CD of The Week

The Gaslight Anthem's American punk-infused rock has always come with a fully charged and steady beat and screaming guitar riffs that, together, meet the perfect conditions for an energized air-rocking session (possibly NSFW). Their fourth album, Handwritten, contains the same promising rock recipe with even more energy and, as you may have guessed, anthems galore. It comes to us after some time off for frontman Brian Fallon to work on his side project (a duo with a friend), The Horrible Crowes, for which he released a debut album last September.

Heart-woven and literally handwritten (as the title track suggests), Fallon connected more than a pen to the page for these songs. Whether singing about endearing sentiments of brotherhood, bliss or lost love, it's clear that the lyrics became especially personal for him this time around. My personal favorites are "Too Much Blood," truly touching and soft "National Anthem," and "Biloxi Parish" for its specific multi-layered guitar sequence. Album opener "45" is surely a winner, along with "Here Comes My Man" and "Mulholland Drive." "Wake it up!/ Shake it out!" he screams at the opening of "Howl." This matches the overall volume and intensity of Handwritten. Gaslight have really come into their own on this album by just having fun and rocking out full force.