The Horrible Crowes "Elsie" review - 5 Stars!

"I remember everything at night/ Every breath of this house's creaking/ I'm familiar with the cold and the windows and the doors/ And the sound of my heart beating/ Beating in and out of time." - "Behold the Hurricane" by The Horrible Crowes

I know I don't normally give reviews, but today I couldn't resist. My sister says I am obsessed, and maybe I am, but hopefully you'll check out this record and understand why.

Chances are you haven't heard of The Horrible Crowes, the side project of The Gaslight Anthem's frontman, Brian Fallon, along with his good friend and guitar tech Ian Perkins. But you should. To quote William Miller in "Almost Famous" (best movie ever!),"The guitar sound is incendiary. Incendiary. Way to go." Actually, this whole album is incendiary. From the slow, somber "Last Rites" - the perfect prologue to the record - to the poetic "Behold the Hurricane", to the astoundingly gritty "Mary Ann", a perfect combination of Bob Dylan meets The Clash with some gospel undertones thrown in. Then there's the breathtaking "I Witnessed a Crime", my favorite track on this album. I don't have enough words to give this song justice, and we all know I have a lot of words! There are the obvious Bruce Springsteen (think his solo stuff, like "Nebraska") and Tom Waits comparisons that Fallon's fans expect, but "Elsie" is a masterpiece in and of itself. As I said, incendiary.

This album is like a distant cousin of Gaslight's Springsteenian rock with a punk twist. Yes, there are similarities, like the lyrics that read like poetry but you still can't help singing along to, but "Elsie" is much deeper, more mature, and dare I say more impressive than anything Brian has done to date, and I'm saying this as a huge fan of TGA. I can't wait to see what Gaslight's new album will hold next year, and I hope Brian and Ian have plans for a follow-up to "Elsie" under The Horrible Crowes name, because the world needs music like this, songs that embody all of the emotions people feel but don't always know how to express.

In addition to the lyrics from my song of the day, here are a few more to show you that you need to check these guys out in case you aren't already convinced.

While I get my last rites/ Read by a thief. - "Last Rites"

Nobody else waits on you/ When your hands shake like the breeze/ When your mind is a permanent dream. - "Sugar"

I guess the moon had had it out for us/ And the night and stars, the same/ Everything she touched turned to stone or died, eventually/ Or was never seen the same again. - "I Witnessed a Crime"

I've been known to wear a fine black suit and a murder of a tie. - "Go Tell Everybody"

And lonely my sisters, could not describe/ All the good things gone wrong. - "Cherry Blossoms"

I heard a ghost in our willow/ Must've lost his lover somewhere. - "Lady Killer"

Sometimes I'm up, Lord, and sometimes I'm down/ God's gonna trouble the water/ Sometimes I'm almost level with the ground/ God's gonna trouble the water. - "Crush"

Never trust a stranger/ With a diamond on his tongue/ I taught you once, baby/ I thought by now you/ Would've known. - "Mary Ann"

My love, my love/ You're the sting of the scorpion/ Consider now, the angels/ A little lower than you. - "Black Betty and the Moon"

When my footsteps have hung in your hallways enough/ For you to be truly haunted/ When your blood counts its losses. - "Blood Loss"

I met you, in the upper room/ Of a house where I slept with the angels/ From Hell and from Heaven/ Some for haunting and some for guarding. - "I Believe Jesus Brought Us Together"

She Sings the Songs

"Looking on she sings the songs/ The words she knows, the tunes she hums."

This is another favorite of the three year old I teach. I started singing her Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" after she began ballet classes over a year ago, and it stuck. She can name that tune just by hearing the first couple of notes on the radio, and she does, in fact, know the words and hum the tune. As we were driving back from the art museum today, I was belting out the lyrics to this song with a three and five year old, making me feel like I was starring in my own G-rated version of "Almost Famous", my favorite movie. Minus the totally cool 70s rock band. And the Band-Aids (except for the Hello Kitty one on Riley's foot). And the writing that the lead character actually got paid for! But I digress.

Before our karaoke session in the minivan, the girls and I had a great time at the museum. All of my reservations about taking a very active and spirited preschooler to the museum were proven unnecessary. She was in awe at the size of the massive oil paintings, and was clearly impressed at the extensive collection of Tiffany glass, especially the chandeliers, which she wanted to buy. What can I say, she has expensive taste! The entire field trip lasted less than two hours, but they were filled with culture, education, and the look of wonder on children's faces that can only be described as priceless.