The Gaslight Anthem/The Bouncing Souls

The guys in New Jersey’s The Gaslight Anthem got their major label deal the old-fashioned way. They didn’t just try to churn out some catchy single and put together a YouTube video they knew would go viral. Rather, the guys toured relentlessly and developed a kick-ass live show. They didn’t made any compromises on last year’s Handwritten, either. The album kicks off with “45,” a gritty tribute to the days when albums came out on vinyl and you used to have to “turn the record” over. Delivered with unbelievable amounts of gusto, the song’s anthemic chorus shows a musical debt akin to Springsteen. With its simmering vocals and bluesy guitar riff, “Keepsake” could almost pass as a Tom Petty tune. But these guys come out of a punk tradition and that ethos still comes through in songs like the rousing “Howl.” In an age of disposable pop acts and of-the-moment punk sensations, these guys are artists who are clearly not destined to be one-hit wonders. (Jeff Niesel)