As frontman with the now-in-mothballs The Gaslight Anthem, Brian Fallon's heartbreak credentials have been impeccable, and on solo debut Painkillers he's not trying to staunch the blood flow in any way.
This is the go-it-alone griever at his rootsiest; the electric guitar mostly plugged out and the acoustic more than earning its keep with growers aplenty between the grooves. From opener A Wonderful Life he's "calling all lonely hearts" and any Springsteen fan cracking under the countdown to Croke Park may find the nights aren't quite so long when spent with this other native New Jersey son.
Fallon's voice is getting better with the years and the yearning, while his gifts as a lyricist cut deeper on every album. "There's a hole in you like the windshield was taken out" and "I met a girl with a taste for the world and whiskey and Rites of Spring" are two standouts here, but you'll unearth more Fallon gems for your own story too.
He should've called it a night at 10 tracks rather than 12, though. Next time.
Harry Guerin
