Brian Fallon - vocals/guitar Alex Levine - bass Ben Horowitz - drums Alex Rosamilia - guitar
Press for AMERICAN SLANG
This album feels more varied, and riskier, than the ones preceding it: not just an exercise in style, but also in ambition. The arrangements have more breathing room, and more dynamism, without sacrificing the band’s central tension between its insistent chugging and Mr. Fallon’s scratchy howl. -THE NEW YORK TIMES
The true test of a Gaslight Anthem album can't — or at least shouldn't — take place while the listener is staring at a computer screen. The New Jersey-based band makes music for car stereos, plain and simple; its timeless, barreling rock 'n' roll anthems are all about conflating simple tropes (Saturday night, the open road) with disarmingly wise observations on life, death and youth…Beneath the big, galloping fun of American Slang lies a unifying theme about the fleeting nature of youth. "Everybody used to call you Lucky when you were young," Fallon sings in the magnificent "Stay Lucky," taking all of 10 words to sum up a lifetime of compromise and faded hope. American Slang keeps coming back to lost vitality; the album might as well have been titled Hey, Remember When You Were Young? Yeah, That Was a While Ago. As such, it's a perfect companion for those who might be on the verge of, say, their 20th high-school reunion this summer. If you are, it'll give you a perfect excuse to rent a muscle car for the occasion, blast these bold anthems of ambivalence in the parking lot, and revel in what little youth you've got left. -NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO "First Listen"
Everywhere here, there are big rock songs, purpose-built for arenas and FM radio playlists, with driving riffs where open chords were once struck. The band haven't forgotten where they came from - but where they're headed now is even more exciting. Prepare to fall in love all over again. -KERRANG!'s 4 out of 5 K Review (UK)
Unless you're Chris Daughtry or the dude from Nickelback, blue-collar guitar guys don't stand much chance in a world Lady Gaga was born to run.Fortunately, the Gaslight Anthem went ahead and made a killer arena-rock album anyway. American Slang sticks to the template Fallon's been hammering away at since the band's beginning; its stories star the same kind of characters and its garage-punk sound still sparkles with flashes of Motown and R&B. -SPIN
But The Gaslight Anthem isn’t really about obeisance to the past this time out; from the line “We called for our fathers, but our fathers had died” in the surging title track to the rueful “old haunts are all we’ve ever known” in the walloping “Old Haunts,” American Slang calls for new stories. And while much of the record is focused on exploring New York City—Fallon’s new home—it takes a broader view on the people and places he’s singing about, putting them in a global context. Fallon sings better than ever, too, using his vocals as another rhythmic element in songs that build insistently, as on the steady-mounting, impressively layered “Bring It On.” It’s all in the service of a stirring call to renewal, cued to Fallon’s admonition, “God help the man who says, ‘If you’d have known me when.’” -THE ONION A/V CLUB
From the opening title track, this is the sound of a band retaining all the best traits of their previous work but building on them with the confidence of four guys who know they're not a flash in the pan. The opener is the perfect bridging track from THE '59 SOUND - all driving rhythms, trademark loose but intricately trebly guitar melodies from Alex Rosamilia and Brian Fallon's gruff but warm and welcoming roar...the entire ethos of the band: bruised, romantic and gloriously soulful. -ROCKSOUND (UK)
For far too long, punk rock bands have been making punk rock records for tiny slivers of the listening audience. They've made records for the hardcore kids, records for the old-school fanatic, records for the highbrow critics, records for the pop-punk fanatics who refuse to grow up, the hard-livin' lifers, the wet-behind-the-ears suburban rebels, for the dorky computer-class bloggers and the grizzled newspaper 'zine publisher. No matter how finely you wanted to parse the punk world, there was a band ready to rock that increment of a minority subculture. With American Slang, The Gaslight Anthem turns its back on the petty concerns of the punk scene, and makes a punk album for America. -AVERSION
Glossier and bigger sounding than its immediate predecessor, (AMERICAN SLANG) has a similar proportion of raucously anthemic tunes in its armory… -Q MAGAZINE (UK)
Somebody needs to save rock ?n? roll. And if anybody stands a chance, it?s these passionate New Jersey punks. Their third and most assured CD still suggests Springsteen leading The Clash ? but their chiming punk sprints and streetcorner anthems boast more original and varied songwriting, richer production and Brian Fallon?'s most personal lyrics. Album of the year contender. -THE SUN (CANADA)
