The 2016 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #15

#15 - Brian Fallon - A Wonderful Life


Brian Fallon is best known as the leader singer and guitarist for New Jersey rockers The Gaslight Anthem. Fallon's grainy, gritty voice and straight-forward rock'n'roll style has often been compared to the likes of Bruce Springsteen, but he has definitely carved a good niche for himself as well. The Gaslight Anthem have had a few big hits including "The '59 Sound" and "45", and last year they announced they would be going on hiatus after a long tour. Fallon's debut solo album Painkillers worked it's way up to #30 on the Billboard 200, #2 on the Alternative Album chart and #3 on the Rock chart. Fallon and producer Butch Walker play the majority of the instruments on the album and it has a good solid sound to it, not too far from Gaslight Anthem but enough to give it it's own unique place in his catalogue. One of my favorite things about this album is that every song seems to tell a different special story from Fallon's perspective.

The opening track and single is titled "A Wonderful Life", and is easily enough noticed by it's pounding drums and piano opening intermixed with Fallon's signature guitar sound. The chorus booms out "I want a life on fire, going mad with desire, I don't wanna survive, I want a wonderful life". It's a powerful song with a wonderful message of making your life better and stronger. The video features Fallon playing guitar in an empty theater intermixed with people living their own versions of "A Wonderful Life". It's a good positive tune that helped me through the tougher times in 2016.








Title: A Wonderful Life
Artist: Brian Fallon
Album: Painkillers



Previous 15s
2015: Foo Fighters - Something from Nothing
2014: Five Iron Frenzy - I Am Jack's Smirking Revenge
2013: The Features - This Disorder
2012: A Plea for Purging - Heart of a Child
2011: Texas in July - Magnolia
2010: Day of Fire - Lately
2009: Silversun Pickups - It's Nice To Know You Work Alone