When news broke that keyboardist Franz Nicolay would be leaving The Hold Steady earlier this year it came as a kind of a shock. If you have ever seen the band play live, you would know that Nicolay was more than just a keyboardist, he was that extra flourish that made The Hold Steady more than just another indie rock band. His celebratory keyboards and harmony "whoaaa"s added an oomph to the band's songs that pushed already great rock songs into summer anthem territory. Plus he just seemed like he was having so much fun up there on stage.
It was less of a surprise when lead man Craig Finn announced shortly thereafter that their new album would be "less anthemic." Hey Craig, you don't really need a weatherman to tell which way the wind is blowing here, but thanks anyway. As if to prove that point, the band leads off "Heaven is Whenever" with "The Sweet Part of the City," a mid-tempo southern blues burner. Unlike "Stay Positive," which led with the blistering "Constructive Summer" or "Boys and Girls in America," which led with the fist pumping "Stuck Between Stations," the band seems to be making a point that yes, indeed, this is going to be something different from those albums. Also of note is the return of producer Dean Baltulonis to the fold. Baltulonis produced the band's "Almost Killed Me," and "Separation Sunday," albums which notably sound better suited for dive bars, rather than the massive architecture of "Boys and Girls" and "Stay Positive."
Of course you can't keep a boy down on the farm once he has seen the city, and the band does return to those "whoohoohoo" anthems at choice moments throughout the album. "The Weekenders" would sound comfortably at home on "Boys and Girls" thematically and musically. But for the most part the band does strip things down here. It's still the Hold Steady, but they sound less expansive, more back to the basics. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, these guys are, after all, the best bar band in the world, and songs like "Hurrican J" and "The Smidge" ARE going to sound pretty damn good coming through the speakers after that second drink.
Thematically the album isn't as consistent as the storybook "Separation Sunday" or "Boys and Girls," but all the similar obsessions are there; Catholicism, alcoholism, flirtations with drug abuse by good girls going bad, and the bad boys who are going to take them there. Of note is Finn's undying dedication to the music that influenced him, and inform the sound of The Hold Steady. "Stay Positive" contained Finn's most blatant peons to music with the title track and "Constructive Summer," whose melody and name owed much to "Celebrated Summer" by Husker Du, and contained a memorable verse about St. Joe Strummer. Title track "Stay Positive," was a rousing celebration of the independent music scene; a sort of grand unifying anthem for all the desperate genres that fall under the umbrella of indie rock. On "Heaven is Whenever," Finn incorporates the album title into the moving chorus of the gorgeous "We Can Get Together" to again acknowledge the transformative power of music. "Heaven is whenever we can get together, sit down on your floor and listen to your records," Finn croons. The song name drops Husker Du specifically, but gives a nod to musicians as diverse as Pavement and Meatloaf. It's a reminder that Finn is like us, regular guys and girls who live for music and aren't afraid to admit that a band like Boston may have informed our tastes just as much as The Clash did. It's also the secret of The Hold Steady's appeal. These guys aren't trust fund Williamsburg hipsters, they are regular guys who grew up like many of us with middle-class Midwestern roots. They are the home team. They like the same things that we do, they look at the world pretty much the same way we do, they just happen to be able to pull off what so many of us wanted to do, but never did - make killer rock songs. The glory is that they have done that so well that eventually someone will be singing their praises the way they do Husker Du and Youth of Today. It's enough to bring a tear to the eye of an indie rock fan.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention a couple of other great tracks from "Heaven is Whenever." "Barely Breathing" captures the band in a killer groove, boosted by some great horn and organ work. About a punk rock show from back in the day, Finn drops some of his most hyper-literate lyrics on the album, making for a fully formed and satisfying Hold Steady jam. Album closer "A Slight Discomfort," is also pretty spectacular. The song finds the band returning to the more expansive sound of "Stay Positive," with a reverb heavy dirge about surviving a hard-lived life. "Well be alright, well get through the night, our struggle feels wonderful most days," Finn sings. Once the stately piece comes to a close, its clear that indeed The Hold Steady is going to be alright, even after loss and change. With "Heaven is Whenever," the band has crafted another album full of great songs. While there might be a slight change in the program, it's still those lovable, thoughtful, regular guys living the rock and roll dream, making songs about us, and for us.
"Hurricane J" live
"The Weekenders" live
"We Can Get Together" live
No comments:
Post a Comment