Brian Fallon specialized in anthemic heartache with his band the Gaslight Anthem, and his new song “A Wonderful Life” suggests he’s staying the course on an upcoming solo album. For the second straight year, one of the best of the Springsteen bandleaders stepped out for a great solo album. In 2015, it was Craig Finn of The Hold Steady; this year Brian Fallon ex of Gaslight Anthem reaches for his moment and makes an honest stand with Painkillers. And like Finn, it turns out that Fallon’s earnest narratives thrive with less instrumentation around them.
Featuring a rock-solid beat topped with growling electric guitars, Fallon’s hoarse, expressive voice is the centerpiece as he sings with a yearning edge about wanting a meaningful existence. “‘A Wonderful Life’ was my expression of how I feel, and how some people I know feel,” the singer and guitarist says by email. “We want our lives to matter to those around us. We want our time here to have positive impact and not simply to pass by. Even if that costs us.”
The song comes from “Painkillers,” which is Fallon’s first solo effort after five studio albums with the Gaslight Anthem since the band formed in 2006. The New Jersey group announced a hiatus earlier this year. Fallon is also half of the rock duo the Horrible Crowes, and a member of the Americana group Molly and the Zombies with bassist Catherine Popper (Jack White, Ryan Adams) and Scissor Sisters drummer Randy Schrager.
Popper plays bass on “Painkillers,” which also includes drummer Mark Stepro (Ben Kweller, Jackson Browne) and guitarist Butch Walker, who produced the album. “Painkillers” released on Island Records, and Fallon will start a North American tour.
