Graffiti-Atlantic!

I know, I promised that the NWOBHM article would be uploaded this weekend... the one that's just gone... but hang on, I'm working on it! It'll be up very very soon! Until then, enjoy this graffiti piece that I made. It's inspired by Sam McTrusty from Twin Atlantic, and the band's track 'Edit Me'...

Alive in the Superunknown #6 - 45 by The Gaslight Anthem

Remember all the way back in June, when I set myself a challenge to review 'Rize of the Fenix' in under 250 words? Well, since then my reviews have been getting longer and longer. I think it's time to challenge myself again to reign in that word count to a nice, round 250! Here goes...

I think that there's one word which sums up '45' perfectly. That word is momentum. With Brian Fallon's passionately shouted vocals, Alex Rosamilia's driving guitar work, Alex Levine's strong, rhythmic basslines and Benny Horowitz's consistently powerful drumbeats, the whole quartet work together seamlessly to create three-and-a-half minutes of pure, honest, loud, heavy rock.

It's a song that sounds as if it was just made to play live; with every single chord and every screamed lyric the listener is begged to jump and dance, forced to forget the monotony of everyday life and rock out like there's no tomorrow. The song also lends itself perfectly to radio airplay. It hardly touches mainstream pop music in terms of commerciality and simplicity, but it contains plenty of those crucial melodic hooks and riffs, and of course an extremely catchy chorus - "Turn the record over, see you on the flipside!" - necessary for it to appeal to the masses.

To sum up, '45' is a fantastic effort by The Gaslight Anthem, and a perfectly chosen lead single for their new album 'Handwritten'. It's a momentous rollercoaster ride of a track, with the heavy and distorted sounds needed to appeal to hardcore rock fans, but also the potential to bring a whole new, more mainstream audience to the band.

And, as always, here's the official music video for '45', so that you can have a listen to the track without even leaving the blog...

'45' is out now - it's available to purchase as a single, and as part of The Gaslight Anthem's new album 'Handwritten'. If you like the song, buy a copy and support the band!

PsyD

This weekend I'll be concentrating on getting the long-awaited New Wave Of British Heavy Metal article finished and posted on the blog. Then, the weekend after, 'Alive in the Superunknown' will resume as usual. The featured track next time will be...  

'Map of the Problematique' by Muse

Coming up on Superunknown...

I just thought I'd leave a quick message about what's coming up soon on the blog, to keep you all updated on what's going to be posted and when...

• The next 'Alive in the Superunknown' entry will be posted in the next few days. This week I'm reviewing '45' by The Gaslight Anthem. I know, I know, it was supposed to have been posted days ago. My excuse? I've been here for the past few days...

The image is from Blackpool's official tourism site, www.visitblackpool.com/attractions/blackpool-beach-p275980. The copyright for this image is thus owned by visitblackpool.com, and not by me. If the copyright holder wishes me to remove their photograph from the blog I would be happy to do so, at their request.

• Also this week, I'll be posting an article I promised ages ago, on the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal: What it was, what effect it had on music and why it's still relevant today.
• Quite a while ago I said that I'd be posting a new album review on the blog. That review - on the 'Electronic Earth' album by Labrinth - will be posted at some point in the next few weeks.
• Next month (August) I'll also be writing another 'You Know You're Only In It 'Cause It's Hot Right Now' post, centred around the tracks that are 'Hot Right Now' in my world.

So, as you can see, I have a lot to keep me occupied over the summer, when I'm not chipping away at the mountain of reading and homework given to me by college!

Make sure that you stay tuned to the blog for all of the above content and more,

PsyD