1959: A Golden Age?

There’s little that can be said for The Gaslight Anthem that hasn’t already been expounded upon by the press. If you’ve managed to avoid all the hype and hyperbole surrounding the band, the New Jersey four-piece play infectious Americana-infused punk rock and roll that owes a debt of gratitude to Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty (who gets a direct reference on “Even Cowgirls Get The Blues”).

Their second full-length, “The ‘59 Sound,” takes slightly more effort to get into initially than last year’s “Sink Or Swim” or its follow-up EP, “Senor And The Queen,” but effortlessly captures the soulful vibe they were shooting for.

Frontman Brian Fallon’s heartfelt lyrics shine bright, transplanting intensely personal tales into a bygone era. When he sings, “And in my head there’s all these classic cars and outlaw cowboy bands / I always kind of sort of wished I was someone else” on “High Lonesome,” one gets the sense he desperately longs to return to a simpler time our generation is too young to have known.

“The ‘59 Sound” is an achingly sincere sophomore full-length that transcends genre boundaries, capable of appealing to a broad audience without pandering to any sort of lowest common denominator.

The Gaslight Anthem, The ‘59 Sound
Website: http://www.thegaslightanthem.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/thegaslightanthem
Label: SideOneDummy, http://www.sideonedummy.com