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The Diamond Church Street Choir
The Gaslight Anthem
The Gaslight Anthem are something like the Hold Steady with tattoos and blue collar jobs instead of Eddie Bauer shirts and college-degrees. I know they’re from New Jersey, but their blend of punk rock and Springsteen anthems tell me something important about the rusted and vacant refineries that litter the Cleveland cityscape, and the neat but worn-out houses sitting on tree-lined streets throughout the city.
This song has an optimistic bounce that belies its rust-belt melancholy – like the shiny reminiscing that obscures the sadness of nostalgia. So start this week with the bright side of some memories of the friends, music, and places that make you think kids these days don’t know what they’re missing.



Punk? Springsteen? I have only heard this one track, but it is a dead ringer for Van Morrison. Which is funny, because I just added about six Van Morrison albums to my iTunes tonight (CD I already had). This track is fantastic. I’ll explore more.
Good call. You’re totally right. This song is a little atypical for the band though. Listen to a few more tracks and I think you’ll hear the Springsteen.