HANDWRITTEN: your impressions, comments, and declarations of love

I think I must be the only person waiting for release day to hear the album! So excited though, mostly positive comments from you guys, and I heard Handwritten (song) for the first time yesterday and it sounds like an instant classic!

Ghost wrote:

I think I must be the only person waiting for release day to hear the album! So excited though, mostly positive comments from you guys, and I heard Handwritten (song) for the first time yesterday and it sounds like an instant classic!

i wish I had the willpower to wait for release day! You won't be disappointed, it's a truly fantastic album.

I'm tremendously shocked that Too Much Blood has gotten the lukewarm response it has. I honestly think it's up there with anything the band has done. Yes, it's a departure, but every part is so different yet integral to the song. At the end of the song's 5 minutes I still find myself craving more, which is an impeccable accomplishment.

JackStreetcar wrote:

I'm tremendously shocked that Too Much Blood has gotten the lukewarm response it has. I honestly think it's up there with anything the band has done. Yes, it's a departure, but every part is so different yet integral to the song. At the end of the song's 5 minutes I still find myself craving more, which is an impeccable accomplishment.

I think it is a great song and I'm enjoying it more and more with each listen. Can't wait to hear how this comes across live.

I'd like to share these comments on Handwritten by Chris Eissing, who produced Brain's first ever release, The Coffeehouse Sessions:

"One of the strongest albums out this year. I am always pleasantly surprised at the continuity that exists in his [Brian's] body of work. There are many talented songwriters. Brian has always exhibited a work ethic whereby songs were were repeatedly polished, stripping away the extraneous until he got at the passionate honest bone of the subject matter. Even though his maturity with subject matter and production blows his early works away, it is refreshing to see an artist that remains as honest as some of the first songs he ever wrote."

JackStreetcar wrote:

OldManShoes3 wrote:

Is no one else bothered by how similar the guitar on National Anthem is to Here's looking at you, kid? It's a great song, don't get me wrong, but I just find it distracting especially cause HLAYK is probably my favorite gaslight song.

It's just a simple, very commonly used rhythm. Are you bothered that Keepsake and Biloxi Parish generally have the same tempo and rhythm?

A very high % of Gaslight songs share rhythm/chords with other Gaslight songs, to the point where I typically can figure out new songs the first time I hear them with little effort. It's a credit to Brian that he can make such similar songs sound so different (most of the time).

RandyMachoManCabbage wrote:

JackStreetcar wrote:

I'm tremendously shocked that Too Much Blood has gotten the lukewarm response it has. I honestly think it's up there with anything the band has done. Yes, it's a departure, but every part is so different yet integral to the song. At the end of the song's 5 minutes I still find myself craving more, which is an impeccable accomplishment.

I think it is a great song and I'm enjoying it more and more with each listen. Can't wait to hear how this comes across live.

They soundchecked "too much blood" (along with "handwritten", "howl" and "mulholland drive") before St. Louis. Even through the wall you could tell it's going to be awesome live. They all sounded quite tight and rehearsed actually. Benny said they're trying to prevent what happened with American Slang where they didn't play the songs for a while, then they started playing them live and they were quite sloppy. Bonnaroo 2010 especially he remembered as being "rough".

steady now steady now wrote:

- And, I wish no-one made any advance statements alonmg the lines of 'sounds like', 'fastest', 'more like', etc., as it never turns out that way.

- I love the American Slang album to bits (although Elsie is my favourite album of Brian's), and I still think that it is musically more sophisticated, as well as lyrically, but the drums were too subdued.

I do find it weird that most of the reviews I've read have said this is faster than American Slang. To me, it feels slower.

