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Despite only coming to public attention comparatively recently, Brooklyn rockers The Hold Steady have essentially bypassed the up-and-coming portion of their career, leapfrogging straight to the elder statesmen phase. There are a number of reasons for this, but the most salient one is the band's unabashed classicism. It's verging on journalistically irresponsible not to compare their wordy, propulsive rock to 70s Springsteen; the band have so hitched their wagon to the music of decades past that it seems odd to think that their contemporaries are technically the likes of Shearwater and The National.
This, of course, is precisely why people love them so much–Craig Finn is a great lyricist, a raconteur in the old mould, while there is a barrelling, analogue warmth to their music that's blissfully at odds with the compression-heavy world of modern rock production. Their records–which tend not to be terribly different from each other–are as much one drawn-out manifesto for how Proper Music Should Sound as actual discreet artistic units.
And this can make it rather tough reviewing their latest offering: you're either with them or against them, and a new set is unlikely to change that. The big talking point of fifth album Heaven is Whenever is the departure of keyboardist Franz Nicolay, which makes for a moderately leaner record than 2008's Stay Positive. It still sounds exactly like The Hold Steady, though. The relaxed country twang of first track The Sweet Part of the City is the biggest development, but it's swiftly forgotten as the following Soft in the Center crunches in on strutting guitars and Finn sounding like the world's coolest uncle, growling: "Kid, you've gotta trust me on this one."
Elsewhere there are elegant slow-burners (The Weekenders), whiskey-soaked riff-rockers (Rock Problems) and one wonderfully hard-bitten seven-minute epic (the final A Slight Discomfort). In other words Heaven is Whenever is good for the exact reasons Hold Steady records always tend to be good. Such dogged consistency suggests it's doubtful Finn and company will ever come out with a startling masterpiece that frees them from Springsteen's shadow, but it also implies they're extremely unlikely to make a bad record. As you were, gents. --Andrzej Lukowski
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
3.5 stars
Craig Finn's belief in the redemptive power of Rock n Roll is so infectious that you want the Hold Steady to succeed at everything they do and continue to proudly proclaim them as the best "bar band" in the world. Albums like "Boys and Girls in America" was unafraid of cliché, full of huge high adrenaline anthems and on times reached a fever pitch of Springsteen proportions on songs like the wonderful "First Night" the delirious turbo charged "Stuck between Stations" and the continuing tales of Holly, Gideon and Charlemagne explored on earlier brilliant outings like "Separation Sunday". These were no mere E Street copyists and in Finn they had a great lyricist and the Randy Newman for the teenage experience. Next up was the "Stay Positive" which had its moments but didn't really advance the cause that far and now we have "Heaven is whenever" which is a good album but certainly not a great album.
Clearly the departure of their charismatic keyboard wizard Franz Nicolay has caused a rethink and some of the songs which emerge on this album are real gems. The themes in the songs are slightly more personal but ultimately doomed relationships and ill-advised romances loom large. The opener "Sweet part of the city" does suggest a new direction within the confines of "street scene" ballads and is a true highlight. The ode to the music fan "We can get together" is full of references to bands including Husker Du and Todd Rundgren music and will have crowds singing along at the top of their voices. "Hurricane J" is the Hold Steady "do power pop" and it works in spades, it carries you with is sheer exuberance and is full of Cheap Trick style licks, ditto "Soft in the Center" with its excellent harmonies and echoes of Springsteen.
The long closer "Slight discomfort" is a good reflective piece although its not particularly profound and does miss Nicolay. Then we have songs like "the Smidge" with a riff rolled out so many times before it ought to be given a decent burial. The problem with "Rock Problems" is that we have heard it all before a million times and if this is your first Hold Steady album it will sound great but if not somewhat formulaic and weathered. Take a song like "Weekenders" and if you listen closely it is essentially a rerun of "Chips Ahoy".
The Hold Steady don't have a bad album in them but in terms of their career path they also must decide whether they want to be Oasis or Bruce Springsteen. The Oasis template played out over two brilliant albums but imploded on "Be here now" whereas in terms of the Boss for every "Born to Run" he also recorded a counterpoint like the brilliant "Nebraska" or "Tunnel of Love". There are some suggestions of a new direction on here which should fill us with hope, for the bottom line is that the Hold Steady have now nearly exhausted the riffs and the boy/girls song template. They are by any standards one of the best US bands of recent years and let us hope that the redemptive power of rock n roll provides Finn with further new inspiration.
Craig Finn's belief in the redemptive power of Rock n Roll is so infectious that you want the Hold Steady to succeed at everything they do and continue to proudly proclaim them as the best "bar band" in the world. Albums like "Boys and Girls in America" was unafraid of cliché, full of huge high adrenaline anthems and on times reached a fever pitch of Springsteen proportions on songs like the wonderful "First Night" the delirious turbo charged "Stuck between Stations" and the continuing tales of Holly, Gideon and Charlemagne explored on earlier brilliant outings like "Separation Sunday". These were no mere E Street copyists and in Finn they had a great lyricist and the Randy Newman for the teenage experience. Next up was the "Stay Positive" which had its moments but didn't really advance the cause that far and now we have "Heaven is whenever" which is a good album but certainly not a great album.
Clearly the departure of their charismatic keyboard wizard Franz Nicolay has caused a rethink and some of the songs which emerge on this album are real gems. The themes in the songs are slightly more personal but ultimately doomed relationships and ill-advised romances loom large. The opener "Sweet part of the city" does suggest a new direction within the confines of "street scene" ballads and is a true highlight. The ode to the music fan "We can get together" is full of references to bands including Husker Du and Todd Rundgren music and will have crowds singing along at the top of their voices. "Hurricane J" is the Hold Steady "do power pop" and it works in spades, it carries you with is sheer exuberance and is full of Cheap Trick style licks, ditto "Soft in the Center" with its excellent harmonies and echoes of Springsteen.
