The Gaslight Anthem - Great Expectations (SideOneDummy)
3/5
By: Richard Brant
Half rock, half country, half blues (yeah, that's possible - have you heard about ManBearPig?), this melancholy lament of insecurity and loneliness is heartfelt and quite traditional in structure. The narrative style of lyric of course echoes that of another famous New Jersey born musician, Mr. Bruce 'Glastonbury' Springsteen. Echoing vocals sail through an up tempo track encasing tinny repetitive guitars and drums, perhaps as homage to that of the earlier era of recording Springsteen shone so brightly in.
The song in itself is nothing too remarkable - it's traditional, and ticks all the boxes in that way. Judging from this effort alone what's making people stand up and take notice of The Gaslight Anthem is that it's refreshing to hear lyrics being used in the traditional form of telling a story. The imagery conjured through lyrical craft is easily visualised which gives the music more impact. The acoustic b-side of this track is even more revealing of this ability.
For me the jury is still out on The Gaslight Anthem. The track is well put together with a poignant memorable chorus, but one thing plays on my mind. Is it good in its own right or is it good because it has that Springsteen nostalgia attached? Either way the ability to write lyrics with impact is one that seems to have been lost of late in many popular artists, so if they have the ability to bring it back... good on them.
Artists in this article: The Gaslight Anthem
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