[AP_Punk]

[Matthew Tsai]

Ha, The Gaslight Anthem's "Bruce Springsteen problem" "came to a head" on '59 Sound. Handwritten has moved far beyond that. I usually dig Grantland but this guy doesn't know what he's talking about. As much as I love the album, if you want something that might come across as phony, '59 Sound is your album. It pulls lyrics straight from Springsteen for goodness sake. But if you've followed their discography at all, you'd be able to tell they've very much come into their own on Handwritten. Also, if you think "Biloxi Parish" is boring, then, well... maybe you shouldn't be listening to rock music.

[CollectiveConfusion]

Anyone that spends the time piecing together or even giving a second thought to pop-culture artists/trash (in Lana's case) like Lana Del Rey, Usher, and Frank Ocean is obviously not the target listener for a record like this.

[Jake Jenkins]

Lana isn't trash you fuckin goon

[Craig Manning]

Originally Posted by trolland10

i'm not gonna take any gaslight review that mentions springsteen seriously, positive or not. its lazy, predictable and an out of date reference. we get it, really, we all get it. he's from jersey and in a rock n' roll band and bruce likes the band. the comparisons really end there, especially on handwritten. its reviewers like that who undermine actually intelligent music critics who attempt to draw original opinions on a record. "The Gaslight Anthem started out as an Usher, tried to pass himself off as a Frank Ocean, but — on his band's new album, Handwritten — ended up as a Lana Del Rey." i mean seriously, what the fuck is this shit. and of course, "as Japandroids showed just last month, there's still juice left in rock's bygone fantasyland, where legs wrap around velvet rims with nary a titter." i don't usually get so butthurt at reviews, but this is just so predictable and awful

Clearly you haven't spent that much time with Springsteen. The lyrical references are gone, but the influence is still there throughout, and in more interesting ways. It's only a lazy comparison if you don't know what you're talking about.

[Craig Manning]

Originally Posted by CollectiveConfusion

I'd cut it. Not saying I don't like the song.. it just doesn't fit with the flow of the rest of the record. "Blue Dahlia" leaves me wanting more as a closer, which I like, and "Mae" has the same effect and intent as "National Anthem", with in my opinion better lyrics... using an acoustic number to close out a HUGE sounding record just comes off as predictable/easy to me.

I don't see how "Blue Dahlia" would ever work as a closer. It's a great song, but doesn't feel final at all, and would leave the record feeling incomplete. If you're going to close it off in "big" fashion, you need a song like "The Backseat," and there's nothing like that here. "National Anthem" fits with the direction they take in the last three songs.

[dpatrickguy]

I actually thought this album is more similar to Tom Petty than Springsteen but that might just be me

[Matthew Tsai]

Originally Posted by dpatrickguy

I actually thought this album is more similar to Tom Petty than Springsteen but that might just be me

Yeah I hear a little more Petty on this album, although the Springsteen's definitely there as well. But overall it very much feels like their own sound.

[CollectiveConfusion]

Originally Posted by narcoleptic953

I don't see how "Blue Dahlia" would ever work as a closer. It's a great song, but doesn't feel final at all, and would leave the record feeling incomplete. If you're going to close it off in "big" fashion, you need a song like "The Backseat," and there's nothing like that here. "National Anthem" fits with the direction they take in the last three songs.

"Blue Dahlia" is definitely the "biggest" song they recorded for this record.. if it were the closer, I agree in that I dont' think "Mae" would work as second to last, though.

Good thing we don't live in the days of b-sides never seeing the light of day, eh?

[eagles1139]

Though it would definitely be weird ending with a title track, I could see how Handwritten could be a great closer. Ending the album with "and with this pen, I thee wed from my heart to your distress" would wrap it all up so nicely.

[Craig Manning]

Originally Posted by CollectiveConfusion

"Blue Dahlia" is definitely the "biggest" song they recorded for this record.. if it were the closer, I agree in that I dont' think "Mae" would work as second to last, though.

Good thing we don't live in the days of b-sides never seeing the light of day, eh?

I don't know if it's necessarily 'bigger' than "Keepsake" or "Too Much Blood," but I definitely don't think either of those would work as the closer.

[irthetyler]

I think I'm the only one who doesn't dig "Blue Dahlia" no issue with that being left off the record, at all.

[CluckyB]

Originally Posted by trolland10

i'm not gonna take any gaslight review that mentions springsteen seriously, positive or not. its lazy, predictable and an out of date reference. we get it, really, we all get it. he's from jersey and in a rock n' roll band and bruce likes the band. the comparisons really end there, especially on handwritten. its reviewers like that who undermine actually intelligent music critics who attempt to draw original opinions on a record. "The Gaslight Anthem started out as an Usher, tried to pass himself off as a Frank Ocean, but — on his band's new album, Handwritten — ended up as a Lana Del Rey." i mean seriously, what the fuck is this shit. and of course, "as Japandroids showed just last month, there's still juice left in rock's bygone fantasyland, where legs wrap around velvet rims with nary a titter." i don't usually get so butthurt at reviews, but this is just so predictable and awful

How can you call a review of that length lazy? Seems to me he took the time to explain why he didn't really like the album, which is better than most reviewers do. Even if I don't agree and think he's looking at the album through the wrong lens, the amount of Gaslight fans getting upset by this is kinda annoying me. Not everyone is going to like the album and the fact that someone else doesn't like it doesn't make it any less good.

[CollectiveConfusion]

Originally Posted by CluckyB

How can you call a review of that length lazy? Seems to me he took the time to explain why he didn't really like the album, which is better than most reviewers do. Even if I don't agree and think he's looking at the album through the wrong lens, the amount of Gaslight fans getting upset by this is kinda annoying me. Not everyone is going to like the album and the fact that someone else doesn't like it doesn't make it any less good.

He just compared it to something else, that's what I find lazy. "I didn't like it because Bruce did this and Brian didn't" isn't really great review material, in my opinion. It's not fair, either.

[clen118]

Originally Posted by Matthew Tsai

Also, if you think "Biloxi Parish" is boring, then, well... maybe you shouldn't be listening to rock music.

I could not agree with you more. When I read that I stopped reading the review. I have that and Keepsake on repeat.