Handwritten By The Gaslight Anthem
Handwritten Vinyl LP
(Standard 11 track album,
Gatefold 180 gram BLUE vinyl,
MP3 download included)
Featured Handwritten
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Handwritten: The Deluxe Edition,
Fans of Gaslight Anthem will find 2012′s HANDWRITTEN be familiar. The band’s sound is like a beaten up pair of Chuck Taylor’s. Gaslight Anthem is rough around the edges, old-school, raw, but comfortable. With prolific producer Brendan O’Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Incubus), the band’s sound remains full of passion and energy but crystal-clear. While their sound may not be specifically unique, they are a breath of fresh air in a musical climate dominated with electronics.
The album begins with its lead single, “45.” The song isn’t just one of the best songs on the album – I’d argue it’s one of the best of the band’s career. It’s a solid homage to the days of vinyl, and it perfectly surmises the band and HANDWRITTEN. Gaslight Anthem has always been one to salute their predecessors, and “45″ cuts to the core of that matter. The second and title track, “Handwritten,” scores another do-it-yourself anthem for the band. The album’s title is particularly apt: the band wears its heart and influences on its sleeve like a badge of honor – the music and lyrics all sound organic and, well, handwritten. “Too Much Blood” has a stomping guitar riff that surrounds great vocals via Brian Fallon; in many ways, it feels tired and exhausted, but because it feels full of soul, it never feels like a drag. Clocking in at just over 2 minutes, “Howl” compacts many of Gaslight Anthem’s best qualities into a tight rocking song. The first song written for the album, “Biloxi Parrish” also serves as a highlight with its heartfelt melody paired with blistering guitar work. The penultimate song, “Mae,” slows the album down towards ballad territory, but the result is a song that is just as strong as “Too Much Blood.” The closing track, “National Anthem” finds the band hanging up their amplifiers for acoustic guitars. The song’s lyrics (provided by vocalist Brian Fallon) are poignant, and it provides a slow, soft close to HANDWRITTEN.
HANDWRITTEN is an album that is, above everything else, full of heart and passion. Many of these songs grow better and better with repeated listens, so it is an album worth sticking with for a while. Fans of The Hold Steady, Japandroids, or Bruce Springsteen will probably find a lot to enjoy in HANDWRITTEN. However, I don’t think that this is the best album to begin listening to the band; THE ’59 SOUND would probably serve as a better starting point. Standout tracks to sample/download: “45,” “Too Much Blood,” and “Howl.”
(additional release information)
The deluxe edition of HANDWRITTEN includes three additional bonus tracks. These tracks (in order) are: “Blue Dahlia,” “Sliver (Nirvana cover),” and “You Got Lucky (Tom Petty cover).” Out of these, the Tom Petty cover might be my favorite — I’d highly recommend any die-hard Gaslight Anthem fan to seek the deluxe edition out. If you’re not interested in these extra songs, there is a separate (slightly cheaper) version: HANDWRITTEN (+digital booklet).
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|Never a weak song,
The thing I give Gaslight Anthem so much credit for, is that through 4 albums and 1 E.P., I can listen to their entire discography, and never skip a song. There aren’t many bands I can do that with… MAYBE 1 or 2 others.
Handwritten continues that streak. It’s just good rock and roll… it’s not too punk, not too pop… it’s sort of the Bruce Springsteen/John Cougar/Tom Petty of the ages… no gimmicks, no experimentation, no digital screeching or wub wubs, no samplers, no attempts at rapping. Just good old fashion rock and roll… the way it’s supposed to be.
The forefathers of Rock and Roll would be proud.
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|Like a Buddha From Jersey, the Gaslight Anthem is Heavy But Wise,
Last year when singer Brian Fallon released his solo collaboration with guitarist Ian Perkins, “Elsie,” I was afraid Fallon’s steady employer, the Gaslight Anthem, wouldn’t be able to match up to such an exquisite record with the coming release of their fourth album in July 2012. Turns out, I had no reason to worry because the foursome’s fourth, “Handwritten,” continues the Gaslight Anthem’s winning streak of three great albums in a row.
The expansions in mood and arrangement that were explored on Fallon’s “Elsie” project are reflected on such uniquely biting but gorgeous tracks as ‘Here Comes My Man,’ ‘Mae,’ and ‘Keepsake,’ but the album as a whole continues the Gaslight Anthem’s mix of cryptic lyrics that reflect old, gritty wise men trapped in the young wiry frames of Fallon, Benny Horowitz, Alex Rosamilia and Alex Levine, with heavy, driving riffs and a relentless rhythm section (‘Too Much Blood,’ ‘Biloxi Parish’). Their straight-forward aspects are never hackneyed or tired, and the lead single, ’45,’ if used properly, as well as the likes of the title track, ‘Mulholland Drive,’ ‘Desire,’ and ‘Howl’ could steamroll into the mainstream like a juggernaut.
A particular pair of songs are worth the price of admission alone – ‘National Anthem’ and ‘Mae,’ which are sure to go down in the Gaslight Anthem’s canon as two of their most striking songs. They snap the listener briefly from the driving beast-from-the-east lessons on life, and into a stark restraint, especially with the largely acoustic ‘National Anthem.’
Just as ‘We Did It When We Were Young’ closed 2010′s “American Slang” on a wonderfully anticlimactic note, ‘National Anthem’ ends “Handwritten” in the same manner, a fitting closer for such an accomplished album. This is the Gaslight Anthem’s third masterpiece in four years – though the sentiments expressed throughout the disc echo a band that’s been in dive bars and dance halls for twenty years, as opposed to not even a decade.
No, they’re not the new Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band – they’re the first Gaslight Anthem.
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