The Gaslight Anthem - History Books (October 27th 2023) Album • Page 80

yeah it's probably 4th for me

 

It’s my least favorite from them but I still love it. The production does hold it back a little bit but I still enjoy the songs and I’m very grateful they are making music again. I enjoyed Get Hurt more than most and the first four albums are flawless outside of Too Much Blood imo.

 

It’s fourth for me. Definitely way above Get Hurt, and I prefer it to Sink or Swim, too.

 

59 sound
american slang
sink or swim
history books
handwritten
get hurt

 

all Gaslight albums are majestic

 

Handwritten
59 Sound
History Books
American Slang
Sink or Swim
Get Hurt

my top 2 rotate depending on mood

 

handwritten has a handful of their best songs and a handful of their worst

 

They’re one of the only bands where I find it impossible to rank their albums because I love all of them and it just depends on my mood. That being said, I listen to sink or swim the least so by default it’s last.

 

during the years they were on hiatus I listened to Get Hurt significantly more than all of their other albums, which was not something I anticipated back around the time the album released

 

I actually liked Get Hurt more when it had the status of being their de-facto swan song. It seems more inconsequential to me now that there was another album to follow it.

 

yes

yes

 

as time has gone on - and especially now with History Books - I can't definitively rank their albums either, but I have to say that Sink or Swim is one of my absolutely favorite albums by any artist to blast when I am lifting weights

 

I honestly love every Handwritten song other than "Too Much Blood," which I could take or leave.

 

yeah, but what is American Slang?

 

Idk maybe it’s because I’m in my mid thirties and have grown up with the band but there are days where I sincerely think History Books is my favorite. What a great band

 

i’m walkin here

 

B

But Also if someone asked me to show them the gaslight anthem it’s definitely not the album I’d show them

 

My top 3 would be:

59 Sound
Handwritten
American Slang

And then for the next three I sometimes have a hard time ranking. Like I know Sink or Swim has better songs than Get Hurt and is a way more consistent album, but when I play Get Hurt I'm hit with a wave of nostalgia of that time and place in 2014. Didn't think that would happen with this album but it does now and prob propels it up the ranks even though I know it is sort of a mess at points and lyrically is one of his weakest collective efforts.

 

I have the exact same order and continue to stand on the mountain top preaching “American Slang > Handwritten” to anyone who will listen.

 

Preach. I will ride with you on this.

 

I don't know if I am eloquent enough to convey what I am trying to say, but whenever I listen to the entire album I'm always a little bit disappointed that the album ends with "A Lifetime of Preludes", not so much because I don't like that song, because I do, it is a beautiful song, but moreso that I think I wanted one more shit-kicker from the album overall and that's just the song that is playing when I'm feeling that as the album ends

that aside though, this is absolutely still up there with the rest of their albums

no question

 

I still don’t understand why people don’t like Desire

 

I just dont think its that interesting of a song.
I dont think I "dont like it" though.
Its just whatever.

 

for me it's just a lackluster song on an incredible album by a great band and there happens to be a b-side with similar energy that is an infinitely superior song in every way