Almost Killed Me |
Boys and Girls in America |
Heaven is Whenever
This is one of those bands that I think
I always liked conceptually more than I liked in practice. I
was a big fan of Craig Finn's old band, Lifter
Puller. Those dudes were drunken nutjobs fronted by a dude
who seemed to actually go out of his way to be annoying. They
were Les Savy Fav's drunken
bar band hillbilly cousins. The Hold Steady has become something
else--a real band. This album, especially, feels like someone
watched over them in a studio twiggling knobs and shaving the
rough edges. Funny then, that this sounds the most generic and
formulaic bar-bandy and dated of their recent albums (see "The
Smidge"). Granted, I do like the opening song, "The
Sweet Part of the City," which couldn't sound more like
a beer-soaked country, bar band ditty (despite its excellent
production). Maybe it's a matter of finding that balance somewhere
between the chugging mid-90s alt band and the twang that seems
to suit them better as an aging rock band settling into their
post-party days--somehow more reflective and less in the midst
of a party that's passed them by. It's not to say I couldn't
listen to Finn sing his twisting narratives all day long, but
while he's dialed down the similes and wordplay that used to
dominate his songwriting, now he's settled into a bit of a formula
that unfortunately shows off the musical limitations of his
band. |
Separation Sunday |
Stay Positive |
Musical Connections:
Lifter Puller
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