New Jersey's The Gaslight Anthem makes music that's big on the prospects of self-liberation and self-fulfillment. As you might expect from Springsteen-blessed Jersey dudes, they sing about overcoming obstacles and being bigger than your surroundings. That said, why do they seem so predictable and conservative, as though they've digested every punk and rock manifesto only to regurgitate them in spirit and sound? Doesn't that dumb down and maybe even defeat the shout-out-loud purpose? —Grayson Currin