[CellarGhosts]

Originally Posted by Matthew Tsai

Handwritten doesn't seem to have withstood the test of time for me. The only songs I have any desire to revisit with regularity are 45 and Biloxi.

I kinda feel the same way. That said, I'm sure seeing them play some of these songs live will warm me up to the songs I've fallen off of.

[caveBEAR]

Originally Posted by Matthew Tsai

Come to think of it, I felt that way about 59 Sound too. But part of it had to do with the rawness of the album that I didn't get into immediately. Handwritten feels like it played all its cards from the outset and has now run out of fuel.

This is exactly how I felt about American Slang, but something about the songwriting drew me back to it. Handwritten reminds me of AS, and I've got that kind of feeling with it, but I feel like it'll be an album I come back to later.

Gaslight, for me, is a band that's most enjoyable in a live setting...so an album that doesn't 'stick' doesn't bother me. I know the songs I don't enjoy much will rock when I see them live.

[Matthew Tsai]

Originally Posted by CellarGhosts

I kinda feel the same way. That said, I'm sure seeing them play some of these songs live will warm me up to the songs I've fallen off of.

Originally Posted by caveBEAR

This is exactly how I felt about American Slang, but something about the songwriting drew me back to it. Handwritten reminds me of AS, and I've got that kind of feeling with it, but I feel like it'll be an album I come back to later.

Gaslight, for me, is a band that's most enjoyable in a live setting...so an album that doesn't 'stick' doesn't bother me. I know the songs I don't enjoy much will rock when I see them live.

Huh, that's interesting. I always thought of them as more of an album band since they seem just OK live. Granted, I've only seen them once, and they were good, but their live show didn't add much to the songs that the recordings don't already have.

[11:11]

Entire album is still hitting me just as hard as it did on first listen.

[caveBEAR]

Originally Posted by Matthew Tsai

Huh, that's interesting. I always thought of them as more of an album band since they seem just OK live. Granted, I've only seen them once, and they were good, but their live show didn't add much to the songs that the recordings don't already have.

You must have got an unlucky show - seen them three times, been awesome every time.

[Matthew Tsai]

Originally Posted by caveBEAR

You must have got an unlucky show - seen them three times, been awesome every time.

Haha yeah I'm probably over-generalizing.

[CellarGhosts]

Yeah they blew me away with how much stage presence they had when I saw them. Didn't miss a beat save for a flubbed lyric or two.

[mrnegativezero]

Adding another "They were awesome live" comment. I mainly loved it because of expression on the guys' faces. Looked like they were having an absolute blast.

Anyway, I've been listening to Handwriten whenever I've been driving and it's holding its own for the drives. Never skip a song (well, except for the bonus tracks... they really aren't that special).

Pretty much the first half of the record is fantastic for me. "Keepsake," "Too Much Blood" and "Biloxi Parish" (they cut out a verse? Source to original?) get a bit lost in the record for me. They just don't stand out as much but perhaps I just love the other tracks way too much. "Desire" gets my attention again. And "Mae," I love "Mae" so much.

The one thing that does bother me though is the end of "National Anthem." Every time it ends I'm left with a feeling that there was suppose to be another verse. It doesn't quite feel like the end of the song or the end of the album.

[Paulb-182]

Originally Posted by mrnegativezero

Adding another "They were awesome live" comment. I mainly loved it because of expression on the guys' faces. Looked like they were having an absolute blast.

Anyway, I've been listening to Handwriten whenever I've been driving and it's holding its own for the drives. Never skip a song (well, except for the bonus tracks... they really aren't that special).

Pretty much the first half of the record is fantastic for me. "Keepsake," "Too Much Blood" and "Biloxi Parish" (they cut out a verse? Source to original?) get a bit lost in the record for me. They just don't stand out as much but perhaps I just love the other tracks way too much. "Desire" gets my attention again. And "Mae," I love "Mae" so much.

The one thing that does bother me though is the end of "National Anthem." Every time it ends I'm left with a feeling that there was suppose to be another verse. It doesn't quite feel like the end of the song or the end of the album.

I think I prefer the build of that middle section in the album version to another verse in this version.

[Matthew Tsai]

Biloxi Parish is definitely the pinnacle of their discography to me. It's such a solid, complete song.

[majinsharingan]

Originally Posted by Matthew Tsai

Biloxi Parish is definitely the pinnacle of their discography to me. It's such a solid, complete song.

Absolutely.

[ThisIsHardcore]

I love The Gaslight Anthem. Music right now needs more bands like this lot, just writing honest guitar rock. No contrived image or attempts at being quirky and/or intellectual. What you see is what you get. Cliche overload, I know...

I do like Handwritten but I feel some of their songs have that same old chord progression that they like to favour so they don't stand out as much on first listen, which was a problem with The '59 Sound as well. That's why American Slang is my favourite album of theirs, because on first listen all the songs really hit me.

[rawesome]

Uh...I mean, I love Gaslight, but their whole aesthetic is pretty contrived.

[ThisIsHardcore]

Originally Posted by rawesome

Uh...I mean, I love Gaslight, but their whole aesthetic is pretty contrived.

They do allude to Americana of yesteryear quite a bit, but when you see them you just see a bunch of regular looking guys.

[yoyostring]

Originally Posted by Paulb-182

I think I prefer the build of that middle section in the album version to another verse in this version.

Any chance you have the mp3 of this version? If you do could you PM me a link? The one from the video doesn't seem to work.