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On the Shelf 193: Brian Fallon
Feb. 27th, 2018 07:08 pmThe Gaslight Anthem are one of the best new bands of the last 15 years.
A funny thing happened on the way. Their debut Sink Or Swim was, but their breakout The 59 Sound made them. The band continued bigger and bigger until by the time they recorded their 5th record, Get Hurt, they had striven for such an anthemic sound that they were into Bon Jovi territory. The band clearly had went all in on their Pearl Jam and grunge influences, but only came up with the worse characteristics of those bands.
It's a much shorter path than you think from the young punks of U2s Boy to Rattle and Hum bombast, and the Anthem had done that and then some. The truly ironic thing is the biggest Gaslight Anthem sounding song to date was last Year's "Run For Cover" by The Killers which pilfered the formula.
In an unlikely turn of event, by going solo, Brian Fallon has kept himself relevant. He seems to be so tied to the band, that like Mick Jagger or Michael Hutchence, a solo album seems unnecessary.
2016's Painkillers allowed Fallon to do what he was good at, and give it new breath (I should put in a good word for his Horrible Crowes side project as well).
Painkillers was if not, acoustic, certainly intimate, and allowed Fallon to get closer to Nebraska than to Born in the USA.
It was a solid record with true feeling.
A follow up was due and necessary, but Fallon couldn't release Painkillers II.
Sleepwalkers was a smart follow up. Fallon has claimed 60s influences, but it's in a very "Maximum R&B" style. He's clearly thrown in some Jam records (see the opening track "If your Prayers.." with his Clash (and wisely avoids Style Council territory).
It's a move that pays off. Springsteen clearly is the touchpoint, but Fallon is smart enough to be his own man. Indeed, Fallon's youth allows him to get away with things that The Boss couldn't do at this point.
This type of rock can veer towards self-parody, and more than one reviewer at this point has compared Fallon to Eddie and the Cruisers. He generally finds himself on the right side of that line.
Etta James is a great singer, but Fallon's track of the same time is a bit of where it goes wrong when he dials the production up. Some just pass that line, but Fallon's conviction passes them on.
There is probably some irony that this won't get as much attention without the Gaslight Anthem name, but it's a solid album. Check out closer "See You on the Other Side" which would sound fine on an alt-country record, and "Her Majesty's Service" which sounds like if Joe Strummer had never stopped busking.
A funny thing happened on the way. Their debut Sink Or Swim was, but their breakout The 59 Sound made them. The band continued bigger and bigger until by the time they recorded their 5th record, Get Hurt, they had striven for such an anthemic sound that they were into Bon Jovi territory. The band clearly had went all in on their Pearl Jam and grunge influences, but only came up with the worse characteristics of those bands.
It's a much shorter path than you think from the young punks of U2s Boy to Rattle and Hum bombast, and the Anthem had done that and then some. The truly ironic thing is the biggest Gaslight Anthem sounding song to date was last Year's "Run For Cover" by The Killers which pilfered the formula.
In an unlikely turn of event, by going solo, Brian Fallon has kept himself relevant. He seems to be so tied to the band, that like Mick Jagger or Michael Hutchence, a solo album seems unnecessary.
2016's Painkillers allowed Fallon to do what he was good at, and give it new breath (I should put in a good word for his Horrible Crowes side project as well).
Painkillers was if not, acoustic, certainly intimate, and allowed Fallon to get closer to Nebraska than to Born in the USA.
It was a solid record with true feeling.
A follow up was due and necessary, but Fallon couldn't release Painkillers II.
Sleepwalkers was a smart follow up. Fallon has claimed 60s influences, but it's in a very "Maximum R&B" style. He's clearly thrown in some Jam records (see the opening track "If your Prayers.." with his Clash (and wisely avoids Style Council territory).
It's a move that pays off. Springsteen clearly is the touchpoint, but Fallon is smart enough to be his own man. Indeed, Fallon's youth allows him to get away with things that The Boss couldn't do at this point.
This type of rock can veer towards self-parody, and more than one reviewer at this point has compared Fallon to Eddie and the Cruisers. He generally finds himself on the right side of that line.
Etta James is a great singer, but Fallon's track of the same time is a bit of where it goes wrong when he dials the production up. Some just pass that line, but Fallon's conviction passes them on.
There is probably some irony that this won't get as much attention without the Gaslight Anthem name, but it's a solid album. Check out closer "See You on the Other Side" which would sound fine on an alt-country record, and "Her Majesty's Service" which sounds like if Joe Strummer had never stopped busking.
