Any rock band from New Jersey who wear their blue-collar credentials proudly on their sleeves will inevitably face comparisons with Bruce Springsteen, but The Gaslight Anthem have done little to distance themselves from the analogy.
On the contrary, as well as their obvious musical similarities and constant eulogising of The Boss during interviews, they played with him at last summer's Glastonbury festival not once, but twice - including a duet during Springsteen's headline slot.
The link-up resulted in sales of the band's second album, The '59 Sound, leaping 200 per cent and the former punk rock stalwarts becoming a mainstream concern overnight.
One might assume, then, that for their follow-up LP, The Gaslight Anthem would want to prove they can do more than honour their home-state hero. Apparently not.
This album is essentially Born To Run, but without loud guitars filling-in for all the keys and horns.
The title track American Slang kicks-off the record with rousing underdog lyrics, "they cut me to ribbons and taught me to drive" and "the fortunes came for the richer man, while we're left with gallows". But while the singer Brian Fallon treads much of the same lyrical territory as not just Springsteen but also Joe Strummer, he actually says very little.
Diamond Church Street Choir trades in the band's punk energy for finger-clicking blue eyed soul. Just as it gets enjoyable, the dumbfounding chorus begins "who, who, who does it better than we do?" Do they really want us to answer that?
There are plenty of jaunty riff-driven numbers, such as Orphans and Boxer, that were no doubt designed to be played on car stereos. Their brand of catchy punk, with a heavy slice of 1970s rock, certainly drifts out of the speakers easily, but only because there's so little substance to make you take notice.
Thankfully, they don't mess about with drawn-out, narrative-driven songs (another Springsteen's calling-card) and the album feels efficient if nothing else. The band clearly have skill at delivering both fist-shaking rock and down-tempo grooves too, but the record's few slivers of originality are spoiled by an over-dependence on what's gone before.
It doesn't have to be that way, of course; Arcade Fire's 2006 release, Neon Bible, bore the imprint of Springsteen's sound and showmanship, but also offered something that was unmistakably the band's own.
Many of the songs that make up American Slang have the exuberance of fellow East Coast retro-rockers The Hold Steady, but none of the wit and irony that makes that band so worthwhile.
From the first to the last minute of this record, The Boss' influence can be heard. And while the group seem adept at crafting melodies that soar, riffs that rock and drums that crunch, it's all wrapped-up in something so derivative that it's impossible for anyone other than the most devoted fan to forgive.
While there are very few truly original artists making music today, The Gaslight Anthem have fallen into straight imitation - offering very little that doesn't bear the fingerprints of their predecessors.
Eminem
Recovery
Polydor Group
"This time around it's different/Last two albums didn't count", claims the Detroit rapper on Talkin' 2 Myself. Lyrically this seventh studio album is something of a return to form, particularly after last year's dire Relapse, but it's still dogged by sludgy production.
Robert Wyatt
His Greatest Misses
Domino
Something of a collector's item since its limited release in 2004, this reissued Japanese compilation serves as a great introduction to the guardian of the British leftfield, showcasing the former Soft Machine frontman's lyrical mastery (Sea Song, At Last I Am Free) and his knack for producing glorious covers, including Elvis Costello's enduringly affecting Shipbuilding.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
FULL%20RESULTS
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Brief scores:
QPR 0
Watford 1
Capoue 45' 1
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Racecard
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Other key dates
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Finals draw: December 2
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Finals (including semi-finals and third-placed game): June 5–9, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-offs: March 26–31, 2020
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
