Monday, December 5, 2011

The Horrible Crowes - Elsie

I don't even know why I bother trying to write about albums that came out more than a month ago.

The Horrible Crowes is a side project of Brian Fallon from the Gaslight Anthem. He manages to write songs that sound exactly like The Gaslight Anthem but not like The Gaslight Anthem at all. At the same time, nonetheless. It's a bit more on the laid-back side of things, as both the album opener, Last Rites and the surprisingly un-religious album closer, I Believe Jesus Brought Us Together, both show. Some songs still show that classic rock 'n' roll influence such as the first single, Behold the Hurricane, while others show a different flavor to the types of songs that Mr. Fallon can perform (the reggae-tinged I Witnessed a Crime specifically comes to mind, although Mary-Ann shows a very heavy blues-rock side of things).

Again though, I'm not sure why I bother to write about albums that came out months ago. Assuming anyone even stumbles upon this blog, chances are that you've already decided that you love or hate this album because you've also probably already made up your mind on whether or not you love or hate The Gaslight Anthem. The most enjoyable thing (or perhaps the most relieving thing) about Elsie is that Brian Fallon managed to create something new for the fans to enjoy (as opposed to writing another Gaslight Anthem album) while not completely distancing himself from the sound that his fans love. That can be a very thin line to walk sometimes, but he sure walked it.

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