Perhaps the only difference between 'American Slang' and 'The '59 Sound' is that this, tbhe band's third album, is better, the constant roadwork and closer attention to songwriting working in their favour. It's why every track here boasts a sing-along chorus that can raise the spirit. -ROLLING STONE (AUSTRALIA)
Press for THE '59 SOUND
The Gaslight Anthem’s second album was not only an essential document of punk rock soul but a record that will endure long into the future. - NME (UK) “2008 Albums of the Year” feature
We’ve had this longstanding rule that no live band sounds good on TV. And then we saw NJ’s Gaslight Anthem on Letterman and concluded that either a) our rule was wrong, b) they are, in fact, the band of our generation, or c) some combination thereof. Absolutely breathtaking. - ROLLING STONE
These songs are simple, mostly, but they're executed perfectly. Fallon and guitarist Alex Rosamilia do this thing, mostly on the quiet bits, where their guitars wrap twinkly harmonies around each other, getting loose and intricate without being showy about it. And when the guitars turn into chorus-firepower, it just kills because it's been so long since we've heard anyone pull that off with such panache. If you've got even a tiny bit of a soft spot for that bruised-growl retro-punk, THE ’59 SOUND is an answer to a prayer. - PITCHFORK
…one of the most exhilarating records of the year… - THE AV CLUB blog
This year’s Hold Steady, The Gaslight Anthem…prove to be masters of blue-collar anthems…impossibly exciting. – Q MAGAZINE (UK) “Top Albums of 2008”
It's that air of tragedy that makes "The '59 Sound" seem like more than a simple rock barn-burner: When Brian Fallon sings, "Ain't supposed to die on a Saturday night," he captures the way a summer night behind the wheel can positively burst with youthful abandon, ever-present danger and fragile promise. With almost overpowering intensity, the song does exactly the same. - NPR "All Things Considered" Song of the Day (June 23, 2009)
(The Gaslight Anthem) packs rich, lustrous songwriting into taut punk arrangements. Its casually observed storytelling, overflowing with detail, seethes with a cool desperation reminiscent of Mr. Springsteen in the late ’70s. - THE NEW YORK TIMES
Over the last three months, The Gaslight Anthem have quite deservedly blown up in the world of rock ‘n’ roll following the release of their second full-length album THE ’59 SOUND; the critical reception to their E Street punk chops has been eulogistic, the quartet have been in every magazine…and their shamelessly romantic sound has been seducing more fans than ever before…While virtually every other band in the world has a natural inclination to reach for the sky, these guys have the intelligence to know that such an ascension would take them further away from the street-soul and underdog spirit that makes THE ’59 SOUND so special, so resonant and so necessary. – ROCKSOUND (UK) "Top Albums of 2008" feature
Influences
Management
Anna Jacobson-Leong at Esther Creative Group
North America Booking
Marsha Vlasic at International Creative Management
International Booking
Tobbe Lorentz at The Agency Group
Okay I know u guys were just here last week but I really think I need to come back very very very soon !!!! Like I said one show is not enough , I'll be seeing u at radio city music hall which I know will be an epic show!!! But really come back to Cali pleaseeeeeee!!!!!!!!
hey guys...! whats with austria? not australia! :) come on... like ya guys and wanna see ya live ;) even st. pölten on frequency... no no no... greets liz
I can't think of any other band or any other music that moves my soul like you guys! Thanks for the best show I've ever been to. Minnesota already misses you!
Amazing show at the Wiltern last Wednesday !!!! U guys need more Cali dates thought one show was not enough !!!! Keep doing what u guys do u truly are the best out there by far !!!!
you guys were AMAZING tonight i am so glad i got to see you, since i missed the last time you were in the bay area
I really wished you guys played " Say ( I won't Recognize) since its my favorite song by you guys oh well maybe next time and I hope to see you guys soon
The show last night in Tempe was beyond amazing!! You guys are just as good if not better live then recorded. You have a great sound and i hope you continue to make great music!
Feel like a kid the night before Christmas. So excited for the Wiltern tomorrow night. I just want to apoligize for how lame it is that your show didn't sell out here. The cool thing is that the people that will be there are gonna tell everyone about what they saw and next time wil be different.
cant wait to see you guys thursday. hope you guys play even cowgirls get the blues and heres looking at you kid. but if you guys decide to play a cover, please play state of love and trust. im a huge pearl jam fan and you guys are the only ones ive heard actually play it great like PJ
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