D.C. Band Works its Way to the Top of the Charts

By Broadside Staff Writer Dylan Hares

This past week, I had the opportunity to listen to the debut self-titled CD from Gaslight Society, a little-known band out of the Washington, D.C. area that draws influence from all manner of bands in all sorts of genres. On the surface, the four-piece band, which features a vocal, guitar, bass and drums arrangement and a female lead singer, seems to be successfully carving a niche in the music scene with its alternative-blues sound unlike a lot of new bands out there. Unfortunately, different isn’t always the way to be.

My relationship with the eight-track Gaslight Society album didn’t start too well when I heard the first two tracks.
The opening track “Hell or High Water/Snake Drive” really showcased their bluesy and alternative rock/grunge sound and had a halfway decent musical arrangement, but was poorly mixed, had incomprehensible lyrics, and was almost annoying towards the end. Track two, “Trail of the Treed,” started off well with a distinct Led Zeppelin and The Clash influence and featured a skilled bass intro, but still turned out hard to understand, poorly mixed and had a bad guitar solo.

Things started to look up during the next song, which was slow, melodic and had a very distinct western feel. This song, I can actually say, I kind of liked. Throughout the whole CD, the lead singer of the band sounds a lot like Ann Wilson from Heart and you definitely can’t knock her for that.

Track four, “Isabel,” was also reminiscent of Led Zeppelin and very jazzy and rhythmic. It had a kind of punk or ska feel that I liked and thought they incorporated either purposefully or accidentally well. My optimism declined sharply at “Rose of Sharon” and “Stackside” when I felt like I was sitting in a dingy nightclub listening to alcohol-induced blues in a middle-of-nowhere dive.

While “Stackside” had an almost catchy sound, I couldn’t wait for it to be over. The seventh track is a cover or modern interpretation of Charley Patton’s “Oh Death.” While Charley Patton is about as old school blues as it gets, I can’t particularly say I’ve ever been a fan of his.

That being said, I enjoy the original more than this cover, which dragged on for six long minutes. While a blues cover would be the staple of any modern blues band, I think a better one could have been chosen.

After “Oh Death,” there was literally a track full of silence, which I interpreted as a mistake on the part of the recording studio, which was then succeeded by a decent cover of “Search and Destroy” by Iggy Pop and the Stooges. Gaslight’s lead singer took a lot of vocal liberty with the well-known track, but overall it wasn’t too bad.

Considering I didn’t find more than three tracks on the Gaslight Society album worth any time, I wouldn’t recommend paying more than $3 for the CD.

Despite what I’ve said, though, if you like the sound of post-grunge, alternative rock, blues, and classic rock, you really should check out the songs on their MySpace at www.myspace.com/gaslightsociety.

Gaslight Society definitely has room to grow and they seem like a fun band to hang out with. I think once Gaslight Society works out their niche in the music world and matures their sound, they will really be a band to watch out for.