East Coast blue collar thing, but isn't corny about it like (say) the afforementioned Dropkick Murphies. If anything I just mentioned to you sounded good, I really think you need to check this out. It's one of the best new punk records I've heard in years.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Baby, Bring It On, June 18, 2010

By 

Flap Jackson "Sky Is Burning, But At Least We... (State Road, NC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: American Slang [+Digital Booklet] (MP3 Download)

It's hard to find quality Rock N' Roll nowadays, but if The Gaslight Anthem proved anything on their sophomore album, it was that it could still be done. Revisiting it again, it's still as classic and good as the day it came out. Mixing punk & rock influenced by Tom Petty & Bruce Springsteen, The Gaslight Anthem could have been happy in the sound they carved out for themselves. But no, The Gaslight Anthem instead drops most of the punk, and becomes a full on rock band. The results? As Brian Fallon sings at one point, "Who does it better than we do?"

Highlights Include:
American Slang
Bring It On
The Diamond Church Street Choir
The Queen of Lower Chelsea

The only thing that's changed for the band really is the music. They still can craft a great song with excellent lyrics, Brian Fallon can still burn out a note like it's nobody's business, and they can still crank out a memorable hook when needed for a song. So for the music, as Brian Fallon, they've moved away from the 59' inspired sound, and moved on along the rock timeline. This time, they've moved closer to their influences. I could honestly see/hear Bruce Springsteen singing half this album. It has his lyrical sense, it's grandiose feel, and his musical sensibilities. But, The Gaslight Anthem doesn't try to copy it, but rather, pay homage to it. The album is also a lot tighter sound-wise. While you had ballad-type songs, punk-type songs, and general rockers on their last album, it sticks mostly to the rockers. The closest the album gets to slowing down is "We Did It When We Were Young," but it's not as much slow, as it is emphasizing the vocals & the lyrics with a more minimalistic approach for most of the song.

Overall, listening to this album over 5 times now, I can safely say it gets better with each listen. Each song is an all-American story set to the beat of a great rock tune. It may be a short album, but it's a solid one. Maybe not as classic as its predecessor, but it's every bit as good, in a different way. One could say that they're trying too hard, but it is working. If anything, American Slang is proof you can still find Salvation by the radio.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Favorite album of 2010 (so far), June 28, 2010

By 

M. Neil (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Slang (Audio CD)

I've purchased some terrific albums this year: New Pornographers, Hold Steady, Drive By Truckers and more... But American Slang is start-to-finish the best I've heard all year. Do yourself a favor, check it out and get it. Amazing rock and roll.