Not exactly punk or hardcore, but I still think this record kills. I'm sure you've heard plenty about this band from New Jersey and how they sound like Bruce Springsteen. Regardless of where they are from or who they sound like, they write catchy and heartfelt rock music plain and simple. They are The Gaslight Anthem and American Slang is their 3rd full length.
This record started off a little slow for me. Much less urgent than their older material. I was prepared to be bummed out that had I put down some cash for this. But then after hearing a few more tracks, things began to click. It can become easy to get lost in the mumbled and rusty verses in these 10 songs, but when those choruses hit, oh fuck, they hit you HARD. The band sticks close to their old time rock and roll roots and touch upon some Clash worship ("The Queen of Lower Chelsea") and soft ballads ("We Did It When We Were Young"). The sound is bright and clean and all of the instruments are well balanced in the mix. The songs tend to focus on themes of nights gone by, better days and "old haunts". It can be a little too much and it would be nice to hear something different but the songs still work. No reason to fix what isn't broken yet.
This is the perfect record for summer night drives and for anyone who wants to listen to something that is catchy but doesn't suck . Definately not my favorite Gaslight release (that spot is reserved for the Senor and The Queen EP) but a solid one to be sure. My only problem with this record; I wish there were a couple more tracks. I guess thats a good thing though, right?
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