Single Review: Brian Fallon – A Wonderful Life
American rock band the Gaslight Anthem have been on “indefinite hiatus” since the end of their European tour in August, but frontman Brian Fallon has wasted no time getting started on his new project, a solo album titled ‘Painkillers’. Produced by industry veteran Butch Walker, who has also recently worked with Frank Turner and Ryan Adams, ‘Painkillers’ is due out next spring, just ahead of Fallon’s scheduled appearance at SXSW 2016. Fallon has recently unveiled the album’s first single ‘A Wonderful Life’, along with a list of live dates in support of the album, including a run of UK shows next April. (You can view all the dates here.)
‘A Wonderful Life’ is precisely the Springsteen-type rock anthem you might expect from Jersey boy Fallon (and coincidentally timed near the Boss’ new box set release), with heavy drums and a jangling piano underneath the guitars and the gritty vocal delivery. It’s undeniably catchy, and Brian Fallon’s lyrics are almost universally evocative, like the line “most of my sins were born in a kiss on a night like this”.
The warm tone of the acoustic guitar behind the verses gives the song a slightly more intimate folk rock feeling than much of the Gaslight Anthem’s output, while the backing vocals lend a hint of gospel. The song might not be earth-shattering in terms of stylistic originality, but if you’re looking for something uplifting to pull you out of a rut, ‘A Wonderful Life’ isn’t a bad place to start. Have a listen for yourself just below.
7/10
[youtube]https://youtu.be/W9f5PrL7uvA[/youtube]
Brian Fallon’s solo album ‘Painkillers’ is due for release on the 11th of March 2016 via Virgin EMI in the UK and Island Records in North America. You can find a complete listing of his upcoming live shows on his official Facebook page. Our previous coverage of Fallon’s band the Gaslight Anthem is right back here.
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