And the last two times I have seen them I feel like the drums have sounded HUGE. I think this is a combo of playing venues with bigger/better sound and Benny just overall beating the HELL out of his kit. Love it!

forget some of my niggly comments of earlier, when I suddeny found myself pumping my fist in the air while listening to this, I knew that my dediction is not for nothing

* bowing before Brian Fallon smiley *

JackStreetcar wrote:

They soundchecked "too much blood" (along with "handwritten", "howl" and "mulholland drive") before St. Louis. Even through the wall you could tell it's going to be awesome live. They all sounded quite tight and rehearsed actually. Benny said they're trying to prevent what happened with American Slang where they didn't play the songs for a while, then they started playing them live and they were quite sloppy. Bonnaroo 2010 especially he remembered as being "rough".

That's refreshing to hear. These songs were made to be played in larger venues so I really hope they premier these songs at Webster Hall because to hear these songs so intimately is going to be pretty special. Most excited to hear live, Keepsake, Mulholland Drive, Handwritten, Mae, Too Much Blood.

acousticbandit wrote:

steady now steady now wrote:

- And, I wish no-one made any advance statements alonmg the lines of 'sounds like', 'fastest', 'more like', etc., as it never turns out that way.

- I love the American Slang album to bits (although Elsie is my favourite album of Brian's), and I still think that it is musically more sophisticated, as well as lyrically, but the drums were too subdued.

I do find it weird that most of the reviews I've read have said this is faster than American Slang. To me, it feels slower.

And the last two times I have seen them I feel like the drums have sounded HUGE. I think this is a combo of playing venues with bigger/better sound and Benny just overall beating the HELL out of his kit. Love it!

It is a fact that this album contains their slowest songs to date. Nothing touches Too Much Blood in that regard.

So, on my third listen and I think my favourite so far is Keepsake. Really like it.

Not sure overall yet, will take much longer.

I haven't read anyone else's impressions on the album yet, I'm going to start right now, but I just wanted to give my personal opinion really quick--
After about 5 or 6 times through, I still feel like this is my least favorite album to date. 45, Here Comes My Man, Handwritten, Howl, and Biloxi are among my favorite TGA songs ever, but there's some songs I just can't get into at all (Mae and Too Much Blood, specifically). I'm sure it'll grow on me overall as time goes on, but I just had such high expectations after 45/Biloxi/Here Comes My Man that I feel like a lot of the album didn't deliver as much as I'd hoped.

bakerfall wrote:

JackStreetcar wrote:

OldManShoes3 wrote:

Is no one else bothered by how similar the guitar on National Anthem is to Here's looking at you, kid? It's a great song, don't get me wrong, but I just find it distracting especially cause HLAYK is probably my favorite gaslight song.

It's just a simple, very commonly used rhythm. Are you bothered that Keepsake and Biloxi Parish generally have the same tempo and rhythm?

A very high % of Gaslight songs share rhythm/chords with other Gaslight songs, to the point where I typically can figure out new songs the first time I hear them with little effort. It's a credit to Brian that he can make such similar songs sound so different (most of the time).

....especially on 'the '59 sound'. it seems like at least half of the songs use a B#-G-D-A pattern, just played in different keys. he uses that patten ALOT.

the rhythm on HLAYK and National Anthem is a very standard folk rhythm (just listen to Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, etc etc etc), so it doesn't bother me at all.

Songs by the Gaslight Anthem using the Am - F - C - G chord progression (in different keys):

Wooderson, 1930, Drive, We're getting a divorce, Señor and the queen, Blue jeans, Great expectations, '59 Sound, Old white Lincoln, High lonesome, Miles Davis, Casanova, Here's lookin', Diamond church, Orphans, Old haunts, Spirit of jazz, She loves you.

..and I didn't even include the songs on Handwritten. Now I could go on a new tangent and discuss their usage of the C - G - Am - F progression, but I won't, because it's completely irrelevant. In this day and age, every single chord progression has been tried and weathered. They're using a formula for a reason - It works. That's the way that songwriting works.

Harbortown wrote:

Songs by the Gaslight Anthem using the Am - F - C - G chord progression (in different keys):

Wooderson, 1930, Drive, We're getting a divorce, Señor and the queen, Blue jeans, Great expectations, '59 Sound, Old white Lincoln, High lonesome, Miles Davis, Casanova, Here's lookin', Diamond church, Orphans, Old haunts, Spirit of jazz, She loves you.

