The Gaslight Anthem have come a long way from the steamy punk shows in people's basements they built their name around. From the gritty Sink or Swim to the timeless The '59 Sound and the polarizing American Slang, the band's rise to the cusp of rock and roll super-stardom (if it still exists) has been well-documented and heralded by fans of any of the genres the band draws its inspiration from. But when American Slang failed to create as much hype and buzz as The '59 Sound did, Brian Fallon found himself at a crossroads. The singer-songwriter felt the weight of the expectations that have defined the band for a while now. Expectations can kill bands, and when people have been calling you "The next Bruce Springsteen" or "The next great rock and roll band," for the last few years, it bears a certain weight and pressure to perform, and that pressure can be crippling. But it begs the questions: what if The Gaslight Anthem knew exactly what they were doing all along? What if it's all been leading up to this? What if The Gaslight Anthem not only lived up to the colossal expectations they're under, but surpassed them?
Handwritten, the fourth album from The Gaslight Anthem (and their major-label debut, released through Mercury records), begins with "45," the most energetic song anyone's heard from the band to date. Powered by Brian Fallon's raw, emotional vocal delivery and excellent backing drums from Benny Horowitz. The raucous opener leads right into the title track of the album, which would have been just as good a choice to open the album. The title track's soaring chorus is every bit as good as the one fans likely know by heart in "45," with almost the same intense level of emotion. Fallon's voice has gone under a great deal of improvement on Handwritten, most notably on "45" and "Too Much Blood," but that's not to say the rest of The Gaslight Anthem don't put in memorable performances; in fact, Handwritten shows the rest of the men behind Fallon shining brighter than they ever have.
Lead guitarist Alex Rosamilia's solos have been somewhat absent from much of The Gaslight Anthem's work up to this point, but you can consider Handwritten his coming out party. Rosamilia breaks open tracks like "Mulholland Drive" and "Desire." Bassist Alex Levine powers "Too Much Blood," the main track he dominates, and he sets the mood for the blistering "Howl," a two-minute track that rivals "45" for the most energetic song on the album. The always underrated Benny Horowitz is sterling yet again, as he finds a way to shine even when the band slows things down on "Mae" and "Keepsake," and picks up the pace wonderfully on "Desire."
However, most will agree that any review of The Gaslight Anthem's work will boil down to what Brian Fallon has up his sleeve this time, and on Handwritten, he's never been better. From tracks that feature his bark, like "45" and "Keepsake," to the inevitable slower song The Gaslight Anthem have perfected, "National Anthem," in which Fallon's croon is accompanied only by an acoustic guitar. "Biloxi Parish" and "Handwritten" are sure-fire crowd favorites, as both feature some of Fallon's best choruses. While many of the songs deal with love lost, Fallon finds a way to tell these stories in a way that only he can, and those stories always come out fresh. One of the stories on Handwritten features Fallon's most ambitious songwriting venture yet. On "Here Comes My Man," Fallon steps out of his own shoes and steps into those of a woman's, telling the story of a woman who is trapped in love by a man who doesn't see her the same way. Fallon's risk pays off in a huge way, as "Here Comes My Man" is one of the most unique and emotional song's you'll hear from The Gaslight Anthem, or any band.
If you haven't figured it out yet from what you just read, Handwritten sees The Gaslight Anthem put everything that's made them one of the great American rock bands from the last decade into one landmark effort. From the energy of Sink or Swim to the timeless feeling of The '59 Sound, and the creativity that they showed on American Slang, Handwritten puts everything together, and the band have delivered what will become known as their definitive release. And what's most impressive about the album is that every note, every line, every idea for this album was written by hand. In a world that becomes more and more reliant on smartphones, tablets, and laptop computers, the fact that The Gaslight Anthem neglected to use any and every piece of technology at their disposal makes Handwritten not only one of the most unique albums of the new milennium, but one of its most important.
The Bottom Line: If you've been a fan of The Gaslight Anthem since Sink or Swim or are somehow just finding out about them now, one listen through Handwritten will lead you to conclude that this is the exact sound the band wanted to create, and they've never sounded better. Already four albums into a career that looks to be headed for world domination, it's time we stopped calling The Gaslight Anthem "the next______," and it's about time we start hoping to find the next band that has the potential to make songs as good as The Gaslight Anthem.
Recommended if you rock: Brand New's Deja Entendu, Fall Out Boy's Take This to Your Grave, Jimmy Eat World's Futures
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