Got this as a question on my Tumblr and thought it was worth a little more thought:
What are your thoughts on dadpunk like Gaslight Anthem and Titus Andronicus? I could pretty well guess, but WTF. It’s basically beardo punk, so I assume you fucking hate it, but you might not know about it? So I thought I’d inform you of something else you are obligated to hate.
Perfect for high school graduation videos and beer commercials, amirite?
l.jsadflk;sdfklhdfjklh raging so hard
I like about 90% of the things I make fun of on this site, but I fucking completely non-ironically hate this bullshit. “Perfect for high school graduation videos and beer commercials” is about right– file under meaningfulcore, or songs that white people want to hear during the most profound, bloggable moments of their lives. Usually those moments correspond with the times that they most identify with the poor people, OTWs (“other-than-whites”), and other groups whose validation they so desperately long for.
Don’t know much about these guys but seems like their parents probably teach African-American Studies at Rutgers. As we all know, you have to rebel against your parents, so what better way to reject your fggty, upper-middle class white roots than to turn yourself into some kind of working-class, folk-punk musician who namechecks ‘authentic New Jersey highways’ while copping riffs from Bruce Springsteen.
To borrow a phrase from Henry Rollins, being a dude in your early 20s and playing ghey dadpunk like this is like breaking into your parents’ liquor cabinet and drinking the lite beer.
Half the Titus Andronicus and Gaslight Anthem songs are ABOUT feeling too old and not fitting in. And Bruce actually sang with Gaslight.
I know defending these guys on this blog is stupid and only gonna lead to mockery but I’ve been reading you guys for ages and been on huge Gaslight and Titus Andronicus kick this week
It was interesting seeing Gaslight Anthem live. Long before their set started the lead guitar player was up on stage noodling around and waiting. It was like they were doing a basement show and he needed things to get started so he wouldn’t have to break curfew…again! Meanwhile the bass player couldn’t be bothered with puting his bass on himself and instead needed a lackey – er- roadie to place it ever so delicately on his person. He looked like he was gracing the rabble with his presense pretty much the whole time he was up there. The singer was plain terrified to be there. In front of people. Drunk people. Who somehow knew his songs.
I left before he got to comfy.
Gaslight are terrible. I ended up seeing them once last year, and it felt like they were just playing the same song for 90 min.
At first, I thought Gaslight wasn’t going to be that bad. Then the ever-so-slightly-echoed vocals started and I couldn’t fucking take it.
Titus Andronicus I don’t have as much of a problem with, but goddamn does the indie/hipster scene ever suck their collective dick. They really aren’t that good. They’re like a substandard, pretentious, non-Irish and non-fun Dropkick Murphys.
Gaslight Anthem = Replacements cover band
you are giving them way too much credit
haha wow this is a fucking joke
ha. it’s cute how the youngsters have re-discovered DIY college rock about 25 years late. it’s like antietam or buffalo tom or something. sweet. you kids have fun down there, and call up if you want me to bring you more hot pockets and soda. oh, and if you scratch my fucking mission of burma records i’m going to have to get the belt.