This was a tough one. A friend played The Gaslight Anthem for me and a few things struck me right off the bat:

1) They’re a band from New Brunswick. I’m a former resident and I breathed the music scene there for a while, but never heard of them.

2) They sound like an updated version of Bruce Springsteen… so much so, in fact, that they sound like a hipster Springsteen tribute band.

So I couldn’t decide… do I like this, or not?

I started to tip towards the “screw these guys” side when I heard the song “Old White Lincoln.” The song starts out sounding like The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” to a tee.

Next comes “High Lonesome,” which lifts an entire verse from Counting Crows’ “Round Here” and a piece of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire.”

I though… hmm… is this homage or plagiarism?

There’s a big difference, but after listening to the entire album, I sided with homage. Toward the end of the album, Gaslight Anthem makes references to parties in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (“Here’s Lookin’ At You, Kid”) and the Melody Bar (RIP) in New Brunswick (“Once Upon A Time”). As a New Jerseyan, and a Bruce fan, honest references to real places make me melt.

Upon closer inspection, The Gaslight Anthem is simply making new songs that sound like old songs. Ripping off the legends? Well sure! You wouldn’t want to rip off forgettable artists. They get my thumbs up. Write folk tinged rock songs with a new school, indie feel and throw in some Jersey pride, and you have a recipe for an excellent group.