The Hold Steady review
June 30th, 2008 by Wade Tatangelo in Reviews
Stay Positive
THE HOLD STEADY
Vagrant
It’s hard not to root for The Hold Steady. Especially if you’re from Tampa and regularly frequent Ybor City. The intelligent booze-rockers may call Brooklyn home but our famed entertainment district surfaces in so many of singer/songwriter Crag Finn’s tunes — most notably the band’s signature jam “Killer Parties” — that it’s like listening to one of our own. And then there are the joyous concerts The Hold Steady have thrown in Ybor, like the one in January at Czar Bar, which concluded with about 100 people joining the quintet on stage.
The band’s latest and greatest album, Stay Positive — currently available on iTunes; CD drops July 15 — also includes a couple local references. “Don’t tell ’em Ybor City almost killed us again,” Finn sings on the closing track, “Slapped Actress,” over a guitar-and-keyboard wall of sound straight from E Street. “Don’t mention Tampa, they’ll just know all the rest,” Finn sings on another verse of the same brilliant song. It’s a cinematic number inspired by the John Cassevetes flick Opening Night, which depicts a Broadway star on the verge of a nervous breakdown after witnessing the death of a fan. Finn documents desperation better than most.
But like the album name implies, Stay Positive also packs a message of hope. The title track is a fist-pumping tidal wave of classic-rock guitar and churchy organ that serves as a delectable homage to “sing-along songs.” It’s also, in part, a heartwarming love letter to The Hold Steady’s highly devoted fanbase. “We couldn’t have even done this if it wasn’t for you,” Finn intones.
He has an everyman voice buoyed by unbridled passion. For years, he’s been knocked for his Springsteenian tendency to cram excessive words into each line, rendering some unintelligible to the untrained ear. But The Hold Steady’s fourth record features Finn’s finest (and most easily understood) singing to date.
Sonically, Stay Positive is the band’s most adventurous. Big Man-style sax playing gooses the disc’s first single, “Sequestered in Memphis;” theremin and banjo lace the bleak ballad “Both Crosse;” a harpsichord haunts the murder report “One for the Cutters.” A massive guitar solo of arena rock proportions can be found at the heart of the beautifully bluesy “Lord, I’m Discouraged,” and a talk box juices the Zeppelin-quoting “Joke About Jamaica.” All told, there’s not a dud on the disc. 4.5 stars
Send to a friend:
June 30th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
i give this one an unprecedented “6 stars”. 4.5 stars is not enough. this is a fantastic record, best of any band all year.
June 30th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
WEB SHERIFF
Protecting Your Rights on the Internet
Tel 44-(0)208-323 8013
Fax 44-(0)208 323 8080
websheriff@websheriff.com
http://www.websheriff.com
Hi Wade,
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 and I agree with the comment above 6*.
Regards,
WEB SHERIFF
June 30th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
I’ve heard Slapped Actress. It’s my favorite Hold Steady song.
July 1st, 2008 at 11:42 am
WEB SHERIFF
Protecting Your Rights on the Internet
Tel 44-(0)208-323 8013
Fax 44-(0)208 323 8080
websheriff@websheriff.com
http://www.websheriff.com
Hi Wade,
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.
Regards,
WEB SHERIFF
July 1st, 2008 at 12:45 pm
wow! Hussey, wade and i are all in agreement on this one.
Wade,
i might just have to let him in the office, he likes the hold steady, for christ’s sake!
Mike,
today is the day, storm the loaf gates and force wade to listen to pavement for me. i’m off today, so this is your chance!
Wade,
yr on yr own today, sorry.
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:27 am
Their new album rocks. I hope they make it down to your parts!
They just played McCarren Pool here in Brooklyn and it was out of this world good.
Check out the mayhem here:
http://livethelushlife.com/content/hold-steady-open-mccarren-pool-parties
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:09 am
leo.
they’ve made 3 trips down here to play in the fabled Ybor City. i’ve been fortunate to be at all three shows and they’ve gotten better each time. here are my pics from their last trip down here, which was in the middle of recording the new album…
http://s158.photobucket.com/albums/t87/sonicgabe/the%20hold%20steady/?start=all
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:30 am
awesome! I always wondered if they just talked about it or what :-)
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:18 pm
leo,
they had never been down here before they started mentioning ybor in their songs, it’s a story thats too long to type here, but they did explain it at the first ybor show. that show, in fact, was so incredible. people drove from all over (NY, LA, GA, TN, MN) jsut to see the hold steady’s first show in ybor. it was amazing. about 1/3 of the crowd was from out of state.