Bruce Springsteen’s Magic, released this past fall, left no doubt that the 58-year-old is still very much in his creative prime. He might not have the same influence on modern music as the Beatles or the Stones, but over the past few years a new breed of rock acts have fallen in step with The Boss’s working class anthems, crafting their own permutations of the Jersey-bred Springsteen sound. Here are a few of the finest Springsteen-inspired acts.
The Gaslight Anthem — New Brunswick, New Jersey’s the Gaslight Anthem don’t merely share a geographic kinship with the Boss. In fact if you took away his two sleeves of colorful tattoos, frontman Brian Fallon actually physically resembles Springsteen. This likeness is even more exaggerated once Fallon starts to sing tracks like “Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?” from the Gaslight Anthem’s latest EP Señor And The Queen, which is a nostalgic mix of songs that sound like The Boss would if he had listened to punk acts like Hot Water Music and Leatherface in addition to the classic folk and blues artists who swayed his own musical tastes.
Free Download: "Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?"
The National — Brooklyn’s own the National have covered the Boss’ “Mansion on a Hill” and Springsteen himself is a fan of the group (he posed for a photo with them backstage in 2006 when the National performed at a tribute concert). Although the National lack the electricity of Born In The U.S.A.-era Boss, their lyrics have the same tension and complexity and narrative quality of Springsteen’s stripped-down material—and frontman Matt Beringer’s baritone vocals are as instantly recognizable as Springsteen’s.
Free Download: “Fake Empire”
The Hold Steady —The Hold Steady are as loyal in their references to the Twin Cities as the Boss is to singing about his New Jersey hometown, and that’s far from where the similarities between these two acts end. Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn and guitarist Tad Kubler interact like Springsteen and his E Street Band compatriot Steven Van Zandt, and guitar-driven songs like “Stuck Between Stations”―from the band’s latest full-length Boys And Girls In America―contain the same palpable passion and energy inherent in Springsteen’s best material.
Free Dowload: "Chips Ahoy!"
The Killers — There aren’t a lot of obvious similarities between the Boss and
the Killers’ new-wave-leaning debut
Hot Fuss, but songs like “When You Were Young” from the band’s sophomore release
Sam’s Town show frontman Brandon Flowers singing about “
the place where you used to live” over a bed of singing synthesizers and driving instrumentation. In recent times Flowers has gone on the record calling Springsteen his “savior” and claims the Boss “has taught him how to love America.”
The Arcade Fire — Haunting Arcade Fire songs like “Windowsill” are direct reflections of Springsteen discs like Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad. When the band sing “I don’t want to live in my father’s house no more,” it’s hard not to recall Springsteen’s famed on-stage anecdote about his dad trying to blast his guitar-playing son out of his room by turning the dial on the furnace all the way up. Come to think of it, parental alienation may be the one thing more universal than the Boss’ music.