The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
Artist: The Hold Steady
Album: Stay Positive
Label: Vagrant Records
I haven’t liked a true rock album in quite a few years, but I think that Stay Positive is coming at a good time: it is a hot summer in New York, and I am missing the balmy, easy streets and trees of Georgia. The Hold Steady, who are based in Brooklyn, give me hope that I can recover that warm and carefree feeling.
The album itself is thick and growling. Lead singer Craig Finn has that rough, almost phlegmy, voice that reminds me of Lucinda Williams’s growl. The music is dense. Your ear tries to find an empty spot to rest, but up pops a gruff chorus, a beating piano, or a horn blast. The music cannot be ignored. Neither can the lyrics. Several moments had me laughing or skipping back, including “One for the Cutters” (“When one townie falls in the forest, can anyone hear it?”) and “Sequestered in Memphis” (“In barlight, she looked alright; in daylight, she looked desperate. That’s alright, I was desperate, too”). You’ll no doubt have moments of your own:
The Hold Steady – “Constructive Summer”
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Is this the summer song of 2008? I’m betting yes. The lyrics are really good, and the driving guitars and buddy-chorus shouts generate great heat and energy. I wish I had heard this a couple months ago; I would have been more motivated.
The Hold Steady – “Slapped Actress”
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Hmm, well maybe this is the summer song of 2008? No use choosing; this album is filled with gems. I’m not sure what is going on in this song, but I’d like to think of it as a drunk scam artist’s version of Bonnie Raitt’s “Something to Talk About.”
Definitely check out this album: at the band site or at their myspace. Buy the album and enjoy.
2 Responses to “The Hold Steady - Stay Positive”
Leave a Reply
Great tunes. I might want to go see them. They’re playing this weekend in Seattle at the Capitol Hill Block Party. (Jay Reatard’s playing there too.
Here’s the schedule.
Did you end up going to this? It seemed like a great lineup.