Noise
[Indie rock]
The Hold Steady
Stay Positive
Thu, Jul 10, 2008 (midnight)
Over the course of three albums, America’s best bar band has penned modern-classic rock ’n’ roll odes to drinking, drugging and generally partying until one passes out. But they’ve also produced intimate portraits of the shady and shamed characters and physical, mental and even religious hangovers that come with the territory. With its latest, the five-piece retains its signature beer-brawl sound but mines its traditional subject matter even deeper, exploring what happens when the good times take decidedly darker turns.
Pedal-to-the-metal guitar, frenetic piano and fist-pumping, “Whoa-o-o!” choruses commandeer immediate attention, particularly the title track, “Constructive Summer,” “Yeah Sapphire” and “Sequestered in Memphis,” the last of which recounts a dalliance with a wanted woman. But slower, slightly psychedelic-tinged tracks hit harder lyrically. “Lord, I’m Discouraged” wrings its hands over a love interest embracing a downward spiral, the harpsichord-infused “One for the Cutters” tells of a co-ed caught up in a murder investigation, and the harrowing “Both Crosses” envisions the crime before it was committed. Even with a curious talk-box breakdown in “Joke About Jamaica,” the schizophrenic “Navy Sheets” is the sole out-and-out clunker, meandering without direction while shrill synths fluctuate like polygraph scratches.
This being a Hold Steady album, densely interconnected stories and self-references run rampant; faith both ruins and renews. Though violence, death and a sense of hopelessness loom, as Craig Finn & Co. defiantly remind, “We gotta stay positive,” and the music will work its magic.
The bottom line:****
1 Comment So Far
WEB SHERIFF
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Hi Julie,
On behalf of Rough Trade / Beggars Digital, Vagrant and The Hold Steady, many thanks for plugging "Stay Positive" (street date 14th July and advance, digital release date 9th June) ... .. thanks, also, on behalf of the label and the band for not posting any pirate links to unreleased (studio) material and, if your readers want good quality, non-pirated, preview tracks, “Sequestered in Memphis” is available for fans and bloggers to stream / link to / post etc on the band’s MySpace ... .. check-out http://www.myspace.com/theholdsteady and http://www.theholdsteady.com for details on “Stay Positive” and the band’s 2008 shows ... .. for a limited period a play-through of “Stay Positive” shall also be available on the band’s MySpace and on NME (http://www.nme.com), although these are for promotional purposes only and the artist and labels have kindly asked fans and bloggers not to host or link to pirate copies of the full album on-line – for which many thanks in advance.
Thanks again for your plug & the 4/5* review.
Regards,
WEB SHERIFF
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