The Gaslight Anthem - The 59 Sound
The Gaslight Anthem’s second album was not only an essential document of punk rock soul but a record that will endure long into the future.
- NME (UK) “2008 Albums of the Year” feature
We’ve had this longstanding rule that no live band sounds good on TV. And then we saw NJ’s Gaslight Anthem on Letterman and concluded that either a) our rule was wrong, b) they are, in fact, the band of our generation, or c) some combination thereof. Absolutely breathtaking.
- ROLLING STONE
These songs are simple, mostly, but they're executed perfectly. Fallon and guitarist Alex Rosamilia do this thing, mostly on the quiet bits, where their guitars wrap twinkly harmonies around each other, getting loose and intricate without being showy about it. And when the guitars turn into chorus-firepower, it just kills because it's been so long since we've heard anyone pull that off with such panache. If you've got even a tiny bit of a soft spot for that bruised-growl retro-punk, THE ’59 SOUND is an answer to a prayer.
- PITCHFORK
…one of the most exhilarating records of the year…
- THE AV CLUB blog
This year’s Hold Steady, The Gaslight Anthem…prove to be masters of blue-collar anthems…impossibly exciting.
– Q MAGAZINE (UK) “Top Albums of 2008”
It's that air of tragedy that makes "The '59 Sound" seem like more than a simple rock barn-burner: When Brian Fallon sings, "Ain't supposed to die on a Saturday night," he captures the way a summer night behind the wheel can positively burst with youthful abandon, ever-present danger and fragile promise. With almost overpowering intensity, the song does exactly the same.
- NPR "All Things Considered" Song of the Day (June 23, 2009)
(The Gaslight Anthem) packs rich, lustrous songwriting into taut punk arrangements. Its casually observed storytelling, overflowing with detail, seethes with a cool desperation reminiscent of Mr. Springsteen in the late ’70s.
- THE NEW YORK TIMES
Over the last three months, The Gaslight Anthem have quite deservedly blown up in the world of rock ‘n’ roll following the release of their second full-length album THE ’59 SOUND; the critical reception to their E Street punk chops has been eulogistic, the quartet have been in every magazine…and their shamelessly romantic sound has been seducing more fans than ever before…While virtually every other band in the world has a natural inclination to reach for the sky, these guys have the intelligence to know that such an ascension would take them further away from the street-soul and underdog spirit that makes THE ’59 SOUND so special, so resonant and so necessary.
– ROCKSOUND (UK) "Top Albums of 2008" feature
- NME (UK) “2008 Albums of the Year” feature
We’ve had this longstanding rule that no live band sounds good on TV. And then we saw NJ’s Gaslight Anthem on Letterman and concluded that either a) our rule was wrong, b) they are, in fact, the band of our generation, or c) some combination thereof. Absolutely breathtaking.
- ROLLING STONE
These songs are simple, mostly, but they're executed perfectly. Fallon and guitarist Alex Rosamilia do this thing, mostly on the quiet bits, where their guitars wrap twinkly harmonies around each other, getting loose and intricate without being showy about it. And when the guitars turn into chorus-firepower, it just kills because it's been so long since we've heard anyone pull that off with such panache. If you've got even a tiny bit of a soft spot for that bruised-growl retro-punk, THE ’59 SOUND is an answer to a prayer.
- PITCHFORK
…one of the most exhilarating records of the year…
- THE AV CLUB blog
This year’s Hold Steady, The Gaslight Anthem…prove to be masters of blue-collar anthems…impossibly exciting.
– Q MAGAZINE (UK) “Top Albums of 2008”
It's that air of tragedy that makes "The '59 Sound" seem like more than a simple rock barn-burner: When Brian Fallon sings, "Ain't supposed to die on a Saturday night," he captures the way a summer night behind the wheel can positively burst with youthful abandon, ever-present danger and fragile promise. With almost overpowering intensity, the song does exactly the same.
- NPR "All Things Considered" Song of the Day (June 23, 2009)
(The Gaslight Anthem) packs rich, lustrous songwriting into taut punk arrangements. Its casually observed storytelling, overflowing with detail, seethes with a cool desperation reminiscent of Mr. Springsteen in the late ’70s.
- THE NEW YORK TIMES
Over the last three months, The Gaslight Anthem have quite deservedly blown up in the world of rock ‘n’ roll following the release of their second full-length album THE ’59 SOUND; the critical reception to their E Street punk chops has been eulogistic, the quartet have been in every magazine…and their shamelessly romantic sound has been seducing more fans than ever before…While virtually every other band in the world has a natural inclination to reach for the sky, these guys have the intelligence to know that such an ascension would take them further away from the street-soul and underdog spirit that makes THE ’59 SOUND so special, so resonant and so necessary.
– ROCKSOUND (UK) "Top Albums of 2008" feature