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| | Sink or Swim | | | Music Artist : | | The Gaslight Anthem | | Music Style : | | General | | Record Label : | | Mri Associated | | Release Date : | | 2008-07-08 | | Store Price : | | $12.98 | | Artistopia's Price: $11.99 | | Usually ships in 24 hours | | |
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CD Tracks/Songs
Disc 11. Boomboxes And Dictionaries
2. I Coulda Been A Contender
3. Wooderson
4. We Came To Dance
5. 1930
6. The Navesink Banks
7. Red In The Morning
8. Ida Called You Woody, Joe
9. Angry Johnny And The Radio
10. Drive
11. We re Getting A Divorce, You Keep The Diner
12. Red At Night
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Other Artist Albums
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Customer Reviews of This Album/CD |
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 a good start
Submitted on: 2009-05-02 |
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for a bands first outing its a strong on not a melodic as 59 sound but you can see what was coming line. a good first effort from a great band. for fans of springstein or the replacements.
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 Worthwhile folky punk rock
Submitted on: 2009-02-19 |
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I'd like to start off by saying that I'm largely unfamiliar with Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan's respective bodies of work - the two artists Gaslight Anthem derive the most comparisons from. I've listened to Nebraska two or three times, and Freewheelin' and Highway 61 Revisited maybe once or twice each, but it's not that I'm uninterested or unimpressed by either artist, but realistically, my iPod would weigh 4 tons if the albums contained had a physical presence.
I'M ONLY ONE MAN, YOU KNOW, AND I DON'T OWN A FLEET OF FIGURATIVE FLATBEDS.
Anyhoo, considering the backdrop bands like Defiance Ohio, The Pogues, and Swamp Zombies have illustrated, calling these guys "Folk Punk" is a bit of a misnomer. I'd have to settle on the clunky, grammatically unpleasant "Folk-Rock Punk" moniker. Y'know, like when Dylan "Brought It Back Home".
That there was a paraphrase if you didn't catch onto my fantastic wit earlier. Feel free to email me a few dollars via paypal if you want to pepper future Dylan-relevant reviews with such a clever remark.
Anyhoo again, Sink Or Swim is a surprisingly enjoyable album considering it contains the word "drive" approximately 5 hundred thousand times within a 40 minute timespan. It's 11 tracks, including 2 oddly memorable acoustic numbers, and two musically sound tracks (HA HA HA "MUSICALLY SOUND"!!!) that are marred by horrible lyrics. Seriously, listen to We Came To Dance with it's catchy hooks and dissonant leads. Then imagine a bunch of bumpkins clapping and sliding in sync, slow motion-optional. Feel your uvula tying itself in a knot?
Fortunately, the remaining 9 are incredibly infectious, emotive, and dripping with a muddy nostalgia you might expect from an indie film about a 'coming-of-age' roadtrip. Or something. I don't know, you think of a better comparison. I can understand a lot of cynical folks finding the lyrical posturing of this album obnoxious or questionable, but if you can overlook those assumptions, there's at least one instance of shiver-inducing goodness in each track.
If you grew up in a rural town, ever sat around with your friends and talked about topics too lofty for you to understand, or just enjoy story-teller lyrics, you'll probably find something enjoyable about this band.
4.5/5 |
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Maybe the greatest CD I own
Submitted on: 2008-12-18 |
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I saw the Gaslight Anthem with Against Me! and Two Gallants in Houston in 2007, and these guys are great both live and on disc. The diversity of the sounds and the richness of the melodies work together in a way that is unrivaled in modern music, as far as I know.
The '59 Sound is a good cd, but it's nothing compared to Sink or Swim. When I bought this at that show, I couldn't believe it was their first album. I'd name my favorite songs, but they're all so amazing.
It really doesn't matter what genre of music you prefer. Blues, folk, rock, punk, whatever. They're all here, and they're all fantastic. It's great driving music, too. |
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Amazing debut!
Submitted on: 2008-12-12 |
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| I was first introduced to Gaslight off their 2nd CD, The '59 Sound. I then bought their 1st CD, Sink or Swim. This is a delightful CD, displaying the talent of 4 seasoned musicians. It has a great sound...some of which may be familiar. Borrowing from their idols, then modifying them to make the tunes uniquely their own, this CD produces many gratifying and pleasing songs that you can't stop humming. Buy this CD and you won't regret it. You'll be hearing about The Gaslight Anthem for years to come! |
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Magnificent debut, a band to watch
Submitted on: 2008-10-22 |
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| The Gaslight Anthem burst out of the New Jersey punk scene, wearing their hearts and love of Bruce Springsteen on their sleeves. On this, their debut LP, they rip through 12 songs about music, growing up, falling in love, and heartbreak, the latter two often involving girls all named "Maria." There's a fire in these songs, and emotion pours from singer/guitarist Brian Fallon's voice. There are musical allusions littered throughout the record, from punk heroes (see "I'da Called You Woody, Joe"), to soul, to the aforementioned Springsteen. This is one of the essential records of 2007. You owe it to yourself to add this to your collection. |
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