The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten
Critic Score
Based on 32 reviews
2012 Ratings: #761 / 1118
User Score
Based on 66 ratings
2012 Rank: #260
Liked by 6 people
July 24, 2012 / Release Date
LP / Format
Mercury / Label
Sign In to rate and review

CRITIC REVIEWS

90
Alternative Press
Thanks to the expert production of Brendan O'Brien, the record sounds goddamn phenomenal.
90
DIY
The lyrics are a little more personal, the band a little more developed - it seems that this is the start of a new and exciting chapter for The Gaslight Anthem.
83
A.V. Club

On Handwritten, his lyrics have finally settled into a perfect spot between craft and catharsis. And the music isn’t far behind. 

80
American Songwriter

Not only is Handwritten The Gaslight Anthem's best album, but it's also one of the best albums of 2012.

80
Sputnikmusic
It doesn't quite spike with the sharp edges of old, but the passion is in a more intelligent place, and it's a place worth returning to with at least the same frequency as those hospital walls.
80
NME

Despite his continued, gracious nods to a host of musical grandmasters, on ‘Handwritten’ Brian Fallon’s showing more of his true self than ever before.

80
AllMusic

As a whole Handwritten has all of the heart-on-rolled-up-sleeve passion that makes the Gaslight Anthem a band that is so easy to love and identify with.

78
Paste

With Brendan O’Brien’s slick production and Fallon’s noted shift toward introspective lyrics, The Gaslight Anthem seems to have settled into a more mature sound akin to “We Did It When We Were Young” rather than “Great Expectations.”

70
Rolling Stone

Handwritten is Gaslight's biggest-sounding, most straightforward album. The hints of Motown and dub are gone, but superproducer Brendan O'Brien supplies bite and gleam.

60
Clash

An honorable effort in what they do best, but with the evolution shown in ‘American Slang’, you would have hoped this man would have grown into a superhuman by now.

60
Consequence of Sound

Handwritten has heart, but musically, the band’s lost its edge.

60
PopMatters

It’s revealing that the album’s best moments are those in which the Gaslight Anthem incorporate their influences rather than emulate them.

60
musicOMH

If you love big guitars and vocalists who can’t help but throw in woah-oh-woahs and yeah-yeahs, you’re going to love this record.

60
Drowned in Sound

With four albums in the can, The Gaslight Anthem hardly seem the types to change their tune. 

57
Pitchfork

If in the past he managed to transform similar icons into a communal mythology, here it too often sounds like regurgitation, as though the reference were an end in itself.

40
Under the Radar

Those familiar with the band's oeuvre will find few surprises here, although if you're not familiar but were (for some reason) eagerly awaiting a new Goo Goo Dolls release then this will at least serve to tide you over.

40
SPIN
As a lyricist, Fallon has moved beyond bald cliché to bland commonplace.
Lucmun
86

Ideally, Gaslight's return should fall somewhere within the American Slang/Handwritten era, even though I'd gleefully welcome anything they eventually choose to put out. But here they had sorted out. It's the perfect distillation of everything Fallon and the Gaslight is, from energetic punk anthems to swooning Americana ballads and tales of love, nostalgia, and heartbreak.

SJCTurntable
84

Far from a by-the-numbers release, this fourth album is definitively their best. Every track is drenched in passion and Fallon’s voice is its perfect vehicle. Standout tracks aplenty show the growing maturity of the band’s sound, for whereas ‘The 59 Sound’ defined their sound, here it was deepened to create a genuine masterclass. The titular track details this winning songwriting formula with Fallon singing: ‘It travels from heart, to limb, to pen.’ Other ... read more

100

Favourites: Every single track. Worth a purchase.

Purchasing Handwritten from Amazon helps support Album of the Year. Or consider a donation?
Become a Donor
Donor badge, no ads + more benefits.
Advertisement

Track List

  1. "45" 
  2. Handwritten 
  3. Here Comes My Man 
  4. Mulholland Drive 
  5. Keepsake 
  6. Too Much Blood 
  7. Howl 
  8. Biloxi Parish 
  9. Desire 
  10. Mae 
  11. National Anthem
Comments
Sign in to comment
No one has said anything yet.


Added on: April 30, 2012