Music to Code By: The Gaslight Anthem

Music to code by: The Gaslight Anthem

I don’t read record reviews, or music magazines, or music web sites. I rarely watch music videos, and when I am in the car I usually listen to my own cds. It’s rare
that I will ever be drawn into the hype around a band because I just don’t have
the time or spend the necessary energy in places where hype is on display.

So, a few weeks back I was watching an episode of Conan O’Brien and decided to
actually watch the musical guest. I rarely do this, but their name sounded cool –
The Gaslight Anthem, and I had a little extra time.

I was blown away by the band on stage, I hadn’t witnessed a live band as good as this (even on TV) since the early 80’s Alarm shows I attended. The song was like Springsteen meets the Ramones and was executed perfectly (to my ears).
I have a soft spot in my music listening heard for simple fast,
honest rock mixed with punk: Stiff Little Fingers, Green Day, The Replacements,
Husker Du, Soul Asylum, The Who, early Cheap Trick, the Shoes, The Descendents,
The Alarm, The Long Ryders, The Gin Blossoms, Tom Petty, and many more bands and
artists were a huge part of my 80’s and 90’s. All of these sound slightly
different, but to me all have two things in common : Guitars and Honesty.

Anyway, when I sit down to code or to think, or to be inspired to write some
game music of my own, I usually fire up iTunes, put on my head phones, and
listen to a random selection of these and other artists (and other musical
genres) that make up my library.

Lately though, in the car and at home, I can’t get the two albums by The
Gaslight Anthem out of my head and have been playing them constantly.

I have never heard anyone else talk about them, and never have heard them on
the radio, but they were on Letterman last night (monster performance), and their Myspace page is a
buzz with 5 star album reviews and a friends list that reads like a who’s who of
New Jersey rock and punk. In any case, hype machine or not, if you like 3
chords, a twinge of Springsteen, and a whole lot of honest story driven lyrics,
you might also appreciate the following YouTube videos by the Gaslight Anthem.
If not, don’t worry about it, to each his own. Music is an intensely
personal experience to me, so no need to bum my high if you think they suck.

The Gaslight Anthem – Old White Lincoln