The Other Side of “The ’59 Sound”: Gaslight Anthem to Release B-Sides Compilation

As rock fans prep for a new album from New Jersey rockers The Gaslight Anthem (one which they are reportedly hard at work on), the band will release a new compilation of early B-sides later this month.

The New Brunswick outfit have steadily earned fans over the past few years with a deft blend of Clash and Replacements-esque punk and post-grunge, plus an emotional storytelling streak that has earned comparisons to another rocker from New Jersey (who guested with them at the Glastonbury Festival in England in 2009). Their various B-sides, from countless singles and foreign pressings of albums, show them recasting their originals in an acoustic context and, elsewhere, paying homage to their musical heroes, from Pearl Jam (“State of Love and Trust”) to The Rolling Stones (“Tumbling Dice”) to Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise (“Once Upon a Time”).

Of the 11 tracks on this compilation, almost all were previously compiled on a vinyl box set released last year. One track eluded that set and appears here anew: “Songs for Teenagers,” a song written and performed by fellow SideOneDummy act Fake Problems in 2011. (Their own version appeared on the other side of the single.)

Gaslight Anthem’s The B-Sides is available on CD or vinyl January 28. if you’re a big fan, there’s a pre-order bundle available that comes with a T-shirt, patch and guitar picks; otherwise, standard order links and full track specs are after the jump.