You call that music??!

For those of you not in the know, SomeECards.com is an e-cards site that has fabulously snarky messages for all sorts of holidays and non-holidays. The tone of the cards range from slightly sarcastic to pretty damn insulting. Try to imagine Dr. House writing greeting cards and you'll get the picture. This week, I sent this card to a friend with only a slight hint of irony.

It's pretty fair to say that when I was a teenager my entire life revolved around music. I'd keep track of release dates and voraciously read music magazines to try and identify the Next Big Thing. Now? Not so much. It's just a part of growing up I suppose. When you're 16 you're hearing everything for the first time and it sounds so damn impressive. Now I hear bands like the Killers and Coldplay I think, "Ehh, not bad, but I liked it better when [insert name of older band here] did it." But that's not to say I'm not still finding new and interesting bands. This year alone I've enjoyed albums by Vampire Weekend, Glasvegas, the Fleet Foxes and others. It's just that the bands I listen to don't define my identity anymore.

One band I've been listening to a lot lately is the Gaslight Anthem. They're a straight-up rock band with a punk edge and they're certainly nothing ground-breaking. But damn if I can't stop listening to their second full-length, The '59 Sound. The album is basically a love letter to their favourite artists, with lyrical and musical shout-outs to Springsteen, Tom Petty, Miles Davis, and, uh, Counting Crows. At times it's almost a too much (the first line on the album addresses a girl named Mary!), but overall the songs are strong, with minimal filler. If anything, the production is a little too slick and punk-rock generic for my tastes, but I think this band has a lot of promise and I'd love to see them live (something I rarely do anymore.) If I may use a comparison to really show my age, they remind me of a less-drunk version of The Replacements.

Judge for yourself and watch the video for the title track from The '59 Sound: