Primer: The Hold Steady

I don't have a March Playlist. I'm not sure why. I went into my back catalog instead of trying to discover anything. Hopefully April gives me much new music I can pass on to you.

But in the meantime, I'm going to start this series I'm calling "Primer." It'll be a posting where I introduce you to a band I love (that you may have heard of, or you may not know at all) by putting together a playlist of the best a they have to offer (in my opinion). I'll also expound upon my knowledge of the band, which is often obsessive and full of minutiae, but humor me, please.

Up first, The Hold Steady.

I know, I know, you've tried to like them, but you cant get over the vocals. You're right; Craig Finn has an odd way of singing. It's almost musical narration, or rhythmic talking. Very wordy, very narrative, very syncopated, and very different. But let it go for a second, and listen to the whole song. They are a band. 5 professional musicians each putting their all into every tune. This isn't frontman/backup group territory; these guys are a tight unit.

The obvious sonic comparison is to Springsteen and the E Street Band. But there are tones of the Clash, Thin Lizzy, Pearl Jam, the Band, and Faces all over their songs. They can go from church-organ rock to grunge to folk and finally to drunken bar punk very easily, but never lose their core sound; every song is a textbook Hold Steady song.

Their lyrics have a ton of reoccurring themes (Catholicism, the upper Midwest, drugs and alcohol, teenage isolation) and vocab words (Ybor City, Charlemagne, the unified scene, townies) that pepper the lyrics to every song. Their entire catalog, at times, seems like an extended concept album or rock opera. But its just shy of being cohesive enough to chart.

So here we go, a sampling of their best from before Stay Positive, their most recent album, which I think you need in full. And if you like what I have sampled here, please, go buy the full albums. They are a band worth, and well deserving of, your money.

Your Little Hoodrat Friend (Separation Sunday) - Straight forward rock and roll, with a good example of the narrative lyrics. Strikingly honest, we've all felt this way before, and just wanted to come out and say it.

Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night (Separation Sunday) - Sounds like that endless fast-paced drunken night on the town you have once a quarter.

Chillout Tent (Boys & Girls in America) - A cohesive story about love and OD'ing at a festival. The lead singer of Soul Asylum makes a vocal cameo as the dude. Right out of a shitty off-Broadway rock musical. But it works.

Chips Ahoy! (Boys & Girls in America) - A crowd favorite at the concerts, and a good example of their bar band chops coming to the forefront. There is a chant-like vocal part in the chorus which the audience takes on.

Don't Let Me Explode (Separation Sunday) - Using a cliche 50's prom song base, Craig can sing out an sentiment as angry as any thrash rock. Includes one of my favorite lines of theirs:
"We didn't go to Dallas/'cause Jackie Onassis said/that it ain't safe for Catholics yet/Think about what they pulled on Kennedy/And then think about his security/Then think about what they might try to pull on you and me."

Hot Soft Light (Boys & Girls in America) - Another tight, fun, upbeat rock song. Feel the Thin Lizzy.

Most People Are DJ's (Almost Killed Me) - Sounds like a great classic rock song. Craig is almost like an angst preacher. Face-melting guitar solos as well.

Party Pit (Boys & Girls in America) - This song to me is very 90's. It's got a Counting Crows vibe. And singing about college and self-awareness reminds me of all those alt-rock one-hit wonders from when VH1 played music. But the breakdown here is so theatrical, its almost Meat Loaf-y.

Southtown Girls (Boys & Girls in America) - We've all felt this apathy before; bored of your scene, but it's better than nothing. It's a surprisingly complex song musically.

Stuck Between Stations (Boys & Girls in America) - And if you can't hear the Bruce in this song, you've never heard the album Born to Run. From the piano, to the lyrics, to the breakdown, it bleeds Asbury Park. But, it's still distinctly Hold Steady.

Can I Please Crawl Out Your Window? (I'm Not There soundtrack) - You'd think they'd have a hard time finding a song to cover. This one fits so perfectly, it's almost as if they wrote it themselves, or based their entire style on this Bob Dylan and the Band b-side.