Brian Fallon picked up where Bruce Springsteen left off in the world of heartland rock. The Gaslight Anthem frontman is know for his songs that tell hard-luck stories. After putting his band on hiatus in 2015, Fallon released his debut solo record titled Painkillers a year later. The album was well received by critics. However, Fallon's solo debut can be easily grouped in with later Gas Light Anthem records (which is not a bad thing), but he was ready to freshen up his sound a little bit. During an interview with Reverb, Fallon said, "I've already done the Americana, Tom Petty rock thing on the first solo record. Now, I want to get more serious because I feel like I have no business playing in the same arena as (Jason) Isbell and Tom Waits and Lyle Lovett not knowing what I am doing."
For his sophomore record Sleepwalkers, Fallon attempted to take a small stepped away the sound of his last record. Now, this record does have the things a Gaslight Anthem/Brian Fallon a person would want in a record, but Fallon lets his R&B, soul, and early rock influences take the helm from time to time during the record. Sleepwalkers still sounds like t-shirts, blue jeans, and a perfectly worn-in pair of Chuck Taylors, but like new, not broken in t-shirts and jeans. The record is familiar but not an instant favorite.
The record's opening track "If Your Prayers Don't Get To Heaven" greet the listener with a surprisingly light hearted tune about kicking your blues. As the introduction to the record, this song provides a good overview of what the listener is in for. It's sonically lighter and has bitter sweet overtones. The track is so bouncy that it almost is a sin if you don't dance along to it. Like the rest of the songs on this album, this track has a surprising amount of electric organ on it. It is not a background instrument either. The organ is featured quite heavily. The following track "Forget Me Not" continues the light and bouncy feeling, albeit, with a darker tone to the lyrics. Fallon asks the songs focus "Stacy" what she would do if he died.
"Come Wander With Me" is the album's first real break from the overall sound. The track opens in a alternative pop-like fashion with an intro riff that has a heavy delay on it. The riff is then paired with a kick and snare pattern that makes the listener think their "hipster" friend took over the stereo. It almost sound like Lorde tried to write a Springsteen song. Thankfully, the album recovers with the ballad "Etta James."
During tracks four through six, Fallon sort of falls back into the sound of the ballads found on Painkillers. They are quiet, acoustic focused, and full of heart-on-your-sleeve lyrics. "Her Majesty's Service" sounds awfully close to "Among Other Foolish Things" from his solo debut. While they aren't anything knew in the Fallon catalog, these tracks are still great for rainy days and quiet Sunday mornings. Otherwise they can get a little slow and make the album drag along.
The second half of the record picks back up to more of a standard blues rock sound with "Little Nightmares." This track changes pace not only tempo-wise but sonically. There is a new organ sound that feels like Fallon raided the They Might Be Giants rehearsal space for their whacky keyboard sounds. "Little Nightmares" is then followed up with the album's title track "Sleepwalkers." It is the records second (and final) departure from its overall sound. The Preservation Hall Jazz band lends their horns for a jazzy ballad.
The last fourth of the album are more of the same for Fallon. They are not bad songs or anything that should be skipped over, but they just aren't anything new. Sleepwalkers final single "My Name Is The Night (Color Me Black)" is an anthem to angsty teenage couples. The final song "See You On The Other Side" is a bitter sweet song about longing for growing old and dying with a loved one. As the final track, this song does a decent job wrapping up Sleepwalkers. Fallon references an earlier track with the lyrics "To find myself in the things that complicate you. And spend my life in your majesty's service."
Overall, Sleepwalkers is not a bad album. There are a number of tracks that are a fresh take on the sound Brian Fallon has crafted over the years, but this album isn't a standout in his catalog. Upon first listening, I loved this album; however, spending more time with it has made me lose interest with a good half of the songs. None of the songs are bad. They just aren't as captivating as they were on Painkillers. This is an album I'd recommend people listen to at least once because it still has all the good things that a Brian Fallon record has. If you're a huge fan of Fallon's work, this is still record is worth the money.
Comments
Post a Comment