The long closer "Slight discomfort" is a good reflective piece although its not particularly profound and does miss Nicolay. Then we have songs like "the Smidge" with a riff rolled out so many times before it ought to be given a decent burial. The problem with "Rock Problems" is that we have heard it all before a million times and if this is your first Hold Steady album it will sound great but if not somewhat formulaic and weathered. Take a song like "Weekenders" and if you listen closely it is essentially a rerun of "Chips Ahoy".
The Hold Steady don't have a bad album in them but in terms of their career path they also must decide whether they want to be Oasis or Bruce Springsteen. The Oasis template played out over two brilliant albums but imploded on "Be here now" whereas in terms of the Boss for every "Born to Run" he also recorded a counterpoint like the brilliant "Nebraska" or "Tunnel of Love". There are some suggestions of a new direction on here which should fill us with hope, for the bottom line is that the Hold Steady have now nearly exhausted the riffs and the boy/girls song template. They are by any standards one of the best US bands of recent years and let us hope that the redemptive power of rock n roll provides Finn with further new inspiration.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I listened to this record twice through, streaming it from the Guardian website last night (It's easy to find the preview there if you want:guardian.co.uk/music). From what I've heard, I'll be pre-ordering it directly.
My first encounter with The Hold Steady was their third album, Boys and Girls in America, and I've seen them pretty recently so while I'm not exactly a die-hard, from the beginning fan, they have made a real impression on me in the last few years.
This is a pretty shallow reflection on the album, as I've not had the chance to listen to it repeatedly, but I will say they seem to have found a way to accomodate the desire to move away from the more bombastic BAGIA sound while keeping the songwriting and energy levels exceptionally high. Since the way they used traditional US rock styles along with sometimes self-consciously naive, sometimes almost arch lyricism is what attracted me to the band in the first place, this album definitely counts as a success to me.
Since Franz Nicolay is no longer playing with the band, we're having to say goodbye to a lot of the twinkling pianos and organ chops, along with some of the more obviously punk influenced "Woah-oh-woah-oh" singalongs. Sadly missed, but the understated keys and pedals steel playing make up for it.
All in all, an excllent record from the two listens I've given it, and I'm looking forward to getting physical copy and getting to know it as well as BAGIA
My first encounter with The Hold Steady was their third album, Boys and Girls in America, and I've seen them pretty recently so while I'm not exactly a die-hard, from the beginning fan, they have made a real impression on me in the last few years.
This is a pretty shallow reflection on the album, as I've not had the chance to listen to it repeatedly, but I will say they seem to have found a way to accomodate the desire to move away from the more bombastic BAGIA sound while keeping the songwriting and energy levels exceptionally high. Since the way they used traditional US rock styles along with sometimes self-consciously naive, sometimes almost arch lyricism is what attracted me to the band in the first place, this album definitely counts as a success to me.
Since Franz Nicolay is no longer playing with the band, we're having to say goodbye to a lot of the twinkling pianos and organ chops, along with some of the more obviously punk influenced "Woah-oh-woah-oh" singalongs. Sadly missed, but the understated keys and pedals steel playing make up for it.
All in all, an excllent record from the two listens I've given it, and I'm looking forward to getting physical copy and getting to know it as well as BAGIA
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:MP3 Download
Another slice of Americana, Hold Steady style. After their last effort which, to be brutally frank, was a retrograde step, they push all the right buttons. Craig Finn rasp: check. Chiming guitars: check. Inspirational choruses: ditto. Catch it now - free, in its entirety, on guardian website.
(30/03/2011) God knows how long ago I wrote this review but it still holds up. Still got the link to the guardian webpage for a free listen. Interesting to find out if anyone else followed suit.
(30/03/2011) God knows how long ago I wrote this review but it still holds up. Still got the link to the guardian webpage for a free listen. Interesting to find out if anyone else followed suit.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
end of the road
i was a big fan of hold steady and Boys and girls is a cracking album full of good tunes. Stay Positive was okay but this is awful. Read more
Published 12 months ago by hickman
A change for the worse
Only discovered this band recently after catching one of their songs on the radio and bought 'Stay Positive' on the back of that; it quickly became a regular feature on my CD... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Steve W
Strong tunes but weaker words
This album still has better lyrics than pretty much any band out there, but they are much inferior to all previous albums by the Hold Steady. The Snitch is the best thing here. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Simon Turner
lost the plot
I raved about boy's and girls'.their gigs we brilliant.They were Londoncentric and have finally found other bits a the UK exist. Read more
Published 16 months ago by D. peel
Good old fashioned rock
This band first came to my attention on "Later with Jools Holland". They have a style that blends Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger and Sparks which is very different. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Andrew Fell
Their most enjoyable yet
Can't stop playing this, all the way through - lightfooted and breezier than their earlier albums, but full of summer-friendly, guitars-a-plenty rock'n'roll. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Nick
Am I mistaken?
Or has everyone gone mad? The last album by this band was a belter - full of great songs and variety. This has been played twice in a month. Read more
Published 24 months ago by robotfish
Not their best - But more than good enough
Much preferring The Hold Steady's work with keyboards player Franz Nicolay, I was worried when I heard of his departure that the following album would not be up to scratch... Read more
Published 24 months ago by James S. Williams
Hmmm
The last studio outing, Stay Positive, closed with the frustrating Slapped Actress: great opening riff but then... Read more
Published on 14 May 2010 by Unkie Paul
Hands Up if You've Heard This One Before...
Other than the two decent enough, though hardly spectacular, opening tracks the rest of the songs haven't got an original idea, riff or chorus between them. Read more
Published on 13 May 2010 by Man Without a Soul
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