The Gaslight Anthem – History Books

Heartland Rock

59%

 

Reunions rarely seem to live up to expectations. I think it’s an unfortunate truth that applies to reunions in general, not just when bands get back together. We all grow at different rates, we each face our own unique struggles and triumphs, it’s unrealistic to expect that we’d stay on the same page as the people we once connected with after a lengthy time apart. Whether that’s the friends we lean on, bandmates we bounce ideas off of, or a band’s music providing an escape. Some bonds we forge can last a lifetime with a bit of luck and work, but that doesn’t make those that last only a short while any less meaningful. It’s only natural to want to keep a good thing going, but sometimes looking back what matters most is that those connections were there when you needed them. 

The Gaslight Anthem have made some of my all time favourite records, but History Books, their first new album since 2014’s Get Hurt, is not one of them. With frontman and primary songwriter Brian Fallon’s solo work reaching a new peak with the affecting Americana of 2020’s Local Honey, it seems logical to assume that the decision to shift gears to make a new Gaslight album must have had some drive and impetus behind it. Yet for the life of me I can’t find where that inciting spark enters into the equation. This feels like a snapshot of the band somewhere in the slow gradual process of rekindling their sound, rather than the product of a rejuvenating burst of creativity. An album that exists for the sake of it rather than having something meaningful to say; which kinda begs the question “why now?”. 

‘Little Fires’ explodes out of the gate with a furious opening riff, but lets that energy level drop almost immediately like an RC car lagging when the battery is running low. Softer offerings like ‘The Weatherman’ and ‘Empires’ feel like a step back from the warmth and maturity Fallon has been building up in his solo work over the last few years, and the lyrics don’t quite resonate at the same high bar he’s set for himself either. Even duetting with their biggest influence Bruce Springsteen on the title track doesn’t enflame the band’s ardour the way you’d expect it to. What should be a triumphant victory lap instead comes across as a very by-the-numbers affair. It doesn’t help that even when the band bring something interesting to the table they’re often fighting a losing battle against flat lifeless production. Its stranglehold especially drags down opening track ‘Spider Bites’; the drums have no bite of their own, the guitars struggle to muster any snarl or venom, and the bass may as well have been strung with rubber bands. Listening to the opening riff is like eavesdropping on someone listening to the Eagles ‘Victim Of Love’ down the hall.

The album’s production is honestly a baffling creative choice, but you can still find solid songwriting foundations buried beneath it. ‘Positive Charge’ has tons of potential. It’s the album’s most consistent offering, and I can hear it finding new lease of life in a live setting. ‘I Live In The Room Above Her’ toys with a really unique and interesting narrative wherein the woman living below is some manner of murderous succubus luring unsuspecting victims to their end. I’ve never had a Gaslight album full of murder ballads on my wish list, but after this I can’t deny I’m a little curious how that would sound. Charming closer ‘A Lifetime Of Preludes’ keeps the production at bay to deliver some wonderfully expressive drum work, punctuating the track’s affecting bittersweet lyricism. 

“I need a spark, I need a positive charge, Plug it into my veins and make me love this life again“. Hopefully in speaking those words aloud the band can manifest the influx of energy and passion that this project feels like it so desperately needs. Connections needn’t be doomed to history due to the passage of time, but when they’ve been neglected so long they often need a lot of work to patch them up and shake off the dust. History Books has enough of the Gaslight Anthem I remember for me not to write them off. I can see them finding their spark again and making more great records, but for me this particular release feels like a stepping stone along that path and little more.