magazine review ratings thread (American Slang)

Uncut (July): 5/5 & album of the month (three page Q&A with Brian, incl. photos, and two page review)

Big Cheese (June): 5/5 (four page feature, incl. photos, and one third of a page review)

Rock Sound (June): 9/10 & album of the month (one and and a half page review with Q&A, incl. photos)

Q (July): 4/5 (two page review, incl. photos)

Kerrang (12 June): 4/5 (one and a fifth page review adn Q&A, incl. photos)

Alternative Press (July): 4/5

NME (12 June): 7/10 (half page review, incl. photos)

Rolling Stone (June): 3.5/5

Mojo [UK] (July): 3/5 (approx. four column inches)



to be continued ...

What's up Mojo's ass? Pretty sure they're the dicks that belittled The '59 Sound as an acceptable replacement for those burned out on Stay Positive.

JohnnyC wrote:

What's up Mojo's ass? Pretty sure they're the dicks that belittled The '59 Sound as an acceptable replacement for those burned out on Stay Positive.

Haha, what a dumb remark.

Honestly I can't comment much on Stay Positive. I rock out to the first two tracks and then hit the skip backward button twice. I don't get to the rest of the album often.

simo wrote:

JohnnyC wrote:

What's up Mojo's ass? Pretty sure they're the dicks that belittled The '59 Sound as an acceptable replacement for those burned out on Stay Positive.

Haha, what a dumb remark.

Honestly I can't comment much on Stay Positive. I rock out to the first two tracks and then hit the skip backward button twice. I don't get to the rest of the album often.

I'm actually a big fan of The Hold Steady, but it was just such a dumb comment. Craig Finn is more a lyricist who's learned to write melodies while Brian's been doing both extremely well from the get-go.

JohnnyC wrote:

What's up Mojo's ass? Pretty sure they're the dicks that belittled The '59 Sound as an acceptable replacement for those burned out on Stay Positive.

Wow a magazine writer has a differing opinion you and most of us on here what a dick. Not saying I agree but it doesn't make them a dick.

Magazine reviews mean shit anyway I cant remember the last time I decided to check out an album based on what a magazine said.

The last time I listened to a magazine article I found out about Titus Andronicus. The time before that I found out about The Gaslight Anthem.

*Shrug*

Fair enough I find out about most bands through places like this and friends recommendations personally. Nevermind though.

in the new Rolling Stone (with that awkward Russell Brand on the cover) "Boxer" is listed as a single of the month.

also, 4 tunes from "American Slang" are available for download as ringtones thru Verizon.

steph wrote:

also, 4 tunes from "American Slang" are available for download as ringtones thru Verizon.

oh no; I hate what ringtones have done to music

kieran wrote:

JohnnyC wrote:

What's up Mojo's ass? Pretty sure they're the dicks that belittled The '59 Sound as an acceptable replacement for those burned out on Stay Positive.

Wow a magazine writer has a differing opinion you and most of us on here what a dick. Not saying I agree but it doesn't make them a dick.

Magazine reviews mean shit anyway I cant remember the last time I decided to check out an album based on what a magazine said.

It wasn't "Oh, no, he doesn't like Gaslight." It was the whole belittling Gaslight as a somehow second-rate Hold Steady clone. That's lazy writing, which most of rock journalism is nowadays.

They got 4/5 stars in the Australia/NZ Rolling Stone (not sure how it's different from the American version)

Anyway, the reviewer goes on to say 'the only difference between American Slang and The 59 Sound is that this, the band's third album, is better, the constant roadwork and closer attention to songwriting working in their favour'

Also steady now the Q June issue is the one with Paul McCartney on the front yeah? Cause I've looked a few times and I can't see anything about them in there.

Alternative Press magazine gave it a 4/5, a good rating.

However, I was bemused by the suggested / similar music column...they suggested Bon Iver's For Emma Forever Ago (another one of my favorite artists) if you liked American Slang...I can tell you the albums aren't too similar.

steady now steady now wrote:

steph wrote:

also, 4 tunes from "American Slang" are available for download as ringtones thru Verizon.

oh no; I hate what ringtones have done to music

Really? I thoroughly enjoy my Souljah Boi ringtone.

Crank that, superman, crank that.

