Lately it seems no matter where you turn; there are shadows of The Boss popping up on indie recordings everywhere. The Gaslight Anthem is the act that is capable of carrying the Bosses torch. The band consisting of four Jersey boys have the bombast, the musical chops and the passion that Springsteen is often revered for within his work. The Gaslight Anthem originates from New Brunswick, New Jersey; a town along the Jersey shore, close to Springsteen’s origins of Asbury Park, NJ. Like the Boss, The Gaslight Anthem often use their locale as a narrative springboard when describing life, as well as loss within the Garden State.

Singer/songwriter Brian Fallon writes with the detail, as well as passion of a young mid 70’s Bruce Springsteen. American Slang the groups 3rd album released on Side One Dummy records on June 15th, 2010, expands upon the acts second release “59 Sound” with a more defined vision, as well as a more varied production.

American Slang opens with the title track a 3 min and 45 sec piece of anthemic rock ‘n’ roll reminiscent of Springsteen, as well as Joe Strummer. Fallon writes from the perspective of a man with better days behind him, searching for life’s meaning beyond mere fortunes attempting decipher our American slang. With 3 albums under their belt, it is apparent that Fallon is probably not going to shake the Springsteen, Strummer and Petty influences. On American Slang we find Fallon embracing these influences, refining them as opposed to rejecting them altogether or attempting to cleverly disguise them behind loud guitars and aggressive vocals.

Track 3 “Bring It On” is classic Springsteen with its mid-tempo rolling beat, bongos adding rhymic flair and Springteen-ish working class imagery about a queen from the Bronx. “Bring it on” would not sound out of place on Springsteen’s 1980 double album The River. Track 4 “The Diamond Church Street Choir” plays like a lost Van Morrison track, or at least the Counting Crows at their most jubilant. TDCSC bounces along with a jazzy back beat, syncopated guitars, and sing-along chorus.

The central theme of American Slang is nostalgia, looking back with regret, over emphasizing the romantic nights spent as lovers, day-dreaming to pass the time. We learn that by looking too deeply into our past we can develop animosity towards the present, thus losing our sense of purpose and initially falling into a rut. Nostalgia can be romantic, those moments when everything seemed so perfect, yet never lasting long enough to fall apart. These themes of regret, nostalgia and remorse are revisited on Track 8 “Old Haunts” Fallon sings about forgotten ghosts, begs us to just leave them alone, as memories can be sinking ships that can never be saved.

Track 5 “The Queen of Lower Chelsea” is written from the perspective of an outsider with only a record collection to help pass the time. Our queen was one of a kind, yet no one noticed forever looking for a good man to take back home. American girls want it all; in a parallel universe our would-be queen would become- the queen of lower Chelsea. This is how we feel when we are told we can have it all, yet end up working nine to five for a company that can only offer barely a paycheck. When we look back and count our blessings, our blessings start becoming less and less, only if we were told life would end up like this, it would be a lot easier to swallow life’s bitter pill.

Paul Westerberg, lead singer/songwriter of the Replacements, wrote the ultimate 80’s anthem for disaffected youth with “bastards of the young” off of the group’s fourth album Tim. Westerberg was able to summon up the feelings of growing up, growing out, and the confusion that comes with maturity. Westerberg set the ground work for alternative artists to become more introspective, to look deep inside and share their deep, dark secrets with the world… Nowadays with social media allowing us to air our dirty laundry to practical strangers, it’s refreshing to be able to experience pure honesty and sincerity within an art form, this is something sorely lacking in today’s heavily tweeted era.

When an act writes largely from the standpoint of specific geographical location this can often be lost upon the listener. When The Beatles sang about Penny Lane, a street located in Liverpool, North England it added a mysterious, foreign twist. At the same time when writing about the Sun, Sand and Surf of Southern California, i.e. The Beach Boys we risk the possibly of an audience disconnect. When Brian Fallon mentions the Bronx, the Jersey shore, or any one of the various locations through American Slang the transitions are thoroughly natural as well as vivid. We are able to adopt these locations as our own.

Throughout American Slang there is an enough variation to keep us listening, and listening again and again. Back in ‘75 when radio was first introduced to the iconic opening riff on Springsteen’s Born to Run we knew we had a new American Voice, and then came Tom Petty who added his own unique blend to Americana with “American girl.” With both of these legends past age 60 or close to it, we will be looking for the new breed to carry the torch, will The Gaslight Anthem prove worthy of such acclaim; time will tell, however, if they are off to an impressive start.

Look at the damage-the fortunes came for the richer men-while we’re left with gallows-waiting for us liars to come down and hang ~ American Slang