Four records in and still suffering the endless comparison treatment, it's high time folks started to let the Gaslight Anthem exist on its own merits, without the looming specter of that iconic fellow Garden State native. We're not talking about Glenn Danzig, but rather the everyman dude who might as well be canonized, what with the way the way the state — most recently the goddamn governor — fawns over him. It's not the fault of singer Brian Fallon and his Gaslight mates; New Jersey is full of earnest, working-class folks who just want to do more.Many fall into a life of shady activities, some move out to Los Angeles and warn mothers about letting their daughter go out with a Jerseyan. But most stick around, put on their best blue collar, and attempt to get beyond regrets by learning life lessons and moving forward. Gaslight's Handwritten (Mercury) epitomizes that. Sure, first single "45" might have been a bit too sincere, but dig deeper and there are some straight-up lyrical gut punches.
When Fallon laments, "And though if I saw you I'd pretend not to know/The place where you were in my heart is now closed. . . . I already live with too many ghosts," he isn't talking about Tom Joad. You get the feeling the guy has been burned by girls who promised forever and then went off with a young guido named Nick.
GASLIGHT ANTHEM House of Blues, 15 Lansdowne St, Boston :: November 26 @ 7 pm :: All Ages :: $26-$36 :: 888.693.2583 or hob.com/boston
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