Not a magazine review, but Chris Fallon's review on absolutepunk is up and it is a really good read

http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=1736662

Not sure if what he sees in the album is what they were going for, but I'm interested if people who have heard the whole thing agree with his take.

*personally agrees with a lot of Fallon's reviews so this just further removes any doubt weather or not the record will be good*

andy.mac wrote:

Also steady now the Q June issue is the one with Paul McCartney on the front yeah? Cause I've looked a few times and I can't see anything about them in there.

Ooops. It's the July one (Muse v U2).

The June 2010 issue of Big Cheese gives the album 5 stars and includes a four page feature, incl. photos, and a one third of a page review.

Extract: "The Gaslight Anthem have created the all-American album that travels by keeping its subject matter to that which everyone can relate to: the pain of a broken heart, salvation from the radio and love by the lights of the bar. Essential." & "The record is a perfect marriage of expert storytelling, superb musicianship and classic melodies."

'American Slang' is also the first song on the cover CD.

andy.mac wrote:

steady now steady now wrote:

steph wrote:

also, 4 tunes from "American Slang" are available for download as ringtones thru Verizon.

oh no; I hate what ringtones have done to music

Really? I thoroughly enjoy my Souljah Boi ringtone.

Crank that, superman, crank that.

^ I am judging you.

SuperBrickDude wrote:

Alternative Press magazine gave it a 4/5, a good rating.

However, I was bemused by the suggested / similar music column...they suggested Bon Iver's For Emma Forever Ago (another one of my favorite artists) if you liked American Slang...I can tell you the albums aren't too similar.

I'm really diggin the 25th anniversary edition with all of the photoshoots! The fact that there's a full AS review is just decadant icing on the cake

Kerrang (12 June) gives the album 4/5. It's its main album, review (one and a fifth pages with a brief Q&A with Brian). "Everywhere here, there are big rock songs, purpuse-built for arenas and FM radio playlists, with driving riffs where open chords were once struck."

NME (12 June) only gives the album 7/10 in a half page review, incl. photos. The review actually praises the album considerably, so the comparatively low score comes as a suprise. The albumj cover appears in another column as "worst sleeve of the week" (ouch).

3 1/2 stars from Rolling Stone (new issue with Jay-Z on the cover)

For what it's worth, The Guardian (which gave them a glowing write up last June), gives it a 2/5. However, the review doesn't really review the album, but the band, so it's arguably a nonsense.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/jun/10/gaslight-anthem-american-slang-review

steph wrote:

3 1/2 stars from Rolling Stone (new issue with Jay-Z on the cover)

thanks. Steph; I also pleased to see that they are on the 'cover', if you can call it that, of the Rolling Stone website, at least right now (I think other 'covers' come up as you reload, but I've had TGA most of the time.

http://www.rollingstone.com/

steady now steady now wrote:

steph wrote:

3 1/2 stars from Rolling Stone (new issue with Jay-Z on the cover)

thanks. Steph; I also pleased to see that they are on the 'cover', if you can call it that, of the Rolling Stone website, at least right now (I think other 'covers' come up as you reload, but I've had TGA most of the time.

http://www.rollingstone.com/

I didn't see the cover, but they listed Gaslight in their "30 sets to see at Bonnaroo" with the blurb

Quote :

New Jersey's second hardest-working band made a worthy splash with 2008's gutsy The '59 Sound.
Packed with heart-on-sleeve lyrics and meat-n-potatoes blue-collar punk
instrumentation, the group radiated ragged charm and steely
determination. Their upcoming American Slang is even better,
incorporating dashes of gospel and R&B into the band's rugged
formula. Live they're dynamos, barely breathing between songs and
tossing lyrics from classics by the Clash and Social Distortion into
their own roaring compositions.

CluckyB wrote:

I didn't see the cover, but they listed Gaslight in their "30 sets to see at Bonnaroo" with the blurb

steady now steady now wrote:

For what it's worth, The Guardian (which gave them a glowing right up last June), gives it a 2/5. However, the review doesn't really review the album, but the band, so it's arguably a nonsense.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/jun/10/gaslight-anthem-american-slang-review

Pretty poor review allright but that journalist is an idiot, some of his other stuff, not just music reviews but everything else he writes is 99% stupid.