Handwritten - the 2012 new album thread

Sorry for any typos, I may or may not be half distracted by Take Me Out.

'Tom Petty Songs Played By Pearl Jam'

Fresh out of the studio, Brian Fallon reveals the heavy truth about the next GASLIGHT ANTHEM album.

Brian Fallon is in a van when Uncut calls, just leaving Nashville, on his way home to New Jersey. About fourteen hours he reckons, but with two of his bandmates sharing the driving, nothing too onerous and nothing The Gaslight Anthem haven't endured umpteen variations on before.

The band have spent five weeks at Nashville's Blackbird Studio, recording Handwritten, their fourth LP- and first for new label Mercury. It is produced by Brendan O'Brien, producer of a run of 21st century LPs for Bruce Springsteen. It will not, evidently, mark the point at which the Anthem distance themselves from their inspiration and mentor.

"Yeah," says Fallon. "I did think of that, that everyone's gonna bring up the Bruce thing again, but I've always said let's just do what works. And who better to make it sound like us and not like Bruce than the guy who did Bruce? He knows all of Bruce's tricks, right? And anyway, he said he didn't think we sounded like Bruce."

Really? "Yeah I said 'Really?', too" laughs Fallon. "But it's a much heavier sound than before. It's a realguitar rock record, loud and heavy. We normally have kind of jangly indie guitars, and it's not like that. If I have to compare it to anything, it sounds like Tom Petty songs played by Pearl Jam or Foo Fighters."

This is something of a surprise. Last summer, while promoting the debut LP The Horrible Crowes- a side project he established with Gaslight Anthem roadie Ian Perkins- Fallon told New York Magazine he was just bored and didn't want to write any more rock 'n' roll songs.

"Which was true at the time," he says."So I immersed myself in non rock 'n' roll things, did that acoustic Revival Tour in Europe [with Dan Andriano, Chuck Ragan and Dave Hause]. After six weeks of that there's nothing you want to hear more than a Marshall stack turned all the way up."

Fallon reveals Handwritten will contain 11 tracks, and parts with the titles of three- 'Here Comes My Man', '45' and 'Handwritten'. For all that Fallon suggests it's a raucous rock 'n' roll, he admits he learnt from the more measured approach taken on the Horrible Crowes' (terrific) album, Elsie. "That really affected how I was writing," he explains. "The reason for the title of Handwritten is that everything was written almost as journals- the songs are real stories about my life and things that my friend's have gone through. I just trimmed all the fat, made it as direct as it could be.

Fallon refers, with heartening guilessness, to Bruce's progression from the impressionistic lyrical jumbles of Greetings From Asbury Park, to the more straight forward writing in his later work. "He's helped deal with the changes as they come," says Fallon. "He's good at reminding you it's only a rock 'n' roll band. Even if you get rich, it's just a house, it's just a car, you're just a guy."

Fallon has shared the stage with Bruce more than once, most famously at Hyde Park in 2010. Did that endless sea of faces not look at all daunting from behind the microphone? "I'll take it," say Fallon. "I want it. I'm still a kid in a candy store with this stuff."

Handwritten will be released by Mercury Records in June. The Gaslight Anthem play London's Koko on June 11.

thanks for posting dude.

No problem

Thank you for taking the time to type up that article, Luckysparks.

Okay, so there will only be 11 songs, meaning that we still don't know the titles to five of them. And Tom Petty songs played by Pearl Jam or Foo Fighters sounds perfect. Just perfect! I will lose my mind waiting for this record. I just will.

IrishNameAndAnInjury wrote:

I will lose my mind waiting for this record. I just will.

It's easily done, I know I'm halfway there!!

thanks for sharing, luckysparks!

i get excited about this record if i think about it. maybe that's why i haven't been listening to Gaslight as much lately. i have absolutely no patience whatsoever, so if i thought about it, it might drive me crazy.

I feel like we're REALLY close to getting a release date / tracklisting / possibly first single announcement

DeathoftheCool wrote:

I feel like we're REALLY close to getting a release date / tracklisting / possibly first single announcement

oh shit, when the first single comes out, then i'm gonna lose all my patience!

DeathoftheCool wrote:

I feel like we're REALLY close to getting a release date / tracklisting / possibly first single announcement

I REALLY HOPE SO!!! Oh that would be exciting! So....It's gonna be out in June?!! Sweet!!!

Anyone wanna take a guess at what day in June? Maybe like RIGHT BEFORE THEIR SHOW IN KOKO???


Oh, and I also think I'm gonna lose my mind waiting for this record...

"If I have to compare it to anything, it sounds like Tom Petty songs played by Pearl Jam or Foo Fighters."

So...the record will sound like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONkiLR5Ehys&ob=av2e . Okay...

thanks for typing, Luckysparks...

I'm also wondering what "Tom Petty songs played by Pearl Jam or Foo Fighters" sounds like!

It's either going to be exactly what we'd expect from TGA (hard guitar lines, beautiful lyrics) or something way out there...

It's probably going to sound more like Springsteen than 59 Sound... hahahah. Though Here Comes My Man is a similar title to Here Comes My Girl..

I would be okay with a Springsteen flavor. After all Springsteen's song "we take care of our own" has the Gaslight style of intro.

I think We Take Care of Our Own sounds like an Arcade Fire song. Not that that's bad.

Words cannot describe my excitement for the new album I like the sound of a 12 string rickenbacker.

simo wrote:

I think We Take Care of Our Own sounds like an Arcade Fire song. Not that that's bad.

My sentiments exactly. A buddy of mine and I were having that exact same discussion the other day.

It's funny, someone said to me recently that the only people who associate Gaslight with NJ and even Bruce are people from around here. But I didn't agree. Articles mention him in conjunction with Gaslight constantly so how can people not be beginning to associate them with Jersey.

Great post. So we have a release month. I hope its before Koko then we get chance to know the new stuff first. Either way its excited. I knida knew it would be early summer. Junes gonna be a hell of a month with Gaslight Pearl Jam and Bruce all playing. And now this too!

Just like the 59 sound in 08, I have something to make my Summer!

american slang didn't make your summer?

and i know we can never really trust what brian says things will sound like but tom petty songs played by foo fighters sounds right up my alley.

Haven't posted in awhile but I cant wait for the new album!

stephendgaf wrote:

and i know we can never really trust what brian says things will sound like but tom petty songs played by foo fighters sounds right up my alley.

That sounds not up my alley at all haha but I'm sure I'll like it.

simo wrote:

stephendgaf wrote:

and i know we can never really trust what brian says things will sound like but tom petty songs played by foo fighters sounds right up my alley.

That sounds not up my alley at all haha but I'm sure I'll like it.

yup, Foo Fighters are BS

I love the bands I love because they don't sound like the Foo Fighters

I still bet that somebody from the bands lurks around on this forums once or twice a week!