Sound: Craig Finn’s in-your-face narratives and the band’s meaty riffs, dancing piano, driving organ and boogie-inducing horns are still present. But this time around, they add many new flavors – skittering harpsichord, whimsical synthesizer, metal-power-ballad guitar solo, brooding mandolin, even a talk box (think Peter Frampton’s “Do You Feel Like We Do” or Motley Crue’s “Kickstart My Heart”).
Heavy Rotation track: “One for the Cutters”
Medium Rotation tracks: “Sequestered In Memphis”; “Slapped Actress”; “Stay Positive”; “Lord, I’m Discouraged”; “Joke About Jamaica”; “Yeah Sapphire”; “Both Crosses”
Recommended: It’s exciting to hear The Hold Steady branch out and successfully add so many surprising and bold colors to their palette. Stay Positive is a very consistent album, but it’s a little short on standout tracks – which puts it just a notch below Boys and Girls in America (my #7 album of 2006). And though Craig Finn’s tales of partying, relationships, religion and death are always compelling, they’re not quite as gripping as they were on previous albums.
Grade: A-
Listen to Tracks/Buy Music:
On iTunes
On amazon.com
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Hi Dave,
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