As with many collections of this kind, the Gaslight Anthem’s ‘The B-Sides’ is an uneven affair, one undone ever so slightly by the fact that its contents are readily available elsewhere.
Still, Brian Fallon is never less than intriguing company and many of the acoustic reworkings of Gaslight tracks here are both fragile and powerful, with Boxer, The Queen Of Lower Chelsea and Great Expectations particularly effective.
Sprinkled throughout are a series of interesting covers, from a live take on Pearl Jam’s State Of Love And Trust, a neat touchstone following the beefed-up rock of ‘Handwritten’, to a breezy run through the Rolling Stones’ Tumbling Dice.
Best of all though is a reworking of Fake Problems’ Songs For Teenagers, on which Fallon displays a talent for repurposing material within the framework of his own band’s sound. Also, if it introduces more people to Fake Problems’ stunning ‘Real Ghosts Caught On Tape', then that’s grand.
As a stopgap prior to the next Gaslight Anthem record, or whatever Fallon has in store for Molly and the Zombies, ‘The B-Sides’ works just fine. But when stood next to the natty 7” box also released by the band’s former label, SideOneDummy, last year, which compiled much of the material here, it comes in a fairly distant second.
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
.jpg)
