The Gaslight Anthem – Sink or Swim

If you were to pick up this CD at one of The Gaslight Anthem‘s live shows, you may notice a little sticker on the front of the record. The sticker has me calling the album my most anticipated release of 2007 – which it was. I mean, I couldn’t wait to hear this CD in it’s entirety ever since I heard Drive on Go-Kart vs The Corporate Giants 4 early in 2006. I quickly found some demos of the band’s material online and the anticipation grew even more. It was rumored to come out in the fall, then in the winter and finally a date was set for late May of 2007 and finally the moment came when I was able to hear the album from one of my new favorite bands. With this much anticipation riding on it, there was a high chance of failure – because almost nothing could have lived up to the hype I had created inside my head. But guess what – it did. It lived up to everything I expected and more so. The album is nearly perfect and will definitely be the best release of 2007 on top of being the most anticipated.

For you see, Sink or Swim, the debut album from this New Jersey foursome just bleeds passion, it bleeds sincerity and it bleeds inventiveness. It doesn’t follow any trend but is a sound of their own; yet all the while strangely familiar and comforting. It is a more punk rock version of Lucero with some Against Me! and older Samiam thrown in for good measure; and yet, still decidedly unique. Brian Fallon’s vocals are perfect, rough and worn with a melodic edge (think of a much smoother Brendan Kelly) and the music behind him helps maintain a rolling, upbeat tempo.

Kicking off with a dancy Boomboxes and Dictionaries, Sink Or Swim instantly heads off in the right direction. With a rocking guitar riff threaded throughout and drumming that Warren Oakes would be proud to play and the right amount of “woahs” in the background, your attention is immediately drawn. But instead of simply spitting out a duplicate of that track, I Coulda Been A Contender opens up with a soft chord and Fallon singing quietly overtop before they break into the real meat and bones of the song. It is within that juxtaposition that the band is really able to blow the listener away and keep them listening the entire way through – because each song is unique and has its own element to really captivate the listener.

However, the major selling point of this record is, as I said before, the pure passion behind the songs. Fallon’s vocals deliver the lyrics with a type of sincerity that can’t be copied and is instantly contagious; plus the fact that the lyrics are mind blowing doesn’t hurt either. You see, instead of the generic “wah, my girlfriend left me” or “fuck the government” or “i’ll kill you and live in your skin” tone, The Gaslight Anthem takes a cue from The Boss and sings about living life. These are songs by a grown man who has lived a life and is still living it to the fullest, he sings about love, brotherhood, the power of music and living freely in the moment without any restraints and are written in such a talented way that you can’t help but be awe-struck.

To pick a favorite song was nearly impossible, since every song is so inexplicably awesome. In fact, the only real downside of the album – oddly enough – comes on one of the highlights of the album – 1930. That sole downside is the difference between this version, and the band’s 2004 demo of it under the name Titanic. While they are quite similar to one another, they basically eliminated the bridge before the final verse on the song and it was that bridge that originally pulled me into that song as it really built up the anticipation before the explosive ending; now the ending comes more directly without as much anticipation and I think it loses some of it’s power there. However, that blemish is only noticeable if you’ve heard the demo and even with it, the song still rules.

In case you can’t tell, I love this album. It is a record for music fans and enthusiasts because one listen and you can hear the skill within it. Sink or Swim is a record most bands would love to put out with their fourth or fifth record, but for The Gaslight Anthem, this is their debut. It will become a classic and the band will only grow and progress and as of right now, it is by far the best release of 2007.