Send "The Gaslight Anthem " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Sputnikmusic |
 December is a month notorious for having under-promoted albums slip by, as music lovers worldwide hurry to compile year-end lists. How that is relevant to the mid-October release of The Gaslight Anthem's 'iTunes Session' EP is beyond me. I mean, it's The Gaslight Anthem... Performing some all-time classic rock tracks. How on Earth did we all miss this? Sure, it's not as if this particular edition of the digital download series requires a great deal of words to sell it, but still... It's recorded by a band who is yet to release anything even resembling sub-par, and all it takes is a cursory glance at that track-list - which contains four interesting covers as well as a few other odds and ends - to be sold. The only other thing that really needs to be mentioned is that this is anything but a cheap radio station recording, since it is professionally compiled, and sounds crisp, clear & detailed. Undoubtedly of most interest are the four masterfully selected cover versions contained within, and in each case The Gaslight Anthem find that delicate combination of respectfully paying homage to the original, while simultaneously adding their own twist to some clear influences. On The Who's 1971 classic 'Baba O'Riley', The New Jersey quartet come closest to biting off more than they can chew, yet the way in which the dual guitar work stands in for the organ and synth segments is fascinating. The impressive backing vocal hook of 'Refugee' clearly signifies Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers as a strong inspiration, while the seemingly odd selection of Pearl Jam's 'State of Love and Trust' turns out to be a surprising masterstroke. Closing the EP is a cover of 1964s 'House of the Rising Sun', originally recorded by English outfit The Animals. Here, lead vocalist Brian Fallon appears to have swallowed an extra pack of razor blades to bring a dose of the band's punk roots to a true blues-rock classic....full text |
| Moonandbackmusic |
| Though we’ll have to wait until 2012 for the next Gaslight Anthem full length (the band’s first release on a major label, no less), they’ve helped ease the wait with something (sort of) new. The boys from New Jersey have released an iTunes Session – an EP, comprised of covers and alternative versions. It’s their SideOneDummy swansong, but is it as sweet as it sounds? Usually something like this would come down to if you liked covers or not. Personally I like to hear my favourite bands’ take on other people’s work, but that really didn’t matter here. Each track has that distinct Gaslight Anthem sound that means if you haven’t heard the original version of a particular song, you can listen to it without feeling like you’re missing something. In fact, it might be better if you haven’t heard these songs before. I doubt there’s many out there who’ve yet to experience ‘Baba O’Reilly’, but you never know. All in all the covers are great. Hearing Brian and co take on stuff from Pearl Jam, The Who and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers was interesting. They’ve made these classic songs their own but, at the same time, done them incredible justice. At the very least, it shows the kinds of artist that have made The Gaslight Anthem the band they are today. Tom Petty in particular stands out as a big influence on Brian Fallon’s vocal style, so it was really cool to hear him covering ‘Refugee’. Not only that, but they might just turn a few people onto a band they might have otherwise dismissed. You never know. Alongside these covers are two from the band’s back catalog. The version of ‘Navesink Banks’ is relatively unchanged from it’s initial release, but ‘Boxer’ feels like a completely different song on here. It’s more sombre than the version found on American Slang, and that alone has a massive impact especially when it comes to the lyrics. The original feels like the story of a triumphant prize fighter, whereas this version seems to come from someone a little more down on their luck....full text |
| Alterthepress |
| In a short space of time, The Gaslight Anthem have become behemoths of their scene. Sharing a stage with living deity and main influence, Bruce Springsteen, of all people, as well as releasing 'The 59 Sound', one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the decade. It's no surprise that the band who openly wears their influences on their sleeves (literally, in the form of tattoos) would record an EP comprised of mostly cover songs. The synthesizers featured in the original version of 'Baba O'Riley' by The Who are substituted by a guitar which sounds nearly identical, Brian Fallon's vocals sound anthemic and match Roger Daltrey's pipes, note for note. Long forgotten outtake from 'The 59 Sound', 'Our Father's Sons', reinvigorates the sound heard on the first listen of the aforementioned opus. The lyrics of the song reminds fans of the main themes of youth and religion that the 59 sound had. The re-imagination of 'Boxer' from last years 'American Slang' slows down the meteoric, fast paced tempo that the song originally had. 'House of the Rising Sun' provides a grand finale to the EP. Brian Fallon's voice howls to heights that we have never heard on previous material and demolishes the floodgates, creating an overwhelming avalanche of pure soul hitting our ears with Alex Rosamilia's lead guitar wailing to the heavens in the background. 'The iTunes Session' from the Gaslight Anthem provides unreleased outtakes as well as cover songs mostly performed at past shows by the band, maintaining the original feel of most of the songs but putting a slight twist on them....full text |
The Gaslight Anthem lyrics
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