Craig Finn ain't much of a singer, but the man sure spins a mean yarn. And for those of you naysayers who claim his songs rely far too heavily on brawny rock rhythms and Daedalean wordplay: Heaven Is Whenever, his band's fifth LP, will surely put your naysayin' to rest. Over the past few years, The Hold Steady has become synonymous with chugging guitars and earnest tales of "boys and girls in America". But after 2008's comparatively dull Stay Positive, fans couldn't help but wonder what the future held for the Brooklyn band. Were they destined to become another Springsteen-sound-alike: frontman Finn singing of mill towns and motorbikes with the same puffed-chest clout as his Jersey hero? Nah, dude. Finn is, for all intents and purposes, a nerd! He's a chubby thirtysomething with a nasty bout of male pattern baldness. Wendy isn't going to wrap her legs around him! Hell, she'd more likely laugh in his face then throw her diet coke on his freshly pressed button-down. And he got the memo. "You can't get every girl. You'll love the ones you get the best," he comforts a younger version of himself on the excellent "Soft In The Center", adding in, "I know what you're going through. I had to go through that too." The Hold Steady has returned to their Almost Killed Me roots. Screw concept albums – the only concept tying this album together is the concept of human experience. Their mustachioed keyboardist Franz Nicolay is notably absent. And while his fills and riffs were certainly an integral part of the group's sound, there is no mistaking the fact that this is their freshest sounding release since 2006’s Boys And Girls In America. That slide guitar on "Sweet Part of the City"? Dope. Finn's finest moment, however, comes in the form of a simple love song. "We Can Get Together" is about sitting on your beloved's bedroom floor, listening to a timeless record that stirs up the most wonderful kind of nostalgia. Heaven Is Whenever could easily become said timeless record. Saturated with warmth, humor, honesty - it is truly an album for the ages.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Heaven Is Hold Steady.
Craig Finn ain't much of a singer, but the man sure spins a mean yarn. And for those of you naysayers who claim his songs rely far too heavily on brawny rock rhythms and Daedalean wordplay: Heaven Is Whenever, his band's fifth LP, will surely put your naysayin' to rest. Over the past few years, The Hold Steady has become synonymous with chugging guitars and earnest tales of "boys and girls in America". But after 2008's comparatively dull Stay Positive, fans couldn't help but wonder what the future held for the Brooklyn band. Were they destined to become another Springsteen-sound-alike: frontman Finn singing of mill towns and motorbikes with the same puffed-chest clout as his Jersey hero? Nah, dude. Finn is, for all intents and purposes, a nerd! He's a chubby thirtysomething with a nasty bout of male pattern baldness. Wendy isn't going to wrap her legs around him! Hell, she'd more likely laugh in his face then throw her diet coke on his freshly pressed button-down. And he got the memo. "You can't get every girl. You'll love the ones you get the best," he comforts a younger version of himself on the excellent "Soft In The Center", adding in, "I know what you're going through. I had to go through that too." The Hold Steady has returned to their Almost Killed Me roots. Screw concept albums – the only concept tying this album together is the concept of human experience. Their mustachioed keyboardist Franz Nicolay is notably absent. And while his fills and riffs were certainly an integral part of the group's sound, there is no mistaking the fact that this is their freshest sounding release since 2006’s Boys And Girls In America. That slide guitar on "Sweet Part of the City"? Dope. Finn's finest moment, however, comes in the form of a simple love song. "We Can Get Together" is about sitting on your beloved's bedroom floor, listening to a timeless record that stirs up the most wonderful kind of nostalgia. Heaven Is Whenever could easily become said timeless record. Saturated with warmth, humor, honesty - it is truly an album for the ages.
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