Up until a week ago I had heard about The Hold Steady a few times, but I had never really listened to any of their music. After listening to an interview with the band on a recent Sound Opinions podcast, that all changed. I bought their latest album “Stay Positive” and I’ve been listening pretty much non-stop for a week now. Here are a few observations.
The music of The Hold Steady is straight forward. I almost want to call it simple, but that has negative connotations that wouldn’t apply here. The music just rocks. It doesn’t leave you guessing. You feel like you know what the next chord is going to be, and that’s a good thing. In an indie scene that can sometimes be quite obscure and inaccessible this is a breath of fresh air.
The music and the lyrics often seem to be at odds, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. The music feels like big arena anthem rock while the lyrics have a depth that you would expect in hear in some small, smokey, dimly-lit club. The music feels upbeat while the lyrics are dealing with sad and tragic situations. In the song, Sequestered in Memphis, the main character is being questioned by the authorities after something awful has happened to a girl he had a one-night rendezvous with. “In bar light she looked all right, in daylight she looked desperate. That’s alright I was desperate too”.
During the Sound Opinions interview Craig Finn, the lead singer, discusses his love for reading. It’s obvious in listening to his lyrics that there is a literary depth that is not often present in music today. It makes for great song writing. This is a great band and album.
Excellent commentary J. I now have yet another great band in my repertoire.
Mucho Gracias.