..and I didn't even include the songs on Handwritten. Now I could go on a new tangent and discuss their usage of the C - G - Am - F progression, but I won't, because it's completely irrelevant. In this day and age, every single chord progression has been tried and weathered. They're using a formula for a reason - It works. That's the way that songwriting works.

exactly. everybody uses the Am - F - C - G and the C-G-Am-F (in different keys) one. it's sort of the same as 'verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-repeat'.....it's just a formula. same as the 'national anthem' rhythm.

There's only so much you can do in this genre.
I don't mean to sound rude or snobby or anything, but if you want music with surprises and impressive technical proficiency (The Gaslight Anthem doesn't really qualify too much in that regard) listen to stuff like jazz or progressive metal.

The Gaslight Anthem plays music to make your hips shake and your heart bleed. A cornflakes kinda band. And that's the beauty of it.

Yeah, and people have made entire careers based off of the picking pattern on Here's Looking At You Kid/National Anthem.

i think we might be misunderstanding each other. i'm not looking for mars volta surprises or steve vai proficiency. i think it really says alot about brian fallon's songwriting that he can keep using the same patterns and formulas but still make the songs sound interesting and original. i was only pointing out that he does use those same patterns a lot as an example of why the guitar rhythm to 'national anthem' sounding kinda sorta like 'here's looking at you, kid' doesn't bother me in the least. of course, i only slept for about 2 hours last night, so that may not have come across correctly.

spgilbert wrote:

i think we might be misunderstanding each other. i'm not looking for mars volta surprises or steve vai proficiency. i think it really says alot about brian fallon's songwriting that he can keep using the same patterns and formulas but still make the songs sound interesting and original. i was only pointing out that he does use those same patterns a lot as an example of why the guitar rhythm to 'national anthem' sounding kinda sorta like 'here's looking at you, kid' doesn't bother me in the least. of course, i only slept for about 2 hours last night, so that may not have come across correctly.

I know, I'm on your side bro! I was just saying that as an extention to my previous post. Or an agreement with your post without an "I agree".

I could have been clearer with that.

Harbortown wrote:

spgilbert wrote:

i think we might be misunderstanding each other. i'm not looking for mars volta surprises or steve vai proficiency. i think it really says alot about brian fallon's songwriting that he can keep using the same patterns and formulas but still make the songs sound interesting and original. i was only pointing out that he does use those same patterns a lot as an example of why the guitar rhythm to 'national anthem' sounding kinda sorta like 'here's looking at you, kid' doesn't bother me in the least. of course, i only slept for about 2 hours last night, so that may not have come across correctly.

I know, I'm on your side bro! I was just saying that as an extention to my previous post. Or an agreement with your post without an "I agree".

I could have been clearer with that.

gotcha. misunderstanding was on my part. again.....two hours of sleep. 6 more hours of work and i get to take a nap!

enough derailing. I LOVE THE NEW ALBUM!!!!!

Um not to be a Johnny-Come-Lately, but the Am F C G and C G Am F are actually the same progression - just starting and ending on a different chord. Fun with theory! yay!

JJW319 wrote:

Um not to be a Johnny-Come-Lately, but the Am F C G and C G Am F are actually the same progression - just starting and ending on a different chord. Fun with theory! yay!

It's been a while since I studied music theory but I'll contend you on that.

From my perspective, they're different chord progressions as they progress differently. Then again I took theory classes in Sweden and learned this word on the internet so I'm not sure.

i looked it up and i think he's right. something about this particular group of notes together is called the same 'progression' even though they actually 'progress' differently. but, i don't understand 'progression' and i barely understand 'theory', so i call them different.

After giving it a few listens I've really come to love this album. At first, like many people I found 'Too Much Blood' to be a tad too long, but now that I've become familiar with it more, I find it's perfect the way it is.

With that said, the rest of the album is pure gold to me and this might be one of my top favorite albums ever.