The Gaslight Anthem is an odd band for me. They either write songs that seem to tie themselves to my soul, or they write music I skip without a blink. '45', the opening track of 2010 album ‘Handwritten’ never fails to leave me with a smile and a heightened heart rate, yet several of the filler tracks from 2010 effort 'American Slang' leave me uninspired and lacking any desire to carry on listening. These moments are forgivable, however, as when The Gaslight Anthem shine, they truly blind you. As a musician, I draw from songwriters like Brian Fallon, Alex Rosamilia, Alex Levine and Benny Horowitz; it's not necessarily the riffs and melodies used by the band, but the fact that when you listen to the best of Gaslight Anthem, it feels like the music and lyrics are being poured into you.
Certain elements of 'Get Hurt' point to that 'in
touch with a higher power' ethos that only really special music possesses, the one that speaks to you at your core. Frontman Brian Fallon has openly stated
that this
album covers his divorce from his wife of 10 years, and the mood throughout certainly
translates as lost and alone. Opener 'Stay Vicious' opens the whole affair with a
staggered and beautifully awkward pounding of drums, setting up what proves to
be a classic The Gaslight Anthem song with an eerie presence that seems haunt the four piece these days. Fallon's lead vocals lurk amongst creeping guitars
that sound almost predatory. The title track 'Get Hurt' (video above) follows this example; Fallon invites
the subject of the song to “do your worst”, stoking those fiery themes of separation
and dysfunction that punctuate the entire album. Where-as The Gaslight Anthem's previous acoustic efforts would leave you touched and warmed, 'Break Your Heart' hears Fallon insisting his 'mind would break your heart'. It makes listening to ‘Get
Hurt’ feel like you’re witnessing a tragedy and you can't intervene. It makes you want to take him out for a beer and help him forget his woes.
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| Brian Fallon, thinking deeply before revving you up. SOURCE |
Not to worry though; there are moments of seemingly positive passion here. The shinier side of The Gaslight Anthem's coin, the same spirit that lives in songs such as ‘Great Expectations’ and ‘Howl’, gleams brightly in the otherwise
haunted halls of the dusty home that is ‘Get Hurt’. Songs such as ‘Helter
Skeleton’ and ‘Rollin’ and Tumblin’’ (video below) punch you in the face as soon as they
begin, revving you up before revealing the wounded beast in Fallon
as he soars into the types of chorus that make The Gaslight Anthem so empowering. These
songs possess my favourite thing about The Gaslight Anthem; shiny, fun Rock n’ Roll
that first grabbed my soul at thirteen years old and still makes me want to play my guitar.
Shine though these songs do, loss and lamentations of a fragmented relationship lurk
within, and it is hard to escape them. I can forgive this, however; as I said earlier,
when The Gaslight Anthem are at their best it feels like the music and lyrics are
being poured into you. Though it is a cocktail of sadness and bitterness this time, riddled with the
feeling of giving up and the acceptance of being alone, it is a cocktail I
would take any day. Plenty of more accessible and famous artists have never bled this way for a
single song, let alone an entire album (and then some). It is an admirable effort.
‘Get Hurt’ is certainly a troubled album; this is not due to any failings on the part of The Gaslight Anthem – it is simply the best way to describe the mood that skulks behind the gorgeous guitar tones and quality songwriting. I hate hearing sadness from those artistic voices that resonate within me most potently, but if the result is an album this good then I can’t complain. To finish, I'll pay testimony to the strength of Get hurt with the following fact: as a Spotify Premium customer, I don’t really need CDs any more as I just use my iPhone and my online Spotify playlists in the car. However, when the battery is dead I need a few CDs to fall back on; I purchased ‘Get Hurt’ to sit beside ’45’ and ‘The 59 Sound’ in my car door, for times when I need reliable music to see me through my drive.
Bob
‘Get Hurt’ is certainly a troubled album; this is not due to any failings on the part of The Gaslight Anthem – it is simply the best way to describe the mood that skulks behind the gorgeous guitar tones and quality songwriting. I hate hearing sadness from those artistic voices that resonate within me most potently, but if the result is an album this good then I can’t complain. To finish, I'll pay testimony to the strength of Get hurt with the following fact: as a Spotify Premium customer, I don’t really need CDs any more as I just use my iPhone and my online Spotify playlists in the car. However, when the battery is dead I need a few CDs to fall back on; I purchased ‘Get Hurt’ to sit beside ’45’ and ‘The 59 Sound’ in my car door, for times when I need reliable music to see me through my drive.
Bob
