On February 9th, 2018 Brian Fallon—frontman of the beloved Jersey band The Gaslight Anthem— released his second solo album 'Sleepwalkers' and I have not stopped listening to it. Fallon is, without a doubt, my favorite musician of all time. From Gaslight to the Horrible Crowes and Molly and the Zombies, all the way to his recent solo projects, I am a diehard Brian Fallon fangirl.
When I heard a new album was coming out, I was overjoyed—I was as stoked for this album as I was to hear Gaslight is doing a reunion tour this summer, which says a lot. I was absolutely blown away when I listened to the album in full Friday morning—but I expected nothing less.
Each song is unique in sound and style, ranging from pop-like beats interwoven with his familiar rock guitars all the way to big band, jazzy styles. When a friend of mine from the U.K. listened to it as soon as it came out midnight his time, he told me how different it was from Fallon's earlier works— but in a good way.
I, unfortunately, slept through the midnight release here on the East Coast, but I listened to it as soon as I got in the car for my morning commute. The album starts off with the jazzy single "If Your Prayers Don't Get To Heaven," followed by "Forget Me Not" with those infamous calls of Stacey! As much as I love these songs, I've been listening to them since they were first released, so I couldn't wait to get to the third song and hear something new.
The third track on the album, "Come Wander With Me" carries a very pop-like beat, working with familiar rock-style guitar riffs. As soon as this song came on, I had a huge smile on my face— it was upbeat, fast-paced, and that iconic line in the first verse, "Mama was a woman and a hard working man" quickly became one of my favorite lyrics of all time.
"Etta James" follows, with more of a slowed down, smooth-jazz vibe— but still carries that upbeat vibe that we've grown comfortable with over the past four songs. Fallon really sings his heart out here, and you can definitely tell he had a lot of fun recording it. The final verse of "Etta James, Etta James" is smooth and soft, almost soothing.
The fifth song, "Her Majesty's Service" reminded me of Gaslight's work— not necessarily in sound, but rather in lyrical content. That image of the Queen is famous among Fallon's fans, being referenced in songs across his entire discography.
After that, we're gifted with "Proof of Life," AKA the best love song Fallon has penned since "Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts" on the 'Senor and the Queen' EP. The following song, "Little Nightmares" is another fun song— but not one that jumped out to me like some of the others did.
The eighth song on the album, the title track "Sleepwalkers" is currently tied for my number one favorite. Big band, New Orleans vibes coupled with even bigger vocals—"Mama she was famous in my dreams"—make for the perfect song to jam out to in the car.
The next song, "My Name Is The Night (Color Me Black)" was the last single to come out before the album's release, and is my other contestant for favorite song. If you've heard "Rosemary" off his first solo album, 'Painkillers,' you might understand what I mean when I say that this song is 'Sleepwalkers' "Rosemary" in my opinion. The resolution and intensity just make me want to scream out the lyrics every time it comes on!
The last three songs,"Neptune," "Watson," and "See You On The Otherside" close out the album in a gentle decline. "Neptune" is another song that reminds me of Gaslight—specifically the song "Sweet Morphine" off their last album 'Get Hurt.' "Watson" pairs a similar, smooth sound that we hear in "Etta James" with Fallon's intense vocals and is catchy as hell.
The last song, "See You On The Otherside" is the perfect ending to the album. It's gentle and hopeful and loving and definitely a song to listen to at night when you're trying to relax.
Overall, I was blown away by this album. It was everything I was hoping for and more. Listening to it, you can definitely tell this was a project that Brian worked hard on—and it's something he worked hard on for himself and the people closest to him. He made this album without anyone's expectations in mind except for his, and—in my opionion—that's the most admirable thing any artist can do.
You can stream "Sleepwalkers" on Spotify, or download it on iTunes.
