The Horrible Crowes – Elsie

By Tom Aylott

For those expecting a Gaslight Anthem record, you’re kind of right. THE HORRIBLE CROWES debut LP ‘Elsie’ is essentially Brian Fallon’s vehicle to step away, albeit not very far, from the band that has been his making.

Opener ‘Last Rites’ is moody, bluesy and soulful and leads nicely into ‘Sugar’, which is could very well be replaced with ‘American Slang’ closer ‘We Did It When We Were Young’. Therein lies main problem with ‘Elsie’ – while there aren’t any bad songs on the record per se, none of them would feel that out of place on a Gaslight release.

Furthermore, lthe presence of Bruce Springsteen is never far away – ‘Go Tell Everybody’ is a rousing affair that’s reminiscent of The Boss, and is the definite standout track. What follows is much the same: a soulful blues record, that whilst enjoyable and in places touching, is not wholly original or special.

That said, ‘Elsie’ really is a solid record. There are some absolute bangers on here – the aforementioned ‘Go Tell Everybody’, ‘Crush’ and ‘Mary Ann’ are huge, and ‘Black Betty and The Moon’ could be one of the best songs ever penned by Fallon. Fans of The Gaslight Anthem will snap it up immediately and love it, and the fact that the quality is high should quell much of the ill feeling the slight lack of originality may produce.

HENRY McCAUGHTRIE

Three more album reviews for you

Fortune Teller – ‘PREMONITIONS’

While She Sleeps - 'SELF HELL'

USA Nails – ‘FEEL WORSE’