Album Review- The Gaslight Anthem- "History Books"

I fell in love with the Gaslight Anthem from the first listen which was 2007s Sink Or Swim, though if was probably 2008 when I heard it, just prior to their bigger introduction to the world - The 59 Sound.

The Gaslight Anthem are a band that you probably love or find annoying. They put their influences all over everything- The Clash, Miles Davis, Tom Waits and so on. The best comparison has always been Social Distortion - a modern after-punk updating of an ideal 1950s of greased hair and motorcycle gangs. But of course, musically , the bands aren’t really that close.

Where Social Distortion pulls from late 70s Hardcore punk (Frank and Rikk Agnew were in an early lineup), The Anthem sound like they were listening to Springsteen, Petty and the many Springsteen clones of the same time period.

I may or may not have realized it but it became clear around 2010 that the indie rock scene had a heavy Springsteen influence - Arcade Fire, Hold Steady, Titus Andronicus, Against Me!- and if I hadn’t noticed it, I was listening to the Sklar Brothers when they pointed it out.

I was a huge fan of Springsteen and 90s Indie Rock and the two did not really mix together. He was still very much one of the most newsworthy artists of the day- certainly not very “cool”. That the indie scene finally caught up with him isn’t surprising

It’s clear that the Gaslight Anthem and the aforementioned peers grew up listening to say, the Replacements, the Pogues and Billy Bragg and Bruce wasn’t a left field choice. (We know GA has covered Pearl Jam and Nirvana so they very much of their age).

There seems to be an almost mirror like quality for Springsteen and Joe Strummer. Both representing this artistic hero of the working class and the oppressed. If Bruce did climb to the charts, he had got there by being adored by The Ramones and Patti Smith.

The story of the Gaslight Anthem (my version) mimics another Springsteen following, the Killers, insomuch as they debuted with a fresh sound but seemed to be grinding to diminishing returns over time, calling it quits (or nearly quits) and finding their way back to revitalize themselves.

In the case of Gaslight Anthem, the 59 Sound is probably where everything works, but subsequently over time, we arrived at their 5th album - 2014s Get Hurt and its hard to see where the earnest populism stops and Bon Jovi style arena rock begins.

In this case, the band went on hiatus and Brian Fallon worked on solo projects. Fallon’s solo stuff is pretty good and he blended a few influences but worked on honing those songwriter skills.

It’s a similar story to the Killers who followed a similar path and then seemed refreshed when they came back. When the Killers came to their seventh album, 2021s Pressure Machine - they made one of their best albums yet.

Pressure Machine was ambitious and clearly an attempt by that band to make their Nebraska or The River.

I am not sure Gaslight Anthem’s 2023 album History Books is any more ambitious than anything else the band has done, since they always have written anthems, but a few songs do feel particularly “heavier” and literate.

It is indeed a much better album now that they have come back after being apart than their previous two records. And Hearland Rock was always in their mix, but yes “History Books” and “Michigan 1975” do feel particularly deep.

The sound seems to cut the middle between the bands standard anthem fare and Fallon’s mellow bluesy side - which works well. I run counter to a review I read that says this wouldn’t be a good starting point for the band, as I feel it probably would.

There is a particular crunch on the record that is more in line with their last record than Fallon’s solo work. Peter Katis produces (The National, Interpol, Frightened Rabbit)

Of course, you can’t talk about the Springsteen influence without mentioning Bruce is actually on the title track. Yes, the “circle of life”- Bruce actually encouraged Fallon (the story goes) to get the band back together and write a duet for the both of them.

“History Books” probably doesn’t need Bruce. Fallon starts the song and his style isn’t that much different. Still, if you can get Bruce, then you do. It fits as an homage, a passing of the torch or whatever you want to make of it.

A decade ago, Gaslight Anthem felt like one of the most exciting bands on the planet. History Books brings that feeling back.