The accompanying review states:
Pitchfork's been rocking our hyper-protected copy of The Hold Steady's highly anticipated forthcoming long-player Boys and Girls in America for a few weeks now, mulling over more clever ways to say "outstanding," "surefire year-end list banger", and "future classic" before it arrives on October 3.Having played the song several times today, I have a few additional thoughts. First, when I heard the song played live a few months ago, it sounded like resurrected AC/DC. As recorded, it's no Celine Dion, but there's certainly a more melodic, chipper undertone. Craig Finn's voice approximates singing -- a contrast to the raspy, half-dead but born-again shouts that I've grown to love. Likewise, the lyrics don't aspire to synthesize pop culture with the Old Testament. I expect that the album will be less of a challenge and more of a party.
8 comments:
I love The Hold Steady. Lame comment I know. I'm sorry. But, there's just not much good rock out there these days.
The Hold Steady is my favorite currently functional band, and I've written several thousand words on this site that amount to little more than repeating "I love the Hold Steady" over and over.
Okay, my expectations for the new record are completely out of control at this point. I've said it before in this space, and I'll say it again: I haven't been this excited for the release of a record since Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and Kid A.
When a Williamsburg-dwelling, indie-music-website-running, spiky-haircut-having young hipster colleague once asked me to describe The Hold Steady in three words, I said "rock and roll."
I will now elaborate on that: The Hold Steady know how to rock, and do so on a regular basis.
There. I have now added my hosannahs to this little Amen corner. By which I do not mean the former hit TV show showing Saturday nights on NBC (in stereo where available).
I'm trying to keep my expectations in check. I don't expect anything to knock my on my ass the way my first listen to "Hornets Hornets" and "Cattle and the Creeping Things" did. The John Berryman song will be great but I'm not expecting this album to be as complicated as that. I'm taking deep breaths and hoping that it'll be fun.
Interestingly, from the two songs I've heard so far, it seems like they may be stepping away a bit from the recurring-characters thing, which disappoints me a bit, because I was looking forward to learning more about my favorite characters, the Gideon-fronted band-within-a-band, the Cityscape Skins (see "Sweet Payne," "You Gotta Dance," "Curves & Nerves").
I'm just worried because the last time I saw them, there was a girl about 10 feet from me who was exactly the spitting image of my mental picture of Holly...to the point where I was glancing around looking for a large man wearing sweatpants.
I know I've said this before....and haven't got it yet, but Im expecting to get a hold of this CD soon...when I do I'm sending it your way....I'm liking that Chips Ahoy song...I'm very very excited for this album and to see them live again...
This song isn't staggeringly great or anything, but it's catchy as hell. Very difficult to get out of your head; lyrics not as provocative as what the first two albums offered.
Thanks a ton, Jeff. I'm looking forward to hearing your reaction.
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