Just as Jersey Shore had convinced you that New Jersey is good for nothing but vacant idiots, enter the third album from New Brunswick’s The Gaslight Anthem to confuse matters. American Slang is a helpful reminder that romance isn’t dead (and that the Garden State shouldn’t be entirely written off).
It’s easy to picture the members of The Gaslight Anthem assembled at the train station, bidding their lovers farewell with red handkerchiefs in hand, waving sombrely as the steam engine pulls out of the station and into the wild beyond. A cursory glance at the track listing suggests that this a band with more than a passing affection for romantic idealism; if titles like ‘Boxer’, ‘Orphans’ and ‘The Queen of Lower Chelsea’ don’t represent the struggles and triumphs of ordinary people over adversity then they’re certainly the worst misnomers since William S. Burroughs conned us all with ‘Naked Lunch’.
Of course, The Gaslight Anthem do hail from the same state as Bruce Springsteen, the man who turned that style of songwriting into an art-form. And there’s more than a hint of the Boss’ influence here: ‘Stay Lucky’ pinches at your tear ducts with the hopeless optimism of it all, and ‘Bring It On’ will come in handy if there’s ever a ban on playing actual Springsteen songs. But this isn’t some half-baked tribute act; these shoulders aren’t bearing the weight of the world, just a tiny part of it, and they do it with a stoic sincerity that’s hard not to admire.
The Springsteen influence adds another dimension to what would otherwise be fairly ordinary rock ‘n’ roll. The sense of urgency and drama makes this a much more entertaining enterprise, but it also helps that vocalist Brian Fallon can write great pop songs. ‘Stay Lucky’ stands out as a textbook example, and ‘Old Haunts’ is set to a typically defiant chorus that sets the stage for much crying and woozy raising of empty glasses; like one of the patrons in that Billy Joel song (‘Piano Man’) updated and roughed up a bit.
The slower songs lack the same impact but they nonetheless stand up on their own, though ‘The Queen of Lower Chelsea’ features a disturbing burst of noise that would make Lou Reed shudder. Perhaps they cling to starry-eyed idealism a little too closely to be taken seriously at times but American Slang is powerful for the pure strength of belief – and there’s also good songs on it too, which is handy.
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Euan Wallace is a freelance music journalist based in Scotland. He has written for Earz Mag, Is This Music? and The 405. 
Doesn’t hold a candle to Sink or Swim or The ’59 Sound. Still pretty good.