Brian Fallon
Sleepwalkers
Island Records
When that first warm breeze of spring blows in on an otherwise crisp, bright February day, that’s the moment when the romantic blue collar musings of Brian Fallon inspire the most purest of feels. Sleepwalkers, Fallon’s followup to his immaculate solo debut Painkillers, is the sound of reluctant adults chasing their youth through the midways and boardwalks of weekend life. Ferris wheels and old flames, boomboxes and Etta James – the songs tell the stories of a man struggling with finding the balance between living in the Now and aching for the Past. It’s nostalgia as inspiration for finding the joy in the everyday before it slips away.
“Maybe we believed/ In very very foolish things/ Maybe these songs kept us breathing another tomorrow/ We were always very sure/ We were never gonna change the world/ I never held any grudges/ or kept any pictures” – from “Neptune”
The frontman for recently reunited The Gaslight Anthem continues his journey into the heartland of American music, effortlessly blending Soul, Gospel, Country, and Rock ‘n’ Roll in a manner reminiscent of the old Sun Records greats. Yeah, that’s a grand comparison, but Brian Fallon writes, sings, and plays like an old soul. He’s been writing anthemic heartbreaks and fist-pumping celebrations of life for over a decade and it’s a about damn time he got his due.
“So I’m gonna sing right now/ While my heart still pounds/ ‘Cause tonight is almost over/ Tomorrow’s such a long time/ And if all my words are gone/ To waste away in the unknown/ As long as you know how I loved you/ That would be the proof of life when I am gone” – from “Proof of Life”
In addition to continuing his quest to make the world feel a little deeper and love a little harder, he’ll be taking a victory lap with The Gaslight Anthem in the spring to play a handful of shows playing their opus 2008’s The ‘59 Sound. Expect tears – from those inside reveling in one of the greatest albums of the last decade, and from those outside who couldn’t score